Ministry.
Glorious. Beautiful.
Or at least, this is how I have always perceived it. There is perhaps an element of pride in me that is fulfilled by the thought that God would choose me to do His work, and thus, I have been joyfully serving Jesus for the past several years.
But then something changed. Ministry suddenly became less glorious. Less comfortable. Less beautiful! Lately I have received many emails challenging what I believe, what I’ve written, even who I am as a person. And instead of just writing nice little “feel good” messages, God has given me bigger and harder challenges!
Ouch! This is not at all my cup of tea!
The result?
Ministry isn’t “fun” anymore! It is work, and in many cases, it’s completely unappreciated, unaccepted, and even seen as controversial!
What happened to the glory? What happened to the spiritual high? What happened to the beautiful?
But then, God never promised that ministry would always be glorious, did He? Consider this text: “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.“ (John 15:20 NKJV)
And what about this one? “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake.” (Luke 21:12)
Okay. So why didn’t I see this side of ministry initially?
Because God knew my heart and He knew my weakness. He has promised to only allow the temptation that we can bear: “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able …” (1 Cor 10:13 NKJV) But I’ve grown in Him over the past few years in ministry! He now knows I can bear more, and therefore, He allows more!
So what should I do? Leave ministry?
Now there’s an easy solution! Everything would be lovely in my world again. No one would criticize, no one would disagree, no one would challenge my faith, and I wouldn’t be in the position where I would have to give and receive correction! Ah, back to the beautiful life!
Or would it?
Doesn’t the Bible tell us to rejoice in tribulation because the testing of our faith produces the fruit of the Spirit that God wants us to produce? Consider the following texts carefully: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-5 NKJV); and “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Rom 5:3-4 NKJV)
Okay. I have learned a few things from these past few months of “less-than-glorious” ministry.
Humility, for one. These past months have revealed in me a deep-seated pride in my own abilities. They have shown me that my own works are nothing but filthy rags, my own strength is not greater than that of an ant or a spider. And in being brought face to face with my own weakness, I’ve learned an important Truth, the same one that Paul learned when he begged the Lord to remove his “thorn in the flesh” (See 2 Cor. 12:8): It is only when I, in humility, recognize my weakness, that I can be strong, for that is when I realize that I need God’s strength! “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.‘” (2 Cor. 12:9)
So what does this mean? It means that God’s name can only be glorified in the weakness of my heart! And after learning this Truth, I can truly say, as the Apostle Paul did, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.“ (2 Cor 12:9-10 NKJV)
And just what kind of help does God promise? It means He’ll take away the hard times, right???
Let’s go back to Luke 21:13: “But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony.” (NKJV)
Okay. That doesn’t exactly say He’ll remove the hard times, does it? But out of those hard times, I will be given occasion for testimony!
I have to say that I’m not yet “enjoying” the hard times, but I can say that I’ve learned to thank God for them, because I have seen this promise at work in my ministry! God is turning things around as an occasion for testimony, and then, when I humble myself before Him, His name is being magnified in my weakness!
Maybe you don’t have a formal ministry, but you have plenty of informal ones. Your kids, for example. And your neighbours and co-workers. Even the clerk at the grocery store is your ministry! But don’t despair if you face troubles in this ministry, whatever it may be! Instead, rejoice! Turn it over to God. Admit your weakness, admit your need of His strength. Then receive it, and sit back and see how He is turning your bad times into occasions for testimony!
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two teens, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, www.scripturalnuggets.org, with Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org.