Calling

You can't do everything, right?

And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait at tables. Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.’ - Acts 6:2-4

There is an interesting thing that happens when you start focusing your attention on serving the poor and the needy.  It becomes your life's work.

Once the widows learned that the apostles were offering them food and help, their numbers increased, and the work became overwhelming.  There was no time to do anything else.

I have a theory about this passage and how we react to it.  I believe those who are called to serve read this differently than those who are called to spread the Good News of the Gospel.

Those called to serve will see the ministry of feeding the hungry and waiting on the poor as the work of the Gospel, and they may think that the apostles, in giving up this work, have missed the point.

But those called to build up the church and spread the faith may see the need to delegate this important ministry to others.

How you react to this, what you see as the true work of the faith, determines what you may be called to do.

Of course, you may read this and have no opinion whatsoever as to which is the way one should follow Christ, and that's ok too.

But those who have a strong opinion, one way or the other, about which is most important for them, should stop and pray about it.  Someone may be calling.

More to come...