Have you ever completed a project and then stepped back and admired what a good job you did on it? Perhaps it was a building project like a picnic table, a set of shelves for the stereo or a birdhouse. Maybe it was a quilt or a gardening project. It could even be the construction of your own house! There’s nothing like the feeling of accomplishment and seeing the results of all of your hard work. Usually, when we finish a project there’s something to show for it at the end, it’s tangible, and we can see it, touch it, use it, and even share it with others. When we complete a job or project we feel proud and selfconfident and are ready to take on the next project, maybe even one that is bigger and better than the one just completed. The pride and satisfaction of a job-well done is the motivating factor in compelling us to move forward to the next challenge and tackle it head on. Your own personal progress can be seen as you move to more complex and difficult task in order to work through the next project.
For instance, take the man who began woodworking as a hobby, just building little trinkets in his garage. His interest in working with wood causes him to practice and develop the craft. He studies and practices using the tools needed to complete each project. It’s a slow process, but after years of hard work, he becomes a master craftsman, building fine custom furniture pieces that sell for thousands of dollars and are in high demand. He’s invested himself in the craft, thus after years of practicing the art or woodworking, he reaps the benefits.
The same principle that led to the man becoming a master craftsman applies to the Christian life and involvement in the church of Christ. The Christian who invest himself in Christ’s service will, just as the master craftsman, reap the benefits at the end. Where are you in your journey as a Christian? No matter where you are along that road, there are things to do and learn. Lacks of ability, physical limitation, or chronological age are no excuse for not continuing the work set before us. Just as Nehemiah set the people of Israel to rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, you and I must set ourselves to the building of the Kingdom. There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. Nehemiah 4:6 But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. 2 Thessalonians 3:13
-Via Jay Launius Maud church of Christ
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