"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us..." St. Paul, recorded in 2 Corinthians 5:20a.
It's something that probably has caught us all at one time or another. We start to think about some aspect of God's work that we are engaged in, and we start to take an approach to it along the lines of, "Whatever it takes to get the job done." In one respect, that's a commendable approach. Truly, God desires to see His people give sacrificially of their own selves when it comes to benefiting His eternal reign. Our goal is something bigger than this world, than ourselves.
At the same time, there is also a troubling aspect that this approach can present. We may think, "Whatever it takes to get the job done," but what if it comes at the expense of other things that God has also directed us toward in our lives? Perhaps the best way to think about this is to give an example.
There are many who have felt compelled to leave behind family and home to serve God in one way or another. Honestly, there are those that God calls to such a task. However, even as we think that God may call some to such a task, the thing that God makes clear is that we are not to abandon our God-given responsibilities to others simply to "get the job done."
In some ways, this strikes home to me as a pastor in some very real ways. I could easily tie up 7 evenings a week with the work of ministry. Some would see that kind of a sacrifice and say, "Wow, there is really someone who will do whatever it takes to get the job done." They might even commend me for such action. It seems to demonstrate that the work of God is above all other things.
However, what if such an approach comes at the expense of my family? Here's where I think that we can too often get this wrong. In my life, the first responsibility that God has given is to the family. We are to show sacrificial love for those that God has given in our families. Throughout the pages of Scripture, a man's first directive continues to be to love his wife, and to care for her. As God provides children, his care expands to include them.
Here's the meat of this post. If I take the approach that, "Whatever it takes to get the job done", but it comes at the expense of that which God has first and foremost called me to, I am actually working contrary to God's will and design. If I am willing to lay aside what Scripture teaches about my responsibility to my family because I'm more concerned about some "big picture" aspect of ministry, then I am sinning against my family. The very foundation of society, and life in this world, begins with the family. Outside of my faithfulness to God, my family is my primary responsibility in the world.
Of course, the family has to understand that there are times when other needs demand extra time. However, that should not become the pattern for life. The message and the messenger need to be in alignment. If I am tossing aside part of God's design and will for my life to serve other parts, then it basically amounts to me picking and choosing what is important to God, and what isn't. And that's an improper approach to the will and design of God.
Instead, as God's people, we seek to demonstrate God's will and design in all that we are and do. And that begins with the care and devotion that our family deserves. Yes, at times, my family has to make a sacrifice, such as when a meeting comes up on an evening, and I have to be absent from them. However, I also demonstrate that primary responsibility when I occasionally will bypass on a meeting or ministry opportunity because I need the time with my family. That's when the message and the messenger are in alignment with God's will and design.
God makes His appeal through us. As we live our lives, I hope and pray that we strive to show faithfulness to our families and to the ministries we are involved with, and that we find a way to show that both are in line with God's will and design.
It's something that probably has caught us all at one time or another. We start to think about some aspect of God's work that we are engaged in, and we start to take an approach to it along the lines of, "Whatever it takes to get the job done." In one respect, that's a commendable approach. Truly, God desires to see His people give sacrificially of their own selves when it comes to benefiting His eternal reign. Our goal is something bigger than this world, than ourselves.
At the same time, there is also a troubling aspect that this approach can present. We may think, "Whatever it takes to get the job done," but what if it comes at the expense of other things that God has also directed us toward in our lives? Perhaps the best way to think about this is to give an example.
There are many who have felt compelled to leave behind family and home to serve God in one way or another. Honestly, there are those that God calls to such a task. However, even as we think that God may call some to such a task, the thing that God makes clear is that we are not to abandon our God-given responsibilities to others simply to "get the job done."
In some ways, this strikes home to me as a pastor in some very real ways. I could easily tie up 7 evenings a week with the work of ministry. Some would see that kind of a sacrifice and say, "Wow, there is really someone who will do whatever it takes to get the job done." They might even commend me for such action. It seems to demonstrate that the work of God is above all other things.
However, what if such an approach comes at the expense of my family? Here's where I think that we can too often get this wrong. In my life, the first responsibility that God has given is to the family. We are to show sacrificial love for those that God has given in our families. Throughout the pages of Scripture, a man's first directive continues to be to love his wife, and to care for her. As God provides children, his care expands to include them.
Here's the meat of this post. If I take the approach that, "Whatever it takes to get the job done", but it comes at the expense of that which God has first and foremost called me to, I am actually working contrary to God's will and design. If I am willing to lay aside what Scripture teaches about my responsibility to my family because I'm more concerned about some "big picture" aspect of ministry, then I am sinning against my family. The very foundation of society, and life in this world, begins with the family. Outside of my faithfulness to God, my family is my primary responsibility in the world.
Of course, the family has to understand that there are times when other needs demand extra time. However, that should not become the pattern for life. The message and the messenger need to be in alignment. If I am tossing aside part of God's design and will for my life to serve other parts, then it basically amounts to me picking and choosing what is important to God, and what isn't. And that's an improper approach to the will and design of God.
Instead, as God's people, we seek to demonstrate God's will and design in all that we are and do. And that begins with the care and devotion that our family deserves. Yes, at times, my family has to make a sacrifice, such as when a meeting comes up on an evening, and I have to be absent from them. However, I also demonstrate that primary responsibility when I occasionally will bypass on a meeting or ministry opportunity because I need the time with my family. That's when the message and the messenger are in alignment with God's will and design.
God makes His appeal through us. As we live our lives, I hope and pray that we strive to show faithfulness to our families and to the ministries we are involved with, and that we find a way to show that both are in line with God's will and design.
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