"Ponder Your Role" -2

"Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate." (Psalms 34:21) What is my role in the Body of Christ? That's a good question to begin asking, especially if you have not figured that position out yet. Primarily each and every one of us are servants first and foremost; none of us are the head, that is the role of Jesus Christ, so we can rule out the notion of being the one in charge; besides, you really don't want to even try and assume that role. Once we get settled into the fact that we are a servant, our next step is to assume the role of a servant, which, in case you may not know, is to make every effort to please his Master. Wow, what a strange concept! If my Master says I am to scrub toilets, then scrub them I will; and I will scrub them joy, and I will make those toilets shine. That might be a little bit extreme, but I think you get the general idea of how a servant needs to obey his Master. It goes with the territory of obedience, that if you are given a menial task, and you proceed to do it grudgingly, then you actually do not have the heart of a servant; therefore, you need to backup and ask forgiveness for your wickedness, and take the position of a servant; you will never assume the role of a servant without first taking the position of a servant. After having the role of a servant established well in our lives, we can be placed into the position where God would have us to be. Notice I said 'placed'; we do not determine what role we are to take, God will place us where He wants us to be. But, whatever role that we have been given, we must perform in that role to the best of our ability, not hoping to have received someone else's role, and thereby becoming an ungrateful servant. Can you start to see how this works? Now just in case you don't think this has anything to do with anything, think again, because it has a lot to do with how we love one another; mostly because the biggest cause of hate among a body of Believers is envy. Envy is something that causes us to curse rather than pray for one another; in other words, you might outwardly be praying for that person, but deep down inside your hoping that they crash and burn, so that you might have their position. Not only does this have something to do with something, but envy must not be present in the heart of a servant; if it is, then there must a severe act of repentance, because envy is straight from the devil; pride and envy are the reason that he fell...
"Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; or ministry, let us wait on our ministering; or he that teacheth, on teaching; or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep." (Romans 12:6-15)