pramsay posted on August 17, 2006 15:27 1064 views

It’s after midnight and you sigh: “Well, if I am going to achieve anything in life I have to be prepared to put long hours and late nights into it. Success doesn’t come without effort. I can’t lose sight of my goal.” Or maybe it’s 5AM! The deep sleep is rudely interrupted by the howling buzz. The arm swings out to silence the annoying racket. The pathetic face in the mirror screams for more sleep but then you tell yourself: “Nope! I can’t sleep for another hour. If I am going to ‘go over the top’, if I am going for ‘gold’, if I’m ever going to excel academically or in business, I have to work hard at it.

Can you think of something you are seeking after, striving for and putting tons of time into?

The Apostle Paul wrote to Corinthian believers who were going after the ‘wow!’ gifts for their own personal benefit and enjoyment. They were searching for ‘over the top’ spiritual activities. For some, the ability to speak in unknown tongues was the big thing to go after. But Paul corrects them: “Why would you want to speak in a foreign tongue when the other members in the local church share a common language? Are you just thinking of your own enjoyment knowing that God would understand you? Your real desire should be to participate in such a way as to spiritually build up the entire congregation.”

Here is how he says it:

“Seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.”
1 Corinthians 14:12

We can strive for lots of things. We can work hard at excelling in sports, business or in a career. We can strive to achieve honors with distinction academically or recognition as a vocalist. We might even seek after being named the biggest dare-devil or joker in the group. Spiritually I might be seeking after ‘place’ or ‘recognition’ among Christians. Paul says: “If you want to go over the top, if you want to strive for excellence, here is where you should invest your energies and your abilities – the local assembly! You should be dreaming about edifying, building up, strengthening and helping the local church.”

The real question isn’t how much YOU are getting out of the local assembly but how much effort YOU are putting into making it stronger. Are you a committed member of an assembly of believers? How committed are you? How hard are you seeking to excel in strengthening the fellowship?

Do you attend activities wondering what you will get out of the experience OR what you will be able to contribute? If the former characterizes your perspective, you’ll always be discontented and disgruntled.

When John F. Kennedy was sworn in as President of the United States he said to the public: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

It takes very little skill or expertise to tear something apart. It’s so easy to sit back and take pot-shots at every decision that’s made. You don’t have to be much of a Christian to be able to wag your head as you leave the parking lot mumbling: “Well, I sure didn’t get much out of that Bible Reading!” Any negative critic could make that assessment. Really, dear child of God, how much did you contribute to enhance its quality? Did you study the chapter and earnestly pray before you went to the Bible study?

The point is: Are you working hard to make a positive spiritual contribution? Paul said: Strive for gold in the category of build-upper, as an edifier, as a strengthener of the local church. Anybody can be less than that.

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# Anonymous
Monday, August 21, 2006 5:15 AM

I often sit quietly and contemplate the end of my days and wonder,,,,, . Will I be able to say with my last breath I was part of something designed by God to bring glory to God? Was I part of a lasting legacy of God’s grace to humanity? Did I do my part well for Him? It keeps me humble and actively seeking to contribute.

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