"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy." (Colossians 1:17-18)
Most ministry teams have a rule that requires church attendance, but what if that rule did not exist? Would you gladly attend church even if you are not scheduled to serve? Serving is a good thing. But as fallen creatures, we have the tendency to corrupt things that are good. The area of serving is no exception. If we are not careful, the act of serving can begin to warp our perception of our identity. Instead of coming to church because we desire to honor God and worship Him, we come because it gives us a sense of purpose. We come because we feel needed and that makes us feel important. Who doesn’t like to feel important? If this type of thinking settles in our minds, then it is very easy to skip church when we are not scheduled to serve. We begin to believe that the purpose of our attendance is the service that we provide instead of the worship that we bring. Do not fall into the trap of thinking that serving validates our identity or self-worth in Christ. Christ is the supreme one and should be at the center of every part of our lives.
As we minister this week, let’s serve as an act of worship not as a form of self-validation. Let’s keep Jesus in the center. - Keith Garner