The apostle Paul tells the church of Ephesus that one of the reasons we have been saved is to do good things that God has prepared for us to do:

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

James goes even further, telling us that if we believe but our belief doesn't lead to action, then our belief is worthless:

James 2:14-17 (NIV)
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

As the passage in James illustrates, God will present us with opportunities and it is our duty to take advantage of them. Throughout our lives we will encounter those in need and, like James says, our faith should drive us to act.

Yet, as we mature as Christians, the call to serve God should become ever stronger. As we mature in faith, we should find ourselves less satisfied with the occasional good deed that crossed our path and more concerned with ensuring that our whole lives revolve around seeking to complete the mission the Lord has given us:

Acts 20:24 (NLT)
But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.

As new creations, it is natural for the holy spirit to fill us with the desire to serve God. Serving God and serving our brothers and sisters is one of our prime directives, it's part of the reason we are here.

One of the techniques of the adversary is to attempt to fill us with fear, doubt, uncertainty, or a feeling of inadequacy. A lot of BLs seem to be particularly susceptible to this kind of attack since it's easy to fall for the lie that we cannot serve God because: "what would people think if they knew I was a pedophile?" Too many BLs deprive the world of their talents because they feel their attraction to children somehow makes them not good enough to serve. But Jesus warned against this very way of thinking. In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), Jesus tells us the story of three servants entrusted with some treasure. Two of the servants invest the treasure and are able to double it, so when the master returns, they are put in charge of even more. But the third servant is afraid, so he buries the treasure instead. In the parable, Jesus tells us that this servant was called “wicked”, “lazy”, and “worthless” by the master.

It is essential that we not allow fears and feelings of inadequacy to turn us into the worthless servant. Despite being called "wicked" and "worthless" by the master, the servant did not have evil intentions, his intentions were good, but he allowed fear to keep him from using the talents the master had entrusted him with.

God has given you a number gifts and talents. Most of us share a gift for relating with children. Some of us may have a gift for teaching. Others may have been given the talent to make wise financial investments and multiply their assets. Others may have the ability to plan and coordinate events. We all have skills and talents that God has entrusted us with as well as earthly treasures that he expects us to use for the kingdom. God didn't give you all of these things so that you could hoard them. God gave them to you so that you could invest them in the kingdom of heaven.

Prayer

I pray for those here who do not yet feel that call to serve; I pray that the Lord will draw you ever closer to himself, I pray he give many opportunities of the type James talks about, that you will become addicted to doing the good deeds God expects you to do, that he impart within you a desire to seek out and live the life he meant for you to live and I pray he give you a vision to drive you towards that end.

I pray for those of us who feel the call but have been putting it off: "as soon as things settle down at work...", "as soon as I have some free time...", "As soon as I pay off my debts...", "as soon as I move to a bigger place...", "as soon as I finish school...", I pray that God give us the wisdom to see the difference between waiting for his time and becoming the wicked and worthless servant, and for those to whom this applies, I pray that the Lord will show us that the time is now.

Finally, I pray for all those who are living the life. All of us who are living our lives daily in service of The Lord and our fellow brothers and sisters. I pray that God provide them with the strength to face the struggles and the power to overcome temptations. The call to do nothing is strong, but the power of God is stronger.

Amen