“To every man his work” (Mark 13:34), affords a decisive answer. Every Christian is not a distinct gift, as evangelist, pastor or teacher, but all are saved to serve, as Romans 12:3 shows. After speaking of the measure of faith which God has dealt to every man (i.e. every Christian), the chapter, under the figure of “one body in Christ,” deals with different kinds of service. The very figure used shows that every member is called upon to serve.
In the human body there is not a member, seen or unseen, that does not serve. As I write these lines my thumb and forefinger hold my pen, they in turn are controlled by the hand; the hand supported by the wrist; the wrist, by the arm. The brain directs the fingers to write, and the eyes to assist. And all the while the heart is beating, the lungs breathing, the blood circulating, each member of the body contributing to one common end. 1 Corinthians 12:11 confirms this. “All these works that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will,” “every man” again referring to every Christian.
Never did the Lord’s people need more help than at the present, never was there more need for the earnest spreading of the gospel. No one can fail to find work to do pleasing to the Lord, even though he may not be called to fill any prominent place.
Matthew 25:14-30 will help us here. One may receive five talents, another two, a third but one. But there is as much need for the possessor of one talent to trade with it as he to whom five talents were entrusted. See also Luke 19:12-27. While in Matthew the talents signify ability imparted, which differs with each individual, in Luke the pounds signify opportunities which all in their measure possess alike.
Whatever it be, let our service be simple, unaffected and the result of communion. Let no one copy another, but get his orders from the Lord. One may preach to thousands, another may read to a blind woman; one may travel to distant lands, another may serve at home; one may write tracts, another may distribute them.
It is always refreshing to hear of simple, original methods of service. I have never forgotten the pleasure with which I heard years ago of an aged man, whose heart was in so precarious a condition that he could not preach or do anything that involved physical labour. He used to search the newspapers for the addresses of families lately bereaved. To these he sent a gospel booklet and one full of comfort for those in sorrow. This he did for years, till he went to be with the Master he loved to serve.
The spirit of true service was grasped by an aged woman in the Southern States of America. When the Confederate troops were marching through her town, she tied a red handkerchief on a poker, shouldered it, and marched some distance with the soldiers. When asked what she was doing, she replied, “if I cannot fight for my country, I can encourage those who do.” A spirit like that amongst those who belong to Christ is greatly to be desired.