Never downplay the importance of your participation in God's house.

The dream of every aspiring young athlete is that golden moment when, at a crucial point, the coach turns to him and says, "Get in the game!" With the greatest determination to prove himself, the player leaps off the bench. In his mind, he sees himself scoring the winning basket with only two seconds to go; making that running, over-the-shoulder catch that ends the big inning; or busting through the line to block the field goal and return it for a touchdown.

Of course, that isn't usually what happens. More often than not, he doesn't get the opportunity to make the big play. Or worse yet, an opportunity comes, and he drops the ball; misses the basket; or watches a runaway quarterback who has eluded his grasp, sprint, ball in hand, toward the end zone.

Spotlight moments in life do not come that often for most of us. Much of the time we find ourselves on the sidelines cheering for someone else who executes the big play.

But when the obscure lineman does his job and impedes a freight-train–size tackle long enough to allow the quarterback to throw a complete pass, there's satisfaction. When a second-string player is able to get the ball to the star of team so that he can shoot for the winning point, it reminds us that it is not about soaking up personal glory. Even the most obscure player, when he does his job, has a meaningful purpose.

So, men, get in the game! Welcome to service in the body of Christ. It's not about going to the play-offs that concerns God. God would have all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. God would have all people serve and worship him through faith. Our purpose is to bring glory to God, no matter what our position may be in the body of Christ.

Come to God's house

Men, get in the game! Yes, here is your big chance. It all begins with the Word of God. That's the news of our salvation. That's the guide for our lives. In that Word, we find our mission, and it is to be carried out through the body of Christ—the church—as each part does its work to edify every other member of the team. Ultimately, it is to bring glory to Christ.

Get in the game by being active at church. Yes, most of us literally are on the bench every Sunday, and much of the time we are spectators—but we are spectators who are also participants. Never downplay the importance of your participation in God's house.

Remember what the writer of the book of Hebrews wrote: "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25).