DOING MY PART
“For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened: But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality.” II Corinthians 8:13, 14
God never intended that only a few people carry the entire burden of the ministry in His churches. God was using the Apostle Paul to teach the church members at Corinth about the grace of giving and how they should grow in this spirit of generosity. One can imagine that some might think, “But, what about me? If I am giving my resources to help others, who will help me? Should I sacrifice alone?” The answer is that God wants all of us to do our part.
Many times we have heard statistics claiming that twenty percent of the people usually contribute eighty percent of the work. This is supposedly true in many realms of professional life. If indeed this information is accurate, then eighty percent of the population is not doing its part. This should not be true among the Lord’s churches. Everyone should be contributing.
It is not God’s plan that “other men be eased, and ye burdened.” The word burdened speaks of being pressured or troubled with the responsibility. We all should want to serve the Lord, but we do not want anyone to be overloaded because he is carrying more than his share of the load. God wants us to be active, but not to feel that we are required to do more than our part. The same can be true in the home when one member of the family is not willing to contribute and help ease the load of others. Family members can be greatly discouraged when they are doing all they can while others are being slack. We must recognize and rid ourselves of any tendency to allow others to carry the load that God expects us to shoulder. Unfortunately, this mentality is also seen at times in the Lord’s churches. A small minority of the congregation is responsible for the majority of what is being done.
Every member should be doing his or her part in Christian service through the church. Everyone should be praying, giving, serving, and witnessing. When you think about it, why would anyone want someone else to do what God would allow us to do? Imagine the effectiveness and influence of our churches, both in our communities and around the world, if everyone was cheerfully doing his part.