KneEmail - a devotional by Mike Benson associated with Forthright Magazine
Burnout
EXHAUSTION OFTEN LEADS to burnout in both business and sports...
Occasionally in the church, members work very hard and receive little appreciation. They may begin to feel tired, unappreciated, used -- even abused. The slightest criticism of this person can set off a disproportionate response -- he may quit his pet project, become slack in attendance, and ultimately lose interest in the church entirely.
Those who lead need to be sensitive to hard-working volunteers, as Jesus was ( Mark 6:31). They need to feed them Bible teaching ( Acts 20:8-32), water them with appreciation (cf. Phil. 1:3), and bolster them with prayer ( Luke 22:32). No one can go long with only manipulation and guilt-trips. Those who feel they cannot live up to expectations or cannot please everyone eventually quit trying.
On the other hand, we should stop for self-examination if we being to feel sorry for ourselves (2 Cor. 13:5; 1 Kings 19:4). Most of us probably are doing too little instead of too much. When we compare ourselves to Paul and his hardships (2 Cor. 11:23-28), and to the early Christian martyrs who faced ridicule, loss of property, torture, and sometimes death (cf. 1 Cor. 4:9-13; Heb. 10:34; 12:1-4), it makes our "sacrifices" seem puny. (Allen Webster)
KneEmail: "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58).