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By
Ron Bartanen
Jesus said, “I must work the works of Him
that sent me while it is day: the night cometh when no man can work” (John
9:4). We who, by the grace of God, are the
saved in Christ, were saved not just that we might go to heaven, but that
also we might work the works of God. A
believer’s life should be of use to God and man. Time and again the Scriptures emphasize
that we are saved to serve, and that God condemns, as much as any sin, the
sin of doing nothing! Why, then, are we usually so lax in our
Christian service? Why are so many inactive? Why does it take so long for so
many Christians to reach so few persons with the Gospel of Christ? We want to
point out that there are barriers to service which we need to emphasize and
break down in order that we be effective laborers for Christ. SELFISHNESS is probably the number one
barrier to effective Christian service.
We are basically selfish and are more concerned about our own problems
than about anyone else’s. My ingrown
toenail will possibly cause me more concern than my neighbor’s cancer. My needs always seem much more pressing
than the needs of anyone else. Often,
what God wants done must take second place to what I want done. It is easier to sing “King of my life, I
crown Thee now” than it is to crucify self and enthrone Christ in my
life. Lord, deliver me from SELF; help
me tear down the barrier of selfishness in my life. PRIDE is another barrier to Christian
service. The thankless, often
behind-the-scenes job in the Lord’s vineyard often goes begging. Anyone can serve amidst recognition and
praise. It takes a true servant of
Christ to serve when man does not see and man does not care. There would be no limit to what the church
could accomplish if we didn’t care who got the credit. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier teaches a
great lesson—a nation’s victories are mostly won by the blood of nameless
men. So, also, in the kingdom of God,
the real heroes are the humble, unheralded saints who serve tirelessly simply
because they love the Lord. PROCRASTINATION is possibly one of the
most common barriers to service. All
true Christians want to serve the Lord, but too frequently it is something
that we regard as preferably done tomorrow.
From experience I know that I have lost opportunities because I
delayed too long. How quickly the
night comes when no longer will work be possible. How quickly the harvest season will be
past! May the Lord, in His grace, give power to
break down the barriers such as selfishness, pride and procrastination that
we may get on with the Master’s work. |
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