I must admit, I am not in very good shape these days. I can pinpoint two main reasons for my conditioning decline: I was not eating right and I was not getting sufficient any exercise. Recently I have taken steps to improve my conditioning. I am more discerning about what I eat, and I am trying to get more exercise and be more physically active. After a few days, things are looking some better, but I still have a long way to go.

I have observed that what plagued me physically, plagues many believers spiritually, especially the lack of “exercise.” An alarming trend has emerged in Church-life over the last several years. With more frequency, believers are looking for churches where they can “just go” and not be asked to do anything. Citing burnout, being taken for granted, or not being appreciated, they either move to another church where they can begin again under the radar and not be asked to serve, or they lapse into infrequent attendance and inactivity in the church which holds their membership.

I can understand the reasoning; I have felt that way before, too. The problem with that line of thinking, however, is that it is fleshly and ignores that fact that God has uniquely gifted each believer to be a function part of a larger body. Two things happen when we decide to refrain from serving in the local body: the church suffers because she is forced to function handicapped, and the believer suffers because as a body part, they fall into atrophy.

…from whom [Christ] the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. – Ephesians 4:16

Please don’t let the spiritual gift God has given you go to waste. If you are being tempted to shrink back from serving, please reconsider. Your church needs you and you need to serve. Don’t let the body get out of shape.