“Ministry is a calling, not a career choice. We must be in it for the outcome, not the income. It’s God’s Kingdom, not ours.”
A friend recently shared this post on Facebook from The End Times Beacon, and it went along with something that I had been thinking about lately. Sometimes we do things or say things that appear to have a good motive but actually the motive turns out to be selfish. Whether it is related to our work, our family or even to the church, it is often a good thing to step back and think about why we are doing or saying something. Is it really to promote the interest of others or is it to promote ourselves? Let me give you an example: I’ve heard pastors of mega churches say things like “Look what I’ve built” or “Look what we’ve built” when speaking about having a large building or thousands of members. But honestly, isn’t it really what God has built? I admit I’ve always preferred small churches like the one I attend, they seem more personal, more like a family. Whereas the mega churches seem impersonal; people, names, faces get lost in the crowd, it becomes about numbers more than God’s message. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m sure there are mega churches where emphasis is placed on God’s word and not just on the number of people who attend or are members, and where the needs of the congregation are looked at and being met. It’s important not to lose sight of the fact that all should be done to the glory of God, not an individual’s glory, as stated above – it is God’s Kingdom, not ours. This is something I’ve given much thought to lately; you see a while back there was something I wanted for our church but when I sat down and truly thought about why – I saw my motives were a little more selfish than what I originally thought. It was something that would not have brought me any recognition and I would not have been able to say, “Look what I did”. But when I began examining why I wanted this and if it was something that would glorify God, the answer was clear. It was not something that would get The Word out to others, it was not something that would contribute to spiritual growth, it was not something that would make others stop and think about the love, the power or the greatness of God. So, while there wasn’t anything wrong with what I wanted, I couldn’t say that it would encourage growth in His Kingdom or even lead to personal growth among His people. And as I said, there wasn’t anything wrong with what I wanted but I realized it did not coincide with the message He’s been giving me over the past several months. God will use all of us if we let Him, but He uses us in different ways. So, I had to step back and say “God it’s in your hands. I want to go in the direction you’ve been leading me, first and foremost it needs to be about You and what you want.” With or without me God will accomplish what He has set out to do. He doesn’t need me in order to do that, but He does want me just as He wants you. God has never forced anyone to accept Him or to worship Him, He gives us freedom of choice and this is a freedom we should use wisely. If we leave things in His hands, He will use us in ways we never expected, in ways that bring honor and glory to His name. Until next time may God bless you and bring peace to your heart.