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(I corrected several path problems on August 29, August 30, and September 1, including these selections: Which  Version?, Christmas, Images, Body of Christ Discovered, Hymn Midis, KJV Bible, and Spiritual Warfare.  Sorry for any problems; please let know if you find others. - Gary)

Find Us Faithful

A time or two before I've mentioned an old fellow I knew as a young boy, and on into my teenage years. Brother Percy lived down the hill just below the church. Arthritis had all but crippled him by the time I first knew him. He got about with the help of a cane. Walking from his house to the church, just a a few hundred yards away, was a major effort for him. Every time the door of the church was open, though, he was there. Often, in fact, he was the one who opened the door.

I really didn't have a high opinion of Percy at the time I knew him. It was hard for me to see beyond his crippled body. Later on, though, I came to appreciate him as a faithful old saint who loved the Lord. When his spirit left that bent, broken-down frame, I can see in my mind's eye the Lord Jesus rising to embrace him with the same words I want to hear one day myself: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

Paul wrote to the Colossians that we should do all that we do heartily, as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23). Not all of us have the talent or the inclination to make beautiful music, or teach, or preach the word. All of us, Paul says, are pats of the body of Christ, and all of us have a role to fill (I Corinthians 12). Whether we sing in the choir, usher people to their seats, or clean the church building, we're a part of the ministry of the church.

One thing we don't do nearly enough is recognize those people who do the less glamorous jobs in the church. The Word tells us, in that same passage in I Corinthians, that we should bestow more honor on those parts of the body that seem less honorable. Have you ever seen a city where sanitation workers are on strike? It's not a pretty sight. Even well-behaved Christians leave their mark on a church building from week to week. A place filled with litter, dirty floors, and uncleaned bathrooms doesn't make for a very attractive setting for worship. And those church dinners we all enjoy? They wouldn't happen without people who prepare the meal, arrange the tables, and serve the food.

The point is this: No matter how humble or unglamourous the work the Lord calls us to do, we're doing it for him, not to please other people or to bring glory to ourselves. The work may not even be in the church, as such. Our calling may be to minister to those around us, in our neighborhoods, or to pray for the needs the Lord lays on our hearts from day to day. Perhaps the most unrecognized, but most vital, members of the body are those who intercede with the Lord daily in the privacy of their own homes. Like Brother Percy, your role int eh body may be just to show yourself faithful by attending every church service, week after week for year after year.

This all presupposes that you know what the Lord has called you to do. Many Christians, sadly, have no idea, and have never even tried to find out. Everyone has a spiritual gift, but very few make use of theirs, even if they know what it is. Like the worthless servant in the parable of the talents, they bury their talent in a field, and make no effort to use it in their Lord's service. There is no space in this article to discuss how to go about identifying your gifts, and your particular role in his work the Lord has for you, but the short answer is "Ask."

I heard a brief commentary on a Christian radio station the other day which discussed the fact that most of really don't like our jobs. As the commentator pointed out, what we need is not a change in jobs, but a change in attitude. Christ took on the form of a slave in our midst, beautifully illustrated by the washing of the disciples' feet at the Last Supper. Just as we should do our jobs as unto the Lord, we should also take on a servant's attitude in our work in the church. Whether we sing in front of the crowd, or sit quietly as part of that same crowd, we should give both glory and praise to the Lord for the privilege of serving him.

Whatever you do, do it in the Lord's strength, not your own. Do it as well as he is able, not just to the limits of your own abilities. Don't shirk your responsibilities, no matter how trivial and meaningless they may seem to you. Seek the Lord's guidance continually, approach your tasks with enthusiasm, and give praise to God when things go well. When you feel discouraged, and feel that no one appreciates what you're doing, talk about your feelings to the Lord and to others.

"May all who come behind us find us faithful..." I can think of no better epitaph for mr, or for any other Christian, than, "He was faithful in what God called him to do."

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