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"For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."
(Galatians 6:8-9)
First of all, I want to wish my wife Ashley a blessed and happy birthday. I look forward to us getting together tonight with our family and celebrating you!
The next two devotions are written primarily for those who are vocationally called to ministry. If you are not a pastor or minister, that is okay; please read along anyway! Also, take a moment and send these two devotions to those you know who are in ministry. My goal is to bring encouragement to these committed men and women who have given their all to serve Jesus and His Church.
It is good to be reminded of what God told us in the light when the temptation arises to question Him in the dark. God is in control. The One who called you is faithful to sustain you when times get hard; it is His Church and not our church; we serve at His command and direction and leave all results to Him. Philippians 1:6 states, "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." God never called us to be successful in the eyes of the world; but He surely called us to be faithful.
Here are some principles that you know but perhaps need to be reminded of today. We all need encouragement for the ministry God has called us to. How do you know a minister of the Gospel needs encouragement? They are breathing!
1. You are blessed by God. You are those people in Psalm 1:1 who do not walk with the ungodly; you do not stand with sinners; and you do not sit among the scornful. God empowers you to do these things to embrace what is good and avoid what is evil. He has blessed you. The Hebrew word eser means happy and is used 26 times in the Psalms. Think about all the places in the world where you could have been born or ended up serving currently. God has blessed you by allowing you to know Him and serve Him in the Gospel ministry precisely where He has planted you. It is tempting to see the glass half empty as we serve in vocational ministry. But that leads to weariness in the journey. Rather, let us be reminded that we are blessed by God to serve Him!
2. Deepen your roots. Psalm 1:2 says, "But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night." The Psalmist tells us how we can be like that healthy tree with deep roots, firmly planted, bearing fruit. We all desire that for our lives and our ministries, no doubt. But the key for us is to abide in Jesus, and the way we do that is to delight in God's Word and meditate on it. Jesus said in John 15:5, "Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing." Pastor, or minister, allow me to speak to your soul a minute and remind you of something you know is true: do not neglect time with Jesus every morning to feed your soul with His Word, talk to Him in prayer, and listen to Him. He wants to speak to us and reveal His will to us more than we want to know His will, but He cannot get through to us if we do not listen.
Tomorrow we will wrap up the second part of this message for pastors and ministers of the Gospel.
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