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Do you ever find moments where it seems like all energy is gone but your list of tasks keeps growing? There are times when conditions just aren’t ideal, but the work must continue. We must continue in life despite lack of sleep, continuous needs, and that 5th cup of coffee isn’t really working. We knew the season would be busy and most everything was planned for, but how do we muscle through? Psalm 28:7 says, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;” We don’t have to rely on our strength to get through our work/ministry. We look to him, because he gives us the strength to endure and the help to finish. When we don’t do that, we end up collapsing because we extend ourselves beyond what we can give and beyond what our abilities are. He knows what you need, so ask Him! He gives us strength in the moments planned and unplanned. Whether it’s surviving that last meeting of the day, preparing one more Bible study/message, lasting that final hour between supper being finished and the kids going to bed, He gives us strength!
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It’s the middle of summer here with no A/C. We’re hot and tired, and over the last month we’ve had myriads of people in and out of the house. Since the beginning of the year not one month has passed where we haven’t hosted visitors or multiple people staying with us. Mixed in with that have been tough conversations with others on difficult ministry matters. So how do we maintain the joy? How do we put one foot in front of the other to continue in obedience? Simple. Our hope, our joy, our strength is not determined by our circumstances but is found in our God. In Nehemiah 8:10 Nehemiah reminds Israel that it is the joy of the Lord that is their strength. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 helps us maintain our joy when Paul says, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” We count it joy when we go through hardships (like overwhelming heat, persecution, tough conversations) because in the end these sorrows and difficulties are eradicated. However, in the midst of them, we get to glorify God and point more to Jesus. On the other end those moments of rest, prosperity, and peace (though temporary) we count as joy because of the reminder of the taste of what is to eternally come.
As spring has faded and the busy season of summer has descended, we want to pause to reflect on and be grateful for the work that the Lord does. Too often we believe the rise or break of a ministry falls upon the back of one or a few. We think if it’s not in our hands or the gospel is not coming directly from our lips then how can there be success? Our hubris leads to our misery in ministry. Proverbs 11:2 says, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.” We must humbly do the work that the Lord gives us knowing it’s in his hands and praising Him when we see the great work that he does. It’s like what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:6-8, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” We throw some seeds here and water a bit over there, but we must marvel and praise our God for the harvest that he produces.
For those of us that fall under the label of full-time ministry we always stumble in wanting success to be by our standards. We pour in all this money, labor, effort, and hours into things we think will make front pages in our Christian circles. We want stories of thousands coming to Christ at once, or giant buildings and churches sprouting up overnight. The reality is ministry is hard, difficult, and messy. Even our personal walk in sharing the gospel and making disciples is lined with just as much failure as success. I remember years ago setting up an event for a Christian group to reach out to the local community to build relationship and share the gospel and not one single person from the community showed up. We then ask ourselves, “Is it worth it?” For me that question is always answered with a resounding “Yes!” Jesus said in Luke 15:10 “Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” That event helped me better understand how to reach the community with the gospel, and that group did return and made an impact in people’s lives. Our faith in God’s plan allows us to endure, to continue to labor in the field, and to try again when we fail or stumble. Why? James 5:11 reminds us why, “We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.” So, continue to give your prayers, time, efforts, finances to the kingdom work because it’s worth it for even that one who comes to repentance!
We’re about to start the gospel of Mark in our Bible Study. As I am preparing for that I was reminded of Jesus’ primary message right in the beginning in Mark 1:14-15 which says, “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” The gospel was always forefront for Jesus in that people need to repent and believe, but he never went around shoving this message down people’s throats. While the message stayed in front he healed and fed others, spent time with people, and listened to their stories. We might not be able to walk on water or turn it into wine, but we can invite someone to dinner and hear their story. As kingdom workers we must be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s openings to preach the gospel into people’s lives all while loving them well. Kingdom work doesn’t mean we elevate the social care over the gospel, nor does it mean we say the evangelist is doing far superior work than others. Remember that street preacher has a team: someone who drove him there, someone who designed and printed out his evangelistic pamphlets, set up his audio equipment, even an entire group praying for him during his entire time on the street corner. Don’t belittle the work you are doing for the kingdom. He always gives us opportunities to share the good news, make disciples, and glorify him along with the continued roles he has placed us in. Don’t forget, even the disciples passed out fishes and loaves, went to fetch a donkey, and prepared rooms for Passover. What you do matters because you are walking in obedience to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
So often we desire stability and rhythm in our lives but refuse to except that we live in a world of constant transition. We transition jobs, people, stages of life (with or without kids), even our homes are transitional (whether moving, remodeling, or even destruction). Very few of us get constant stability. Even Jesus was in transition throughout his ministry (Luke 9:57-58). Here’s the good news despite the blurry pace we seem to be swept up in; God is the rock we stand on in the midst of such transition. Hebrews 13:8, says “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” No matter the transitions in life whether its death and sickness, new life, or that dream job; the foundation of our faith, drive, and purpose is always in him. Psalm 18:2 reminds us, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” We handle each transition by fixing our eyes on him and not the fallout from the latest change. Even in ministry we continue to bend our knee and focus our eyes on being obedient to the one who gave us everything so that we might glorify and honor him no matter what ebbs and flows through the house.
