Where are you ministering from?
A question to reflect on for all who serve in the church. Especially those who lead, minister & pastor (shepherd).
Where are you ministering from?
Is it from your personal time with God? Is it from your looking at the beauty & light of God & His grace? Or… is it from the needs, darkness, & brokenness of the people that God has called you to?
Personal time with God and looking to His beauty, light, & grace is crucial in our part of keeping pure & holding fast to His anointing, His presence. But as a minister (one who attends to the needs of others), it cannot stop there. As one who attends to the needs of those around us, whether spiritual, emotional, mental, & physical, we must see the needs of our people. The brokenness & darkness they hold onto & live in is to be seen, mourned for/with, & to be fought against side by side. BUT we MUST NOT get lost in trying to serve brokenness, darkness, & need alone.
We MUST look to God’s beauty, light, grace, etc. more than the world’s & people’s brokenness, darkness, etc. It is from our abiding in God that the Living Water may overflow to those around us illuminating the darkness like an uncovered lamp’s light washing over darkness.
If we look to the brokenness & darkness more than we look to God, we lose sight of what is most important, we become overwhelmed, & we become depressed. Our worry foresight makes us see problems & potential problems bigger than God Himself (1 Peter 5:5-11). What we really need to do is simply trust in God no matter how the situation may seem. Let the Perfect Judge be judge as He sees all of time while we only see the present moment. If we do not trust God in His process for His people we will end up committing prejudice against our own brothers & sisters in Christ.
Now, of course, DO NOT let heresy slide. But if it isn’t heresy, ask yourself how can I love this person? Sit in their shoes, & look upon their soul that is beloved by God. That person may be lacking in many ways, but they are trying their possible best in the present moment. They may be frustrated that they cannot fill the standard that they themselves (including others) set up for them. So what shall we do?
We must trust God & His loving process of shaping & molding each person with His Holy Spirit over our own understanding & experience. We must ask ourselves, “How can I love this person?” (according to the commandment following the first & greatest commandment of loving God - to love those around us as Christ loved us | Ephesians 5:1). Is your love the love prescribed in 1 Corinthians 13? Is your love a fruit of the Spirit? Does your love consist of all of the following: joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, & self-control? If not, you must humble yourself before God & refocus all your attention on God’s beauty, grace, & light.
Where are you ministering from?
Abide in God.
Trust in God with all your heart.
Lean not on your own understanding.
Trust God’s loving process & timing.
Proverbs 3:1-12
Shalom Shalom
