Serving God...Does It Have To Be So Hard?

Below is today's Purpose Driven Life -

Monday, June 06, 2011
The Body of Christ Needs You
by Rick Warren

All of you together are Christ’s body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it. 1 Corinthians 12:27 (NLT)
One reason you need to be connected to a church family is to fulfill your calling to serve other believers in practical ways. The Bible says, “All of you together are Christ’s body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27 NLT).

Your service is essential to the Body of Christ—just ask any local church. Each of us has a role to play, and every role is important. There is no small service to God; it all matters.

There are no insignificant ministries in the church. Some are visible and some are hidden behind the scenes, but all are valuable. Small or hidden ministries often make the biggest difference. In my home, the most important light is not the large chandelier in our dining room but the little night light that keeps me from stubbing my toe when I get up at night.

There is no correlation between size and significance. Every ministry matters because we are all dependent on each other to function.

What happens when one part of your body fails to function? You get sick. The rest of your body suffers. Imagine if your liver decided to start living for itself: “I’m tired! I don’t want to serve the body anymore! I want a year off just to be fed. I’ve got to do what’s best for me! Let some other part take over.”

What would happen? Your body would die. Today thousands of local churches are dying because of Christians who are unwilling to serve. They sit on the sidelines as spectators, and the Body suffers.
God calls you to a service far beyond anything you could ever imagine. He created YOU for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for you to do (see Ephesians 2:10). Whenever you serve others, you are actually serving God.

I am with Mr. Warren on the fact that Christians are saved to serve and not just sit as spectators.  Going further into my opinion, I think that too many times, those spectators begin to look as those serving and begin dictate how they think ministry should go.  Honestly, if everyone was serving as God intended and was focused on the greater goal of bringing the lost to Christ and serving one another, they wouldn't have time to sit back and think up ways to "help" other ministries do it "right".  I seem to recall reading in the Bible how the early church encouraged one another.  I don't think we have enough of that anymore.  Well, some people are wonderful at this encouraging thing and others are more worried that their agenda will not be met.  Anyone want to hazard a guess at which type of person is more focused on God?  Yeah, that's what I thought too.

I know this seems a bit harsh but I am feeling a little discouraged so it comes out as harsh.  I guess this is one of those "why can't we all just get along" things.  You know the reason we can't?  SATAN!  (Please read the previous just like the Church Lady!)

Pulling my favorite movie into this...which is probably sacrilegious beyond all imagination...Andy says in The Shawshank Redemption that he better "Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying".  I am feeling like that a bit.  Get busy living for God with people who are supportive and lift each other up or get busy leaving for somewhere else.  Perhaps, like Andy's escape from prison and subsequent trip to Mexico, it is also my time to leave.  I'll be praying about that...