Q. Do you feel used by your friends, family, church, etc.? Do you feel like you are being used without any cooperation from them?
Do you feel wrong about saying no when asked to help out because you want to practice faith by being active in the church. Are you exhausted but they keep asking with little thanks. What can you do?

A. The Bible is clear that we are called to use our gifts to serve in the church (see Romans 12:6-7 and Ephesians 4:11-12). It sounds like you are doing just that and you should receive more encouragement.

So what do you do?

• First, I would encourage you to share your concerns with your friend, family, or pastor. Maybe they aren’t aware you’re feeling used.
• Next, try to keep three things in mind:

1) You’re in control of your schedule.

They can ask all they want, but you are the one saying yes. You have my permission to say no.  Serving Christ doesn’t mean doing everything. That’s why we have an entire church body.

I encourage you to really think about how much time you can give to service.
What would be the right amount for you?
What duties, events or commitments do you really want to keep?
Did you volunteer or did someone else volunteer you?

Do you wish you never said yes to any?

Use these questions to create boundaries for yourself. Then, speak up to keep you firmly within those boundaries.

2) You need to be fed spiritually.

Are you feeling drained from spending so much time serving that you aren’t spending time in the Word,  fellowship, prayer or worship?  As you pour your life into others, make sure you are also being poured into.

3) You are serving God, not anyone at your church.

Live your faith for an audience of One.  You feel you are giving without getting.  Do you think that might come from a selfish motive?  It’s nice to have a “thank you” but remember the real reason for your service.

I once attended a Bible study that lasted about a year.

I learned a great deal within that 12 month period.  We followed a very good study guide with lots of Scripture references. It’s called “Seeking Him” by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

I also started a 1 year Bible reading plan, but it took over 2 years to finish.  Now I’m starting over using a different translation. There is no such thing as a perfect translation. To get the correct meaning of  the Holy Scriptures that the authors are trying to relate, you actually need:

• Belief
• More than one translation
• Understanding through the Holy Spirit.