Many of those I have met over the years that claim Christ as Lord do very little to show their walk of faith to the world around them, thus is the nature of many of the letters He has called me to write, but the subject today seems to be almost the opposite, those who do much, or better yet those who are willing to be used much.
There is a common case among most of these individuals, one is they never believe they are doing enough, and two is the knowledge that all they do comes only as a blessing from the Lord, without Him, they, we, can do nothing. (John 15:5) Some of these saints carry many crosses, and they bear them all with humility and honor, but every once in a while, they tend to attempt to carry a little more than they should. They are indeed “on fire” for Christ, but forget at times that it is the Lord doing the work, and then begin to find that perhaps one or more of these crosses needs to be laid aside.
Many times the Lord will send an assistant, a helper if you will, such as my beautiful wife, for without her the work that He has called me to do would be far too much for me to bear. At other times someone in the congregation will step up and relieve that man of God so that he can concentrate more fully on the tasks or task that He has placed before him. This is why there are many members in the body, and each of us has an assigned duty, a gift that perhaps others have not been blessed with. My wife is such a person, her memory compared to mine is inconceivable, yet she lacks the ability in other areas that He has blessed me with. This is the proof that the body of believers that you meet with each Sunday morning is in the correct fellowship, if you will, with the Lord, each ones gifts are being used for the benefit of the entire body, and all are for the glory of God, as individuals and as an assembly.
A rare thing to find in many churches today, many sit in the back row each Sunday, literally and figuratively, carrying a burden or cross, and not desiring to, the test of their faith, at least to themselves does not include any extracurricular effort, so to speak, church on Sunday is more than enough. These others though, to put it mildly, need a leash upon them, for their own benefit, for the one who attempts to carry much is much sooner bent down by the burdens. Here is where we, what I will call the balanced Christian, must step in, with kind yet firm words, ready and willing to help them by either carrying with them or removing from them one or more of their burdens. Over time these, shall we call them overzealous Christians, will learn to balance their walk with Christ, some on their own, some by words from loving brothers and sisters in Christ. If not, harm can arrive, burn-out it is called, and I have witnessed them turning completely in the other direction, becoming a prodigal son for way too long of a time. I know, I was one of them.
The fire does not get quenched, it dies overnight, and only the Lord can rekindle the embers, for they are always there. Use great caution and much prayer if you are at this time one of these servants, keep the fire going, just don’t let it get too hot.
