Community (see Micah's blog) and Service. One without the other leads to unhealthy life. I had a dear professor who said, “Impression without expression leads to depression.” Meaning, being fed by the Word of God without working that into your life will leave you lost. We must fully and wholeheartedly put our efforts into God’s purposes for our lives (Matthew 6:33).
The reverse is also true, “Expression without impression leads to depression”. We have all felt the drag of burnout. When we press service too far, we end up telling ourselves crazy, although believable, lies. Have you heard yourself saying, “Well, if I don’t do this no one will.” or “I just love serving so much, I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t serve.” Service like this is built on a dangerous platform of self. Notice the “I” in the above phrases.
The absolute best way to combat the lies is by the truth. Jesus promised this fact, “...I will build my Church” (Matthew 16:18). Don’t miss it, we work for the KING who builds HIS Kingdom. The second best way to combat the subtle lies that worm their way into our service is community. It’s a connection of trust that allows others to speak the truth in love AND remind us God’s truth (Ephesians 4:15). We need each other to keep us humble, need each other to build us up, we need each other! May this be true as we serve God first in the context of community.