Blessed for the Body

BLESSED FOR THE BODY

BY CHRIS LACARA

Our call is not only to work for the church, but also to be part of the church body.

Something that is joyful within our facilities and maintenance crew is how each of the employees does not just work at the church, but they also take time out of the week to volunteer in weekly ministries. Sometimes, these ministries include times that are off the church campus at camps, VBS, or even retreats throughout the year. Each one of our facilities employees dedicates their time to minister to students by sharing the gospel with them, going to events for them, and just hanging out with them. Our call is not only to work for the church, but also to be part of the church body. Meeting these students where they are is just as important as their daily duties of the job. A verse that has always stuck out to me is 1 Peter 4:10, which says, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” What joy it is that God has given us special gifts! We have each been blessed to use these different gifts in ways to serve others and glorify the Lord. Peter continues in verse 11, “… whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” One of the best parts of this verse is how Peter makes it clear that we serve in joy, not only because we are glorifying the Lord, but because the Lord supplies us with that strength. If we are serving mundane, we miss the opportunity to see the strength we have been given. Throughout our facilities team, we have discussions about our areas of ministry we volunteer and serve in and how we struggle at times or how certain parts of ministry can be very challenging, BUT it is also recognized we cannot do it alone or we are missing out on great opportunities from Jesus Christ. I see the same in our volunteers for the facilities department. Live Oak Church has great volunteers who serve the Lord out of joy and see serving as a privilege and opportunity bestowed upon them. They use their gifts and talents not to seek out glorification, because that belongs to the Lord, but to seek out what has been given to them by God. I would love to see more people find their gifts and learn how to serve others. I urge each of you to seek out new opportunities of serving with gladness and remember that Jesus Christ is Lord always and forever. Amen!