Day by Day - Aug. 4, 2010

It was one of those days. Demands. Deadlines. Decisions. Endless interruptions mixed with a nagging headache that Tylenol wouldn't erase and positive thinking wouldn't help.

Right in the middle of the mess, a guy poked his head in the door, smiled, and (among other things) dropped a real gem on me: "The person who knows howwill always have a job . . . and he will always work for the person who knowswhy."

People who know how are on the front lines and in the trenches, selling the product, teaching the students, fixing the cars, typing the letters, swinging the bats, getting the job done. They will always be the largest in number among the work force.

But there must also be those who know why. Those who can harness the energy and give direction, those who can manage and motivate and generate enthusiasm among those who know how.

The difficulty comes when those who know why spend too much time doing things that ought to be done by those who know how, or when those who know how do not know the why behind what they are doing, and when those who should know why do not know (or care) why!

Jesus Christ—our ultimate Leader—has clearly declared our philosophy: "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ" (Eph. 4:11-12).

Don't just scan those words; study them. They form the philosophy of the local church, but they have been virtually ignored in this day of maddening activity.

Why has the Lord given leadership? To equip saints.
Why are the saints to be equipped? To serve.
Why is it so important to serve? To build up the Body.

Who is the major target of our ministry? The Christian. What is the major need in his/her life? Being equipped to serve . . . in the home, in the community, in the world. Everything we do, everything we promote and finance and endorse, should relate directly to equipping and/or serving.

It's invaluable that people in the church know why and how. Once they do, it's amazing how involved they become in reaching out to the lost.

Are you equipped to serve? Do you know why and how?

Excerpted from Day by Day with Charles Swindoll, Copyright © 2000 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. (Thomas Nelson Publishers). All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.