In order to participate rightly in the Lord's work, it is imperative that we deal with this matter of independent labor. In the thinking of some people, a person must lay his own hand to the task or else it is considered to be good for nothing. Whatever is done by him is deemed as having spiritual value; what is not done by him has no value at all. When he preaches and nobody is saved, he feels depressed. When he preaches and people are saved, he shows pleasant surprise. This is because he looks at the work as his own personal labor.

The moment God's children perceive the oneness of the body, they immediately comprehend the oneness of the work. The Lord distributes his work to all, and everyone has his share. We must not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. We should be faithful to the portion which the Lord has given each of us; but we should also respect the portion He gives to others. Many people possess a kind of competitive attitude in which they are always comparing their ministry "success" with others. ("What is your church running these days, brother?") Such comparison is absurd!

As Christians, we should admire and seek for spiritual things, but we ought not have any emulative pretensions nor any trace of jealousy. Our attitude individually toward spiritual work should be: "What I can do I hope others can also do; and what I cannot do I wish someone else can do...I dare not consider the work and its result as altogether mine. If I insist everything must be done by me, I have not apprhended the body. The moment I apprehend the body, immediately I realize that both my labor and that of others mean gain to the Head as well as to the body. Let all the glory be to the Lord and all the blessings be to the church!"

Adapted from Watchman Nee , The Body of Christ: A Reality, "The Consciousness of the Body of Christ" (Christian Fellowship Pub., 1978)

Making It Personal:

As a leader, do I feel pressure to "measure up" to the spiritual accomplishments of others?

Do I genuinely value the spiritual work of other Christian leaders, or am I afraid that their success will make me look inadequate or lessen my importance?

Do I seek to reserve the "credit" for myself by hoarding ministry opportunities in the name of excellence, quality, or efficiency?

What practical steps could I take to empower those around me to share in the work, so that as one body, we can bring glory to the Head -- Jesus Christ?

Devotional Reflections:

1 Corinthians 12:12-30

(Access the Bible Online)