Issue 1438 – Downhill – May 3, 2024
Out behind our house is a green space that backs onto a large hill. The hill is a popular place for walkers and offers a great vista of the neighbourhood. It also has large areas covered in blackberry bushes, making it a bird haven. There is often a bird serenade of one form or another that drifts over to our ears.
I sat in the backyard yesterday afternoon, watching the birds fly back and forth from the hill to our feeder. As I watched, a walker tried a shortcut off the trail, fell and slid some distance on their bottom. It made me think of some toboggan hills growing up.
One in particular came to mind. It was behind a school. There always seemed to be kids there in the winter. We slid down on toboggans, sleds, cardboard, inner tubes, or our jackets. The air was always filled with the sound of screams and giggles.
With no clearly defined runs, you just picked a spot and started sliding. It was up to the people below to get out of the way, although we always tried to avoid hitting them.
The rides were fun, but only a little controlled steering was involved. If everyone held on and you didn’t fall off, you bailed just before your rig hit the school wall.
There were seldom any severe injuries, but bruises were common. Occasionally, there was a broken arm or leg, and it was usually the result of someone showing off and sledding in areas we all knew to be unsafe.
Once we hit bottom, the work started. We had to climb back up the slippery hill, pulling our rigs. Plenty of people were game to slide with you, but relatively few were willing to help on the way back up the hill.
Life is like that. It’s where the 20/80 rule comes into play… that is, 20% of the people do 80% of the work. I wish I could say the church was different, but it isn’t. A relatively small group typically carries the majority. Some serve, but many more consume.
It can be frustrating and even heartbreaking at times. The heartbreak comes when we realize that the consumers are missing out. We were designed for and gifted to serve others.
Certainly, there are differing seasons in life when our ability to serve can be lessened, but many simply cannot be bothered.
The church functions best when we all serve.
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13
If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 1 Corinthians 12:26-27
Are you serving in your local assembly? If not, what holds you back? God has designed a place that only you can fill. It’s time to seek your spot.
If you are serving, let’s pray for those who are not that they might find the blessings serving provides.
Be blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the English Standard Version (ESV)