Word of Encouragement (7/28/2021)
The prayer we are reflecting on is, “I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent...” (1 Tim. 1:12-13). We have been talking about why it is a privilege to serve Christ. Today, let’s talk about one implication of that: this privilege comes from the Lord.
Paul says clearly that it is the Lord, who appointed him to His service (v. 12). If serving Christ is a privilege, it is not something we can grab at will or acquire with effort. It is something Christ must grant out of His pleasure as the sovereign Lord of all. This is easy to see in the cases of church officers, such as pastors, elders, and deacons. They must be formally nominated, trained, and voted in by the congregation. Just because they want to serve God in these capacities (having the “internal” call) doesn’t mean that they can. God is not so desperate for volunteers that He takes and uses anyone to serve Him. Their internal call must be confirmed by the external call extended by the church. When the church elects and ordains and installs men into these offices, they are doing so on behalf of God. “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:19). They can do this because they have been endowed with the Holy Spirit, who knows the mind of God.
Another example is David and his desire to build a temple for God, as we mentioned last Sunday. I’m sure God was pleased with David’s desire. He was indeed a man after God’s own heart. Even so, God did not allow it because his hands shed too much blood in so many wars. God delights in all of our desires to do good in service of Him. But we must humbly acknowledge that, under God’s sovereign rule, even a good thing has its place and time. We should not be discouraged by this. God may not allow us to achieve the good we want to do. But our desire to do so and doing something about it may be the seed that is planted. Another may come along to water it and someone else may finally harvest the fruit. God will cause it to grow and bear fruit if the good we desire to do is according to God’s will. We should feel content—in fact, we should feel privileged—that we have been given a role to play in God’s plan.
But what about simple and menial things like printing and folding the bulletins and moving chairs and tables for our fellowship? Do we need God’s permission to do such things? Can’t anyone just do it without asking permission from anyone? That’s true. But listen to how Paul begins this prayer: “I thank him who has given me strength....” We cannot do even the most menial tasks unless God allows us to come to church in the first place and blesses us with the minimum health that is needed to do such things. Just because we are usually healthy doesn’t mean that health is our right. He makes us realize this by allowing us to be sick from time to time and not able to do even the simplest tasks. We may not have to be nominated and elected to wipe down the tables and clean the bathrooms. But when we do it, we must understand that it is because God allowed us to do it and it is a privilege to serve Him in that way. When we see it this way, we will be able to do it with gratitude and gladness rather than with resentment and grumbling. For we have a Savior, who came into this world not to be served but to serve, who was willing to wash the feet of His disciples and go to the cross to offer His life as a ransom for our redemption. In our humble service, we become conformed to the image of our beautiful Savior.
What has God appointed you to do in service of Him? Let us offer a prayer of thanksgiving to Him and commit ourselves to do it gladly and faithfully.