If one member suffers, all suffer together. -- 1 Corinthians 12:26
The Christian life is not lived in a vacuum. The life of faith cannot be spent in the ivory towers of religion, nor in the isolation of personal growth (for the mere sake of personal growth).
It has become a bit cliche, but I will state it anyway:
We are created for community.
(By the way, most cliches become cliche because they are well-known and repeated truths. Truths that have often lost their punch.)The Christian life - and being human in general - takes place within relationships. We are redeemed through relationship with God in Christ. We are transformed in relationship with Christ's abiding Spirit. We grow in faith in the midst of relationships with other believers. We grow in maturity in relationships with those whom we serve.
In a mysterious and wonderful way, there is
a relational thread that connects us.
Throughout the New Testament various metaphors are used to describe this community of faith. It is likened to a house, a family, a flock and a bride. The Apostle Paul's favorite word-picture is that of a body. A body, Paul writes, has many parts with various functions. Yet these parts make up one body. Each is necessary to and for the others.
Paul writes that each of us is to operate in our God-given gifts and abilities. And there are two distinctive hallmarks of effective Christian service: 1) A love motive, and 2) A selfless desire to build the body.
So why the title: THE SELFISHNESS OF SERVICE? Well, it's actually a little tongue-in-cheek. The idea is that as we serve, the community of faith becomes more healthy. The weak are strengthened. Those who suffer are comforted. And then these also serve, further strengthening the body - of which we are a part.
I don't mean this in some sense of what goes around comes around karma. Nor should we serve with wrong motives; eg., giving so that we get. Jesus himself said, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve; and to give his life a ransom for many" -- Mark 10:45. And Paul tells us to: Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus... -- Philippians 2:5.
No one should suffer alone. Because when one hurts, we all are injured in some way. (For that matter, no one should rejoice alone!)
God, help me to serve others as if I am serving you... because I am.
For now...
D
