Repost: Living in the "What if...."
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April 29, 2011 Thought this was a good repost after the Exponential conference.
If Only... Those are two of the most haunting words in the English language when joined together. If only I hadn't..... If only I could..... If only it would..... If only I was able to ..... Fill in your own ending to those phrases. We all have them don't we? Even in our ministry we tend to look out over the horizon of things to come and gaze behind us saying if only.... If only God had given me a bigger ministry. If only I was able to speak like..... If only I could have the chance too ..... If only had more money we could.... Each of us, at some level, long to be more and do more than we are currently doing. Maybe we have accomplished a great deal. Maybe, in our eyes, we haven't accomplished much. That desire often flows from a longing to do something significant for God. I don't know about you, but I have a desire to make a mark in this world, to leave a legacy. The Call to ministry is tough and often borderless. The question is; Can we really find peaceful satisfaction in ministry? Can we truely learn to be at rest with who we are and how God as created us? I wonder if Daivd, a man after God's own heart, wrestled with a question of significance? 1 Kings 5:3-4 is an interesting couple of verses. I have read it many times before but this time it stood out in a profound way.
David was a warrior. He expanded the kingdom of Israel, brought peace, prosperity recognition to the nation of Israel. Yet, he also had a deep longing to build a temple for God. Yet, God denied him the privilege. This great man, king with no equal, was denied the privilage of honoring his God with a beautiful place of worship. Makes me stop and wonder if he felt incomplete? He wanted to build a temple for the God he loved and worshipped and stockpiled endless resources to prepare for the temple's eventual building. Yet, during his lifetime, he never saw that dream come to fruition. That particular longing of David's was never fulfilled. Here's the point. David was loved and celebrated by God. He was a the greatest leader who ever governed Israel. He accomplished greater feats than any before or after. He loved God with his whole heart and was called by Jesus a man after God's own heart. Yet, his desires were incomplete at the tine of his death. He wasn't able to accomplish everything he wanted, but then that was that God's calling for him? David had to find peace with God's calling of him as a warrior and King. He had to find a way to understand that there were limitations to his calling. He didn't do everything he wanted to do, but he did accomplish God's call for his life. We have to do the same. I f we are to be truely efective in ministry we have find peace and satisfaction in our calling. Stop and look at who you are and what you have been able to accomplish through God. Could it be that this is all you were intended to do for His kingdom? Could it be that this is what you were designed accomplish? Your faithfulness has enable the kingdom to expand, you have helped other find truth and significance. You have led some down the road to eternity. Is that enough? I think if we live in the "What if..." we miss the blessing of God's design for our ministry. We can get so focused on what we are looking to accomplish, we miss what God has already accomplished through us. | |
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Posted 4/29/2011 in Stephen Gray | 0 Comments - Add Comment |