A La Carte Christianity — Thursday
Ephesians 6:7
Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. (NLT)
This is the part of our weekly devos where we dig a little deeper. We’ve talked about the importance of serving each other; we’ve talked about praying for opportunities to show kindness; we’ve talked about the characteristic of humility as we serve. What we haven’t talked about yet are the things that hold us back from taking that next step.
1 Corinthians 12:27 says, “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (ESV). This scripture means you were specifically created with gifts to share with the rest of the body, and you specifically bring value to the body of Christ. It also means there is a place for you to serve as part of that body, and while—sure—the Lord can do it without us, He’s called us to be a part.
Our enemy is extremely deceiving. He will use any method he can to convince you that your work is not important or necessary to help build God’s kingdom or spread His message. He will try to make you believe that you don’t have enough time, enough talent, enough energy, enough resources, or enough expertise to serve. Friends, those are lies. You absolutely have everything you need in your current situation to be able to serve others.
Serving will look different for each of us, but hear me: There. Is. A. Place. For. You.
Are you going to the grocery store this week? Pick up a package of mac and cheese or another one of these items for our Backpack Program, and drop it off when you come to church on Sunday. Have your kids outgrown some of their clothes? Donate them to our Helping Through Him ministry located at the Nicholasville Campus—that clothing goes directly to families in need in our communities. Are you musically inclined? Look into volunteering with our Music Team. Do you love talking to people? Join our Connections Team as a volunteer. Do you love kids or students? Volunteer in one of those environments. Do you have an extra dollar in change laying around? Donate a dollar online, knowing that it, along with a dollar from thousands of other folks in our church, will go to help a family in need.
Are you reading all of this thinking, “I don’t have time for that… I’m too busy, and life is crazy right now,” or “I’m not physically or financially able to do any of those things”? Pray. Commit to praying for our church and our communities.
All of these and so many more are ways you can rally with our church to serve others. Whether they’re recognized or not, God sees you. He knows how humbly you serve, how fervently you pray, how hard you work to build His kingdom. And every single bit of it will be for His glory.
Thursday’s Reflection
Find a way to join us on mission. Don’t let lies hold you back. Assess what you are able to do right now, how you could serve, and how God is asking you to jump in, and then just say yes.