The devil often traps us by getting us to go to extremes.  In the matter of ministry, he leads some of us to do nothing.  This, of course, greatly hinders the work of the kingdom.  But the opposite extreme is equally harmful.  He leads some of us to try to do it all.

    If we do nothing, we rob ourselves of the blessings of service, and we place a heavier burden on the ones who have to take up the slack.  But if we try to do it all, we usually wind up with an inflated sense of our own importance, and we deprive others of the blessings of service.

    Among vocational Christian workers, the do-it-all approach might be called “The Messiah Complex.”  It reflects the belief that no one else can do the work, or no one else can do it as well.  When we succumb to the temptation to do it all, we not only begin to think of ourselves as more important than we are, but we often see ourselves as indispensable.  When this happens to us, we usually begin to think of others as not very important.  We may come to see them as a part of the “supporting cast” for our starring role.

    For so many years as a pastor, I suffered from a bad case of “The Messiah Complex.”  I worked hard.  I did my best.  People appreciated it and told me so.  Then I worked harder.  I became intolerant of anything that would keep me from performing well.  I was a perfectionist and a controller, who tried to do it all so it would be done “perfectly.”  Nothing was done perfectly, of course.  And both I and the ones who should have shared the work were robbed of the joy we could have had.

    But the Lord saw fit to break through in our church in a way that shattered the image many of us had of ourselves, or were trying to project to others.  When He did His work in our midst, I not only realized I am not indispensable, but was content to simply be a part of the Body.  It was a liberating experience, which has remained for more than twenty years.

    I would not now go back to the controlling behavior of those days for anything.  I often wish I could share my hard-won freedom with those who seem determined to be “Messiahs.”  But I realize no one could have told me.  So I pray that the Lord will do another work in someone else.  Maybe in you?