Day 66
Matthew 8:18-22 And when Jesus saw the great multitude around Him, he gave the command to depart to the other side. Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."
I cannot count on my hands and feet the number of people who have come to me and made statements similar to this: "I'm going to be a pastor. God has called me to full-time ministry." Yet I can count on one hand the number of people I have known in the last 20 years of ministry who have made that statement and actually followed through. You see, it's easy to get caught up in the emotion of ministry when you hear God's voice for the first time or when you first experience the emotion of understanding God's heart for His people. And then there are those times where you get so caught up in the worship that you genuinely feel as though you have visited the very throne room of God. But, at the end of the day, reality has a way of rearing its ugly and painful head, stealing our joy, and making short work of our emotional high. The reality of bills to be paid, loved ones to be cared for, and the reminder of responsibilities and commitments we have made all seem to draw us back into a state of being overwhelmed by the things of the world.
Not everyone can follow Jesus into ministry on His terms, and that is quite OK, not everyone is called to follow Jesus as an apostle. Some are called to support ministry through finances, others through prayers, encouragement, teaching and caring for the children, or greeting folks at the door, cooking a meal, folding clothes, doing laundry, or even gathering food for the less fortunate. Yes, I believe we are all called to use our talents and gifts for the Lord (Matthew 25); however, there is a big difference between using your talents and gifts for God as a disciple of Christ, defined in Webster's Collegiate Dictionary as "one who accepts and assists in the spreading of the doctrines of another," as opposed to being an apostle of Christ, defined again in Webster's Collegiate Dictionary as "one who is sent out to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ." Yes, a disciple must make a commitment and sacrifice to complete the task at hand; however, an apostle is sent with very specific instruction from the Lord and limited to obeying and fulfilling that command very much with the help of disciples. You see, for us who are called as apostles and sent to do a specific work, we need the support and help of the disciples, for without their dedication to Christ and assistance in fulfilling the call, we will, more often than not, fail in our mission.
Jesus is saying to the people around Him that this is a hard road; one you must choose to go down, and it may not always make sense. Yes, you may miss out on an inheritance or not be there when family members pass on, and you may even sleep on the floor of a Church or in a hut, but ask yourselves, “Does it really matter in the long run?” When I was in pain recovering from knee replacement surgery, every day I had to remind myself that soon I would be out of pain and able to do and see more for the Kingdom. When I lose focus on tomorrow, the pain of today becomes overwhelming and distracts me from where I know God wants me to be. Don't lose focus; purpose to be a disciple or an apostle. Whatever God has called you to be, keep your eye on the prize and know this, “We all need each other and what each has to offer in order to accomplish God's plan for His Kingdom on earth.”
Daily Prayer: Father, help us to stay focused on what you have called us to do, to deny our flesh, feed our spirit, and fulfill your will in our lives. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
"Don't let the pain of today overcome the joy of tomorrow."
Pastor Gene Burroughs
No comments:
Post a Comment