Our Ministries: An Idol? |
Mar 3, 2011 |
In Chuck Swindoll's biography of David, Swindoll describes how David lost all the significant support or “crutches” in his life – his position, respect, reputation, his wife, and his best friend. Swindoll cautions us saying, “Being stripped of all substitutes and crutches is the most painful experience on earth. There is nothing more painful than being stripped of the toys of the heart. So relieve yourselves of them before He has to take them away. Don't make an idol out of your mate or your children. Don't make an idol out of your position. Don't make an idol out of some possession. Enshrine the Lord in your heart and lean only on Him. David needed to learn that all-important principle. Maybe you do, too. It was extremely difficult for him. You can expect the same."
It’s the “don’t make an idol out of your position” part that seems especially poignant to me. If we’re not careful, this is how it sometimes plays out: God calls us to ministry. We accept His call and begin walking in the direction He wants us to go, even founding a Christian 501c3. That ministry and our leadership position within that ministry become the most important thing in our lives, even reaching idol status.
We don’t mean for it to happen. It’s not intentional. But it happens. Our ministry becomes first in our lives and the One who called us to the ministry becomes second (or even further down the list). I find this to be a challenging concept and one worth thinking about…
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Am I “abiding” the way Jesus calls me to in John 15?
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Have I thought recently about the process of “my call” and am I staying true to the One who called me?
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Would God answer that question in the same way I just did?
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If I stripped away my job in ministry and my ministry responsibilities, what kind of Christian life am I really leading?
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Or is my job and ministry responsibilities actually my entire Christian walk?
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How can I "enshrine the Lord in my heart" and make sure my life is operating in the proper order?
Mar 3, 2011 at 9:23 AM Great reminder. Thanks
Mar 3, 2011 at 11:17 AM Great thoughts. For me, the battle is to take the time to be still, and allow the Lord to show me the steps to take. Otherwise, what I am doing becomes a greater priority. My tasks may be meaningful, at least in my eyes, but not to the Lord.
Challenging questions, if everything was striped, like with Job, would I have Jobs character, or not?
I am challenged to keep my devotional time, and allow time for the Lord to speak.
Mar 4, 2011 at 9:15 AM I started this position knowing that I would have to keep a firm grasp on my Father's hand to do the job. The temptation is very real to let go of His hand, thinking I need both hands to do His work. Very dangerous territory and I am so grateful for this reminder.
Mar 4, 2011 at 5:46 PM Thanks, guys. Laura, great thought. We're stronger with one hand in His - a wonderful picture of "abiding" like it says in John 15.