Daily devotion – the sacrifice that is ministry
Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
The other Sunday I noticed one of our Sunday school teachers had arrived early at Church, around 8:30 am and was deeply in prayer in our olive garden.
What a blessing to have people like this seriously committed and dedicated to teaching our smallest and most innocent saints the blessed Word of God bathed in prayer and great preparation. For over 40 plus years Helen has spent most of her Saturdays planning, preparing and for many years teaching our Sunday school children. Ministry comes at a cost!
Ministry, Paul tells us, and our Lord teaches us, is a costly exercise of time, effort, prayer and application. I have had many a person approach me over the years expressing a desire to study deeper, to prepare for ministry, and ask me how they could achieve such. But so few actually put their lives behind their words. For many I have said to them first base is to simply be in every service that I attend. This is a basic foundation to actually going into serious ministry for Christ.
Paul wrote to young Timothy the characteristics and requirements he should look in men that he could see enter the ministry and privilege of shepherding and teaching God’s people.
2 Timothy 2: 1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. 5 And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. 7 Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.
Notice what Paul told Timothy to look for – “faithful men..” Did you know that 85% of success is involved in simply turning up. That is being there, being available in the place where God can call on you in His time of needing a vessel to use. Some men only become faithful when things go bad, when a crisis hits. But when the crisis is over, they are again nowhere to be found. This is reflected often also sadly in their marriages and their parenting style. They are M.I.A. husbands and fathers.
Then Paul mentioned to look for those who will endure hardship like a soldier of Jesus Christ. A soldier obeys the commands of their Commander, in this case Christ, without hesitancy and completes the task assigned, no matter the difficulty or duration.
Paul told Timothy to avoid putting any into ministry any who were clogged, entangled, too engaged in the affairs of this life.
Finally, Paul said look for those who were like hard working farmers, you need to first know and feed from the crop that you are intending to harvest.
You cannot teach on prayer if you are not in prayer. You are unable to teach on faith if you are tossed about by every event that sweeps over your life. Nor can you encourage others to trust in God’s Word if you are not applying it in your own life.
Faithful men must be able to model what they teach.
There is sacrifice involved in taking the path to ministry. It means you like a soldier are committed to the battle. You can’t just take a holiday from the battle or step away from the war. Only farmers who plough the soils, spend time planting the seed and then trusting on God to bring forth the harvest will ever experience the riches of being a servant of God.
There is a price to be paid, a cross to carry, but a massive reward to those who seek such a calling on their lives.
For sacrifices we only need to look to our Lord Jesus and His death on Calvary’s Cross, for Paul, it was his beheading in Rome. For all the disciples bar the Apostle John, it was the sacrifice too of their lives.
2Ch 16:9 “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.
Is God calling you? Are you able to pay the price? Be a soldier, a hardworking farmer?
Many are called but few are chosen….