....in ministry.
and
..in life
..in your job
..in relationships.
Today was one of those days for me.
But God reminded me of my devotional the other day. It didn't really resonate when I read it then, but as I turned back to it today...it fit perfectly.
And I needed to hear it.
Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way. 1 Samuel 12:23
It can be tempting at times to give up on God's people! They are so imperfect and can be so sinful, yet they are His people. Samuel had thoroughly warned the Israelites of the dangers of appointing a king over Israel. Yet they wanted to be like the nations around them, insisting that they were willing to pay any price. almost as soon as the people were granted their desire, they recognized their sin. But it was too late. What was Samuel to do? They had ignored his warnings. Now they wanted him to continue to minster to them. It would seem appropriate for Samuel to abandon them and allow them to suffer the consequences of their actions.
Samuel knew, as Jesus knew, that God sends His servants to the sick, not the healthy. Samuel did not take the people's response as a rejection of him but as an indication of their walk with God. Samuel was serving God, not the Israelites. When God commanded him to minister to them, he could do nothing else, despite their resistance to his message.
At times people will not respond as they should to the message God speaks through you. Don't become discouraged; it is a refection of their relationship with God. You are God's servant; if Jesus spent His time with the spiritually needy, you can expect Him to ask you to do the same. Don't lose your patience with God's people. Keep in mind that God loves them as much as He loves you.
It's so tempting at times when I am tired and frustrated to just give up..
..what's the use..
..they aren't listening.
I am so thankful for this reminder today of Whom I am serving.
11 comments:
WOW !!!! Thanks for that - I felt like this yesterday !!!! It will make me look at the ministry in a whole new way :)
Hi Sara, this is Christine (Baum) I like to read your blog and I am often encouraged by it...this post today was speaking to ME, thank you for the reminder, I am serving God.....and I need to do whatever it takes to get that done...
great post!!!!!
(in a side note, I have gotten to hang out with Margaret lately...so that is good.....)
xo
chris dunlap
I learned through a Bible study on the fruit of the Spirit that when I show love to others out of obedience, even if it seemingly blows up in my face, it doesn't just fall to the ground...God receives it. That put perspective into some pretty painful broken relationships that I pursued in the name of ministry.
My favorite pastor has always said "ministry is messy."
Tough lesson, though.
Thanks for sharing, Sara. Yesterday, I nearly began a blog post saying, "If only this blog were anonymous, oh the rantings I would have right now..." - but it would not have been appropriate and led people to questioning that is never a good thing. Thank you for reminding me of God's truth, and for sharing your heart to remind me "we all have these days"....
I get what your saying...I especially love the "it is a reflection of their relationship with God." I never thought of it that way but that is so true.
I just realized too that people are seeing in me the reflection of my relationship with God too. I hope I'm reflecting God the way He wants me to, although I'm sure I miss the mark quite often.
Thank you for sharing...I love it when blog posts make me think about my relationship with God.
AMEN!
Some days are definitely hard. Great post, Sara. Praying for you friend!
I hear ya' sistah!
Love Blackaby...
Sorry for your discouraging day. So thankful that God was right there with some encouragement for you!
Oh, Sara, how did you know I needed this today?? Thank you for sharing, friend! Such truth in two little paragraphs.
Great post! We've been sharing these same thoughts with a couple that just became believers. It's very liberating when we live our lives with the right perspective!
**Glad you're feeling better too! What an awful virus!
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