Invisible
The fall is always the busiest time of year at my house. Once school starts back, the days and weeks can seem to run together and before I know it, it is Christmas time. This year is no exception... my house has been unbelievably busy,and even though I love the hustle and bustle of my sweet little family, sometimes I need to slow down and do some reflection. It is always surprising to me how quickly I can become distracted in the busyness life and ministry and how easily my attitude can get our of line with God's will for me. Have you ever been there?
How many of us have been happily serving God in whatever ways He has led us to, only to look around and begin to think that we are the "only" ones doing anything. It is amazing to me how quickly God's people can become entitled when we do a job at our church that we think someone else should have already done. We start to think things like, "why am I the only one around here that ever does anything?!" and "I think I will give everyone else a piece of my mind. After all, they need to be working for the Lord too and I will gladly be the one to tell them where they have fallen short!" Whoa sister..... something about this scenario is not adding up.
It is so easy for us to shift our focus from our Father to ourselves and it can do so much damage in so little time. Satan would have it no other way than for God's children to do His work in such a way that He is stripped of His glory and their testimonies are damaged. When we begin to grumble and groan about all that we are "doing for the Lord," it is quite possible that we have forgotten all the Lord has done for us. Sometimes we might find ourselves bearing a load that we feel others should be sharing, and as difficult as that may be,I believe God would want us to serve Him joyfully even still. But sometimes, we might not realize all that others are bearing because our perspective is not always clear. Thankfully, our God knew the struggles we would face in this area and has already provided the answers for us in His Word.
In Matthew 6:1-6 Jesus says, "1“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
2“So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3“But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
5“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6“But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
I think Jesus got right to the heart of the matter: If our pride is what is fueling our ministry than we will have our just reward. If our motivation is to be seen before man, we won't be honored before God. Ouch.... that hurts! I know that more than anything I want my ministry to bring God glory. After all, it is because of Him that I am equipped and able to serve. I would much rather let Him get the glory on earth so that I can reap the benefits eternally.
I want to learn the art of being invisible in ministry. I want my life to be so filled with Christ's light that when others look at me they can only see Him. I want to trust God for my reward... and I don't know about you, but I bet it will be so much more than the pointless praise of man. My prayer is that I will be content to be in the background so that I am not a hindrance to God's work. God make me invisible. Let others see Jesus in me.
How many of us have been happily serving God in whatever ways He has led us to, only to look around and begin to think that we are the "only" ones doing anything. It is amazing to me how quickly God's people can become entitled when we do a job at our church that we think someone else should have already done. We start to think things like, "why am I the only one around here that ever does anything?!" and "I think I will give everyone else a piece of my mind. After all, they need to be working for the Lord too and I will gladly be the one to tell them where they have fallen short!" Whoa sister..... something about this scenario is not adding up.
It is so easy for us to shift our focus from our Father to ourselves and it can do so much damage in so little time. Satan would have it no other way than for God's children to do His work in such a way that He is stripped of His glory and their testimonies are damaged. When we begin to grumble and groan about all that we are "doing for the Lord," it is quite possible that we have forgotten all the Lord has done for us. Sometimes we might find ourselves bearing a load that we feel others should be sharing, and as difficult as that may be,I believe God would want us to serve Him joyfully even still. But sometimes, we might not realize all that others are bearing because our perspective is not always clear. Thankfully, our God knew the struggles we would face in this area and has already provided the answers for us in His Word.
In Matthew 6:1-6 Jesus says, "1“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
2“So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3“But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
5“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6“But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
I think Jesus got right to the heart of the matter: If our pride is what is fueling our ministry than we will have our just reward. If our motivation is to be seen before man, we won't be honored before God. Ouch.... that hurts! I know that more than anything I want my ministry to bring God glory. After all, it is because of Him that I am equipped and able to serve. I would much rather let Him get the glory on earth so that I can reap the benefits eternally.
I want to learn the art of being invisible in ministry. I want my life to be so filled with Christ's light that when others look at me they can only see Him. I want to trust God for my reward... and I don't know about you, but I bet it will be so much more than the pointless praise of man. My prayer is that I will be content to be in the background so that I am not a hindrance to God's work. God make me invisible. Let others see Jesus in me.
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