If you are a regular reader of this blog you may (or may not) have noticed that I didn't write much last month. I usually try to post something once a week, but I think I only posted twice in June.
I want you to know, though, that I wasn't being lazy or even feeling unmotivated. It also wasn't for lack of anything to write about. I have been studying quite a bit lately, probably more than normal. And, God has been speaking to me through my study of the Word.
But, somehow there has been a check in my spirit about writing too much right now. In fact, I have also stopped teaching on Wednesday nights for a little while. There are several people in the class who are more than capable of teaching. Even better, they all have very different styles and life (and spiritual) experiences to draw on. I am actually really excited to watch God speak through each of these friends in different ways, and yet each teaching from the same book -- Romans.
I have preached on a couple of Sundays recently, and I have had responsibility for our prayer during service a few times. But, other than that it just seems like God has put me in a place of quiet and reflection. And quiet is often a good thing. In fact, quiet is often essential.
More than anything else, I think God has used this quiet time to remind me of how big He is, and how small I am. And, what I am finding is that the more I am able to let God do the work the more successful my little part of the ministry seems to be. Of course, I still need to put in the preparation, show up, and do the best I can, but when I let God take responsibility for the result the result seems to get a whole lot better.
I really feel privileged that God allows me to serve at Heartland Church, and there is no place I would rather be. But, when I am able to put things in perspective, I realize that God is only trusting me with a little.
The church the world over is enormous in its scope, in its diversity, in its geography, in its giftings, in its outreaches, in its ministries and on and on. And both because of that, and in spite of that, we have a tendency to either overestimate our significance to the body or underestimate our value to Christ. And so, I thank God for using this quiet time to give me perspective -- to help me understand and be content with my part in this enormous body of believers.
"12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it."
1 Corinthians 12:12-26
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