Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

--Parallel verses:
‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭12‬-‭13‬, ‭18‬, ‭24‬-‭27‬
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. while our presentable parts need no special treatment.
But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

I love to play football. And when I played in high school I played right offensive tackle and left defensive tackle. Now linemen are not usually players that flash amazing skills, like an accurate throwing arm, blazing speed, or the ability to stick to receivers like glue and intercept the ball. The work on the line of scrimmage is tough, it requires quickness, leverage, and brute strength. On the offensive side of the ball, you are often creating holes for running backs to go through and blocking would-be tacklers. Then, there is pass protection. This requires a lot of strength and leverage to protect a quarterback in a pocket you can’t see, but trust is there. On defense, the goal is to break through the holes, create gridlock behind the line of scrimmage, disrupt plays, and ultimately — to tackle the ball carrier.

But in all cases you are not acting alone. You have your zones on the field you are responsible for. You either have people you are to block or areas the football cannot come through. Then you trust the other ten teammates to do their jobs with their skills as well.

If everyone works well together, then the COMBINED OUTPUT of the team IS GREATER than the addition of its individual parts. This is the point of these passages as well. We are part of one body or one team, with Jesus as the head, or the head coach. If we support and encourage each other, valuing different contributions under one leader, Jesus, then we will thrive and succeed spiritually. But if we get proud, focus on certain gifts over others and/or comparing roles with each other, our unity under our head, Jesus, will be diminished and our spiritual effectiveness weak.

We are to love each other, value the contributions of all, and seek only to perform the role and duties assigned to us by the head coach, Jesus Christ.

When we do this we gain ground, get lots of first downs, and score big on the way to spiritual victory!

Lord, help me to improve and be better at thanking others for their gifts, encouraging others in the body of Christ, and enabling them to be successful. May I do my part and do it well with the gifts you have given me. Together, we will surge in shining light in the darkness, breaking the chains of the captives, and setting the prisoners free!