Where and how do you choose to serve?

I know that everyone has something to do. There are more opportunities to serve than there is time to serve. So how do you choose where you're going to serve?

I've always had a problem with saying no when asked to serve, particularly when the expressed need was felt personally.

It was first my husband who put the governor on my wheels so to speak. I remember resenting it at first because being needed filled a hole in myself. But when you personally fill every hole that needs filling, you end up actually being swiss cheese yourself. So he instituted a policy of "everytime you say yes to one thing, you must say no to something else". The one for one policy helped me learn some priorities because I really had to want to do the "something" to be willing to give up another "something". Over time as I learned the whole prioritizing, I realized that my God-given talents were actually best used on somethings and weren't meant to be used at all on others.

For example, I love teaching the Bible. I currently teach a ladies' Bible study that I'm passionate about, and I pray that God is glorified in my service. I know myself to be completely dependent on Him for the time necessary to do all of the reading, study and preparation essential to being able to teach. And although God has given me a love for speaking in that it comes naturally and without too many nerves, I recognize that unless the Holy Spirit fills me for the teaching and prompts the hearts to receive, my words will fall empty.

On the other hand, one time I helped organize a consignment sale. I'm not nearly as talented with organizational skills as I desire to be, and the whole interpersonal ego/female dramas that occur with such a sale bring out the road rage person in me that I'd like to forget even exists. My "gift" for speaking becomes warped and sarcastic, certainly not glorifying to God at all. And although the money raised by the sale went to help worthy causes, I delighted in the personal gain the sale gave as well--maybe even too much.

Arguably, depending on God for both types of service is necessary. Humanly though, in the first case I know myself to be needy of His intervention, and constantly call out to Him for help. With the second case, I behaved in my own strength & all the stretch marks showed.

Conclusion: In having to choose where to serve, I wholeheartedly desire serving God in areas where I know myself to be most needful of His help. Otherwise I selfishly look to my own strengths, which end up not being strengths at all. My sin nature perverts them to weaknesses. But when I embrace my lack--of time, knowledge, skill, organization, wisdom, etc--God shows up gloriously to have His name proclaimed as the One who did in me and through me what I can not do in myself. It's scary, in my flesh, to be so "needy" of help when I'd rather feel myself capable. But when I feel myself to be "so capable", my flesh is scary.

Guess that's what Paul learned in 2 Corinthians 12:9 "And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me."

Setting the bar

Christian discipleship has always had a bar, a measure, a standard. In the OT, the bar was called the Law of Moses and no one, save Christ, met its requirement, although many died, physically and spiritually, trying.

In Romans, Paul tackles the question that if no one can meet the bar, then is it an unjust bar? Is it an unjust God who sets it? Is it a wrong measure to even have?

And Paul clearly reminds his readers that the bar is completely just, the God who set the bar is completely just and the bar's purpose is completely just. Paul even contends that those who live under grace by faith should still meet the bar.

So what has happened in believers today who claim to live under grace by faith but reject the notion and purpose of the bar when it comes to the practical details of Christian living? I'm not talking about a legalist notion of the "shall nots" and "should nots", although there is in great measure wisdom for choosing not to do certain things, ie. gluttonous eating is bad for your health. More particularly I'm talking about being willing and desirous of Christian living that understands and appreciates the value of costly commitment.

Personally I think God would blow open the doors of heaven to His people for embracing commitment at cost. We don't serve a dollar store God, and we shouldn't expect dollar store commitment to last--either eternally or otherwise.

I pray God will continue to cause me to count the cost, and I trust that His imperishable riches are enough to fund the cost through me.

1 Corinthians 3:11-15 "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames."

A hamster on a wheel

Currently I feel like a hamster on a wheel.

The future greats are back in school with even the littlest future great having started (and loving) kindergarten. Maybe conventional wisdom would say that things should start opening up with all the time I now have--I mean, really, all three of my boys are in school at least some part of the day. So why do I feel like I'm the hamster on the wheel just spinning, and spinning, and spinning?

Perhaps because when the future greats are at home, I must be organized or nothing gets done and we all spin the wheel. And I'm now being faced with the daunting task of disciplining myself for the "open" time. As the Bible study I attend is starting up, I see this task taking shape of its own accord!

Additionally, all of the many after school activities have started up so I seem to always be in the minivan running someone somewhere. And we're one of those families who only allow each child to have one "extra" activity. The oldest fences one night a week, the next plays soccer--here's the rub because practice is twice a week with games all weekend--and the youngest has nothing but to be his brothers' greatest cheerleader/fan.

Even as I've just typed that out I realize I've answered my own question of why I feel like a hamster on the wheel. It is certainly taking some time this year to adjust and re-adjust to the "back-to-school" schedule.

Maybe I should eat more carrots....