August 13, 2008
Well Done...
When the doors of service were closed to me at my former church, I found a new niche in politics. I’ll admit it took awhile to emotionally wean myself away from serving in the church. However, God has faithfully sent encouragement my way. The morning after I was officially sworn into office I began my daily exercise regime by turning on my Scripture tape, which resumed from where it had left off the previous day. The narrator boldly said, “…Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things…” (Matt 25:23 NIV) With my spirit soaring I finished my work out, returned home and then opened my Bible to take a closer look at the passage of Scripture. Let me confess that over the years I’ve measured my service in the church as being a sizable contribution to the Kingdom and yet, here’s Jesus saying I’ve been faithful with a few things. Now I’m nervous. What does it mean to be put in charge of many things?
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Gail;
-----I never have looked hard for ways to be active in church. I taught Sunday School a little off and on during the last twenty years, but that was about all. I felt kind of guilty, too, about maybe not being faithful enough in my little. Nor did I ever make regular Bible study time or do formal devotions either. Rather, I have always carried as much of what I can know about the Word in mind as I have gone through my day, comparing the day’s events to my best understanding of it, as much as was possible, and thinking to the Lord about it. When I needed to know more is when I did more study. So I never really could say I was being faithful in that either. Neither have I been very available to help other folks with things they need, except accounting and tax type stuff. I always made available a little time to do some pro-bono work for those in predicaments. But to help my neighbor put up his hay before it rains was never quite possible for me because I always had some rock to break myself before it rained. That never felt too faithful to me, either. Of course, all the rock breaking I’ve had to do has been for my wife and kids. Somehow, I’ve always been convinced that that does not qualify as serving others, because they are my family. But I never could bring myself to put any one else before my family, at least if the chips were even near to being down. That never felt friendly.
-----But when the leaders of XYZ Church decided to act like they were more the head of the church than the Lord Himself was, my ways plowed me deeper into the Word than I had ever been. I came through those days realizing that my relationships with the brethren extended far beyond the walls of whatever building I met others in to sing and be preached at. I realized that caring for your brother was far more than helping him put up hay. It was encouraging him, edifying him, comforting him (yes, it is Biblical to be comfortable in the Lord, but don’t tell the contemporaries about it), counseling him, etc. Well, it is just kind of fellowship, pleasing each other because joy is so instrumental in strength, and strength is so important within the turmoil of this broken world.
-----Now I realize that my faithfulness in my little is not confined to that set of walls sheltering the little group of folks I meet with who refer to themselves collectively as “our church“. It extends to every one of my activities that touch anyone, to each smile, to each frown, to each statement, each handshake, hug, or wave goodbye. But still, I feel guilty about breaking rocks for my family while my neighbor is putting up hay. And although I try hard to be faithful to all those little things, in reality, I’ve also discovered just how many more failures I have that need forgiveness. God have mercy.
Love,
Steve Corey
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