-Timothy Speaks
Proverbs 22:29
Seest thou a man diligent in his business?
he shall stand before kings;
he shall not stand before mean men.
As I walked into the PJ that took us from Lagos to Accra, I shook my head.
I said to myself, “One young minister will be there now thinking this is what ministry is all about” They may not understand why and the situations that necessitated us taking a PJ. Those reasons are not explained publicly.
We just came out of a three day foodless fast which has been a ritual between me and my wife every beginning of the month where we pray for the ministry and all the members, their families and businesses, we didn’t put that online. The sacrifices of ministry are not shown publicly but the results. People see the show but not the labour.
Many get trapped while placing their eyes on the rewards of ministry rather than the sacrifices.
Before the show, there’s always the sacrifices! The pursuit of the show without going through the route of the sacrifices will get you trapped in discouragement, ingratitude of your current level and envy of others.
I remember the days where I used to criss cross the country on road as the head of the media team of Dunamis with my team members to coordinate, cover and effectively report the meetings, crusades and activities of my Senior Pastor.
These journeys have seen me drive midnights just to ensure that things went well.
What do you do?
- Get your eyes off the titles, respect, honour and any material accompaniments of ministry and focus them on service, diligence, commitment and dedication to your current assignment and to whom you have been assigned.
- Pay more attention to the spiritual health of those assigned to you. Ensure you feed them well.
- Invest your time, money and intentional prayers to ensure God blesses those you Pastor.
- See the ‘show’ as inspiration that God rewards dedication not a motivation for ministry.
- Refuse to play with your current assignment and placement, what you do now is already determining your next phase.
- Keep pouring yourself and your resources into the work and workers.
- Refuse to be angry or discouraged when people show ingratitude and indifference to your labour upon them, just keep on doing what is right and needful, God does not sleep. Just one person He sends into your life after you have been proved will make you forget the disappointments of many others.
- Be encouraged in the FACT that there’s nothing you see today with anyone that will stop with them, you too can experience it tomorrow if you take care of your work today.
- Get away from any Minister who tries to intimidate or talk you down on account of results or resources.
- Honour those ahead of you who are deserving of honour genuinely, it’s a seed into your future.
Remember!
GOD DOES NOT USE PEOPLE. HE ENGAGES THEM AND REWARDS THEM ACCORDING TO THEIR LABOUR NOT THEIR TITLES OR DURATION.