Membership

   "Membership has its privileges." We've all heard this advertising slogan enticing us to join what would appear to be a select group. So recently when I told my mother that my wife and I were taking membership classes for our church, and would soon go before the deacons to be questioned and hopefully approved for membership, she asked a logical question. "What do you get from being member?"
  I wasn't sure what to say. I wasn't told I would get anything. No one made any promises, no one really talks much about membership. Sitting in the church pews you certainly cannot tell a member from a non-member. In fact I assume we could attend church for the rest of our lives without ever becoming members.
  When I thought about it for a while I began to assume that by becoming a member more would be expected of me. I assume that I would now be scrutinized perhaps a little more and now be subject to church discipline. I assume I would be expected or perhaps required to donate of my time and talents to church related activities.
  And looking back to the last few sentences perhaps I should change the word "assume" to the words "I hope". Since becoming saved I have actually yearned to do more, to learn more, to serve more at my church. This from someone who had no desire to ever attend church, and at times eve mocked believers. But now I search out membership of just such a church and pray that I will be accepted. So I guess instead of "membership has it's privileges" it should be "the privileges causes one to desire membership." For the privileges I have received in Jesus I could never earn, I could barely ever hope for what He has given me. Because of this I desire membership and hope all the things "I assume" are part of membership are true, so that I may serve and glorify Him.