On the topic of service, have you not often heard the advice that you should not simply enter service because you see a need you can meet?
There's often this well-intentioned advice that you should also see if this is something you are "called to" or if it's something you can really see yourself doing long term... or even enjoy.
Such advice has helped me a long way in making decisions, but I'm afraid it has also led me to a certain sort of unbiblical attitude. I'm saying that... I may have taken it too far (or we may have taken it too far) and it's cultivating in us something radically opposed to what the bible teaches.
I'm looking at just one verse from the bible, and that is 1 John 3: 17:
But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
I think the message is clear. If you have 1) what it takes and 2) the realisation of the need, then you ought to help. Otherwise, you know not of God's love.
And this is precisely it isn't it? An awareness of the need and awareness of your capacity (yeah I know, what do I mean by "your capacity" isn't everything from God? Try giving this a reasonable reading given the context) to meet it obligates you to do it.
Do note that I have assumed that our talents, abilities, time can be considered "world's goods" okay?
So I think it's high time we cautioned ourselves to be careful with how we want to talk about people who are serving simply because they have identified a need that they realised they can meet. Rather than saying "yo bro I think you're missing this ingredient of desire etc." we should do better to actually encourage them.
We really want to avoid priming their minds for a sort of rebellion against 1 John 3:17. That somehow we can still exempt ourselves when we see it and have what it takes to meet it. If we think we can't meet it we must be careful to be particularly critical with ourselves... why are we not meeting it? Is there any excess in our lives, any sort of entitlement or the "remainder of our time" that we have? Do we not believe in romans 12:1, the living sacrifice?
I think the reality is that the things of God won't come as particularly palatable and desirable to us and so really we need to incorporate such an understanding into our view of service. It's really fine to begin with little enjoyment. It's even okay to be constantly frustrated. But it isn't if you've ceased to hope for joy.
