Tough Days

Have you ever had those days where your emotions seem to get the best of you?  It is often in these low moments that God seems to minister His Word to me and allow His people to encourage me.  Today was one of those days.  And, as I was listening to “It is well”, the classic hymn, I was overcome by how I allow little speed bumps in my life to turn into road blocks.  And, I forget that “my sin was nailed to the cross and I bear it no more”!!!  Praise God!

While I am not one who will try to convince you that ministry is harder than your job or that being a pastor is the hardest thing in the world – I will still tell you that it’s not always easy.  I go to bed praying for situations at church and wake up thinking of ideas for how to better follow our goals – Love God, Love Others, Make Disciples.

Sometimes, though, my precious Father has to slow me down, remind me of my inability to accomplish anything on my own and remind me of the blessings that He’s put in my life (my wife, my kids, my family, my church, my job……I could keep going!)

I recently read a quote from a pastor that went something like this…

"There are 2 things God says to me each morning which frame everything I do as a pastor...

1. "You are my son." In other words, God says that there's nothing you can do that could make Me love you more; there's nothing you can fail to do that will make Me love you less. My love and approval of you is based on the Gospel, not on your successes or failures, and so you should base your identity on that, too--and NOT on how big your church is, how "successful" your ministry is, or how many people like you.

2. "I absolutely do not need you for anything I want to do today." This dissolves the pride I'm prone to feel for the things I've accomplished because I realize that the only good I've ever done is because God has invited me to join what He's already doing. He invites me into His work; I don't demand that He bless mine. This also takes the inordinate pressure I put on myself by destroying the ridiculous idea that I have to dream up and perform great things for God.

The second point strikes me.

I think all of us at one time or another have a feeling of pride that creeps in and tells us that our church can't survive without us. Whether we serve as teachers, deacons, pastors or worship leaders, it happens. We find ourselves thinking that no one else could ever do as good as we are doing and thinking that God just wouldn't be able to get much done without me.

I think it's an important point to remember, that God doesn't NEED us. Instead, He has invited us into His work. He has given us the privilege to bear His name, to be a representative for the powerful name of Christ! We should stand in awe of that alone. And, when we realize the gravity of the calling to bear his name, should it not drive us to our knees (both literally and figuratively)? Whether you are a nursery worker, a deacon, a Sunday school teacher, a member of the praise band, a mom, a teacher, a business owner, man, woman, teenager, banker, barber, lawyer, if you are a child of God, you are called to bear His name.

What if we woke up each day and went to work with that on the FOREFRONT of our minds? What if, every time we taught Sunday school, that was at the FOREFRONT of our teaching?

What if, at every deacons meeting, that was the driving force?

What if, in every business transaction, you were motivated by your status as a child of God to be a light for HIS name?

How would that revolutionize the way you approach life?

Another quote I recently heard: Vision arises out of calling.

When we get the idea that the calling on our lives is to exalt, glorify, share, live and be the name of Jesus, we will develop a VISION for our lives, for our families, for our church and for our future that is shaped FIRST by glorifying God!

A vision that shapes every day of our lives.