I find myself continuously coming back to the subject of prayer. We’ve talked about its importance to us and to our community in the past, but lately I’ve seen it permeate everything I’ve been doing. Prayer doesn’t just change things; it changes people. It shapes you. I’ve seen firsthand how my heart has softened as I pray for those that I didn’t like, got along with, or disagreed with. I’ve seen God move and do things because of prayer taking place for people and circumstances that are half a world away. We forget that prayer isn’t just for personal friends, family, or ministries we intimately know. 1 Timothy 2:1-3 says, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,” We pray over our city, our neighborhood, other cities, over you, other ministries, other churches, and on and on. Prayer is the foundation for what we do. It’s also for our benefit. Hebrews 4:16 reminds us “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” The first thing the apostles did after Jesus’ ascension was go back and pray. I urge you to continue to cultivate your prayer life just as we are doing here in France. We pray because we need to. We pray because we want to. We pray because we must.
Many of us start with high hopes for our new year but before the month is out worry rears its ugly head. “Will I meet my goals I set, what will others think of me if I don’t meet those goals, how will I succeed this year with what little finances I have?” We continue to let worry and anxiety build and fester while scripture continuously tells us not to worry (Matthew 6:31, Philippians 4:6). Why is that? Too often we let the worries of the world move and shift us instead of remaining steadfast in our daily walk with the Lord and his character. Isaiah 26:3-4 says, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.” We must choose to daily die to ourselves and our worry and choose to walk in the surety of an eternal God who knows us intimately enough to take care of every need. Even those of us in “full time ministry” get caught up in details that the Lord always takes care of, “am I doing ministry right, am I successful enough, are we partnering well, will things continue 20 years after I’m gone?” Let us all daily choose to set our minds on him as he carries us through thick and thin, and remember what Keith Green sang back in the day, “He’ll take care of the rest”.
Psalm 51:10 says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” We often pray for the first half of that verse but too often neglect the second half. The phrase steadfast spirit means right, sure, or staying the path. We need that steadfastness to stay obedient to the Lord and the path he has laid before us. Oftentimes our steadfastness for the Lord looks as if we’re in the minority or on the wrong side of history. Elijah was just 1 prophet against 450 (1 Kings 18:22) yet he remained firm in his obedience to the Lord. We ask for renewal from the Lord because it’s tough staying steadfast. The good news is he gave us the church that equips the saints and builds up the body of Christ to steady us in staying that path. Ephesians 4:14 tell us, “As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;” When the water is murky, the storms look too strong, or the path is covered we remain steadfast in the Lord. He knows the path, he doesn’t leave us or forsake us, and he’s given his church to build us up.
We all want to make the best decisions for ourselves and our family, but too often we second guess what is right and wrong, not quite sure what to do next in life, or ponder if we’re truly walking in God’s will. Sometimes we need to pause and remember the simplicity of our own Christianity. The first question in the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, “What is the chief end of man?” with the response being, “to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” Are our decisions glorifying God or glorifying ourselves? Good discernment is asking yourself this question before making those choices. The flip side of that coin is that those who discern well are those that dedicate themselves to prayer and reading of the Word. James 1:5 says, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” Before agonizing over those decisions or second guessing yourself, take some time to be with the Lord. Romans 11 cries out about the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God which then urges us in chapter 12 to renew our minds so that we might discern the will of God. We can discern well if we walk with him, and if we’re walking with him then we are in his will.
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March 2025
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