A Good Old Fashioned Barn Raising

Have you noticed the focus of much today is on the individual? Be a better you. Maximize your ability. What’s in it for me? The me generation. I could go on. Really I am not saying we should not “hone our skills”; I am really speaking of the internal motive we all have. I am intrigued and think what we really need is a good old fashioned barn raising. If you look to history, barn raisings were an amazing event; where people would come together each providing a gift or talent, pulling together (not apart) to accomplish something good. To me they were building so much more than a barn. They were building a community; physically and spiritually.

We all have much to offer, if we can somehow get the focus off of us and onto Christ. If we can just realize the ultimate gift of grace He made possible through His ultimate sacrifice. I do struggle with this positioning of the heart; gratitude. Matthew Henry once said; “We receive from the Lord every day the fruits of his mercy. Let us render ourselves; all we are, all we have, all we can do: and after all, what return is it for such very rich receivings?”

I think Romans 12 speaks so clearly to this.

3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his[b]faith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Can we do this? Can we start in our churches, our neighborhoods? Can we do this with the right attitude; and not from an attitude of self justification? John Piper writes on this passage saying; “the opposite of high self-regard is faith in Christ. The opposite of high self-regard is not mainly low-self-regard, though that is a needed starting place in view of our sin and God’s holiness. The opposite of high self-regard is high regard for Christ. The opposite of pride is not paralyzing self-condemnation, but liberating Christ-exaltation. Which means that the best way to use your spiritual gifts is to forget about yourself as your joy in Christ spills over in love to other people.”

Here’s hoping that we can all come with our gracefully provided gifts and that our joy spills over as we build that next barn!

Grace and Peace!