The Joys of Involvement

by David Gibson

Have you noticed? The happiest Christians are highly involved in the Lord’s work. Why is this so?

• There is joy in using our God-given talents as He intended for the good of others. “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace ...” (I Peter 4:10; see Romans 12:4-8).
• There is joy when we see fruit from our labors. Usually, gardeners don’t till, fertilize, plant, weed, or water just for exercise. They want to see something coming up out of the ground!
  Jesus said, “Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together” (John 4:36).
• There is joy in knowing that God is pleased with our efforts to serve Him. “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God” (Hebrews 13:16; see Philippians 4:18).
• There is joy in being prepared to give an account of our stewardship. The five-talent and two-talent servants had nothing to fear when their master returned and asked them to account for what he had entrusted them (Matthew 25:14-30). They had something to show for their time. And then they had the pleasure of hearing their master say, “Well done, good and faithful servant ... Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21, 23).

God knew what He was doing when He put us together in His church, assigned us our tasks, and instructed us to work together!