Anything that dims my vision for Christ, or takes away my taste for Bible study, or cramps me in my prayer life, or makes Christian work difficult, is wrong for me; and I must, as a Christian turn away from it.
You see, there are several different directions to consider this thought from. An obvious application is to turn away from sin or any empty, unprofitable pursuit. Less obvious is the need to cease (or at least suspend for a time) otherwise good things which we replace God with in our lives. Sometimes good things can be the obstacle to our faith if improperly motivated or done for selfish reasons. Therein lies the difficulty I've had with this post.
In Chapman's quote, there's the phrase "...makes Christian work difficult, ..." My dilemma is that sometimes Christian work is the problem. This is not to say that the work in itself is bad; I'm talking about the attitude with which the work is done. Hopefully that distinction is clear.
The other thing that made this post difficult is that it hit home with me; God has been pruning in my life and some of the things he is showing me that need to go are a few of my involvements at my church! In unto themselves, these involvements are good but they are obstacles to my walk with God, ultimately, because I am not doing them depending on Christ for the power. As such, these activities are not fruitful in God's eyes and are burdens (rather than blessings) to me.
Just as I have prayerfully considered these things in my life, let me caution you not to rationalize away your ministries in a church body or in the lives of people that God has placed into your life. Let us look at every aspect of our lives through the lens of the Word; consider John 15:4, where Jesus says
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither you unless you abide in Me.
Success in God's eyes, a fruitful life, is a life in which every activity finds it's basis in trusting him.
4 comments:
Wow, James - this is deep and very thought-provoking. I am going to "steal" that quote and hang it in a prominent place. I struggle with this ministry thing frequently. Mostly I struggle because, being a wife and mom, my primary ministry is to my family and THEN to others. Sometimes I get it backwards and my family gets short shrift. It's hard to accomplish balance. It's hard not to feel guilty about giving up a ministry opportunity that I love and enjoy.
Thanks for writing so eloquently about this topic!
One of the ways I see that this has been a problem for so many comes as a result of wrong thinking about what actually defines ministry. How many have grown up thinking that it is only ministry when it takes place within the confines of the church walls. Unforntately, I see so many measuring "success" in the ministry or spiritual maturity with busyness in the church. Somehow, I don't think this is what Christ had in mind. I think you are right on the money.
im pruning
but it is harder right now
now that every turn is ministry...
but...
reality
God is so much more interested in what He goes on inside me/with Him than what He does through me.
May I be wise with the time He has alloted - 24 hours per day is all there are.
oops there are some corrections that need to be made in that one - he is more interested in what He is doing inside of me than through me.
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