Nehemiah 8:2
On the first day of the seventh month, the people came together in the open area in front of the Water Gate. Then they asked Ezra, who was a teacher of the Law of Moses, to read to them from this Law that the LORD had given his people. Ezra the priest came with the Law and stood before the crowd of men, women, and the children who were old enough to understand.
Philippians 1:1-7
From Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus. To all of God's people who belong to Christ Jesus at Philippi and to all of your church officials and officers. I pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!
Every time I think of you, I thank my God. And whenever I mention you in my prayers, it makes me happy. This is because you have taken part with me in spreading the good news from the first day you heard about it. God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won't stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns.
You have a special place in my heart. So it is only natural for me to feel the way I do. All of you have helped in the work that God has given me, as I defend the good news and tell about it here in jail.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
In my grandmother’s journal, she talks of getting together with other women who lived in her neck of the woods to make mattresses out of heavy fabric and cotton provided by the Red Cross. She writes… “We didn’t have mattresses, but we had straw beds and feather beds, until the Red Cross stepped in and started to furnish cotton to make mattresses and comforters. That was lots of fun. We made them in our front yard. Neighbors came in and we would make two or three a day till everyone had some good beds.” With today’s technology, we can order our “Sleep Number” bed online and have it delivered to our doorstep.
A few years ago, a local news reporter conducted an experiment. She rented an empty apartment, and with the aide of only a laptop and an Internet connection, she successfully purchased everything she needed – food, clothing, furnishings, and more – and had it all delivered directly to her. With a few keypad strokes, we can now order movies, concerts, sporting events, and more – and see them instantly on our TVs. We can ship and receive packages worldwide from our doorstep. Many of us can attend school online – or work from home via computer. We can socialize with our friends - and even worship - from the comforts of our easy chair. Think about this… it is entirely possible to go days, weeks – or even longer – without ever leaving home or physically “seeing” another person!
As a result, many of us have no clue how to really interact with others. We do not fully understand the meaning of true partnership and ministry… and how important this is to the body of Christ. Many of us get complacent and lazy as we retreat within ourselves and let our responsibilities as partakers in God’s anointing and favor fall by the wayside. We become self-absorbed and fail to look around at those directly in our path who need to hear from us... to know that we care – and more importantly - that God cares.
Now don’t misunderstand me… there are plenty of ways to serve God from your desk and the comfort of your own home. There are many who are unable to get out and make face-to-face contact with others for a number of reasons. These Disciples can be highly effective servants through prayer, sending notes and e-mail messages of encouragement, making phone calls, and more… doing their part as God directs them. But for many of us, serving God means getting up – and out – and working shoulder-to-shoulder with others.
We are all called to be partners in the ministry of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I don’t know if God’s plan for you is to develop an e-mail prayer chain or to gather your friends to stuff mattresses for those who have no place to lay their head. I believe that God allowed us to create the technological advances that shape today’s world in great part to further His kingdom – and to enhance the ministries that involve actual physical interaction and labor. Our job is to figure out how to use all of the tools God has given us correctly to create partnerships with others… to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ… and to continue the good work He began in each of us. How successful is your partnership with God – and others - these days?
©2012 Debbie Robus
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