In our next to last Life Lesson in this series anyway, let’s address the issue of motivation for our ministry. Why do we do what we do? For whom or what?
Ask yourself those questions. Then read Psalm 115:1. What does this tell us about where the glory should go for all we do for the Kingdom?
Granted, it is encouraging when those to whom we minister let us know that it has touched their lives. If we have helped someone grow spiritually, find Christ as their Savior, or urged them to make a difference in the lives of others, we can begin to look forward to getting those words of support and pats on the back. It is fulfilling to carry out our God-given assignments for serving Him. But we must always point back to Christ and His power through us as opposed to our own skills, knowledge, or experiences for why we are able to have an impact in His Kingdom.
I often read, and feel convicted by this quote from Beth Moore in Breaking Free, “Our motivations for reaching out and serving others aren’t always pure. My dear friend Kathy Troccoli, who ministers full-time, asked a critical question: ‘Am I ministering out of my need or out of the overflow of my own relationship with God?’ We would be wise to ask ourselves the same question. Do we crave the affirmation of those we serve and do they help us feel important? Or do we serve because Jesus has so filled our hearts that we must find a place to pour the overflow?”
In Living Free, Beth wrote this, “To fulfill our God-given destinies—to allow the King of all creation to show Himself through us—we must overcome the temptation to seek our own glory by desiring His instead…we must recognize pride as more then self-promotion. Pride is a dangerous lure to captivity.”
Wow, if we are seeking anything other than His glory, we are prideful. Psalm 66:16 says, “Come and listen, all who fear God, and I will tell you what he has done for me.” As we serve, we must be telling the story of what God has done rather than what we have done. As we walk daily with Him, in His Word, asking for His wisdom and discernment, then we will serve out of the motivation of love for Him, who He is and what He has done. Our ministry will be the overflow of our walk with Him.
Check your motivation for serving today, and every day. Tell others what He has done!
For more encouragement, go to other Life Lessons.
