“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.” – Matthew 6:33, RSV
My father would always start out his new appointments with a sermon based upon 1 Corinthians 2 – “I did not come with words of lofty wisdom…for I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”
For him, ministry was about loving the people and remembering Whom it is that we serve. I have included the verses from Matthew as my focus, because it is easy for me to get caught up in the “work of the Lord” and to forget the Lord of the work!
When I start getting distracted, I have to remind myself what ministry is all about – drawing people to come and know Jesus Christ, so that they can find hope and healing through Him.
I ask myself the question – Whom does God want to love through me today? God is still in love with this world, wanting to share compassion and healing with us – and God has chosen to limit Himself so that it is through our arms, our voices, and our hearts that the message of hope is made known!
Our “bottom line” is not how much money we have at the end of the year, or how many people sing in our choir, or even how many people attend on Sunday mornings. Our bottom line is how many people we have influenced to trust more in Jesus throughout the year.
Money problems? We will always have them. Volunteers? We will always need more. But when we seek first to listen to God, to hear His voice and allow it to change us, then all of these other “problems” will fall into place.
Thank you for giving Kim and I this chance to serve with you –