Patience For Ministry

He was young. He was strong. He was created for the express purpose of serving the Lord. Yet he was prevented from doing so by the ropes his master had firmly tied about him, imprisoning him in a few feet of street space in a lonely village. He had never been used even once, by anyone, for anything, so his prospects of serving the Lord in exciting ways looked very dim. He was a young donkey.

Have you ever felt like you were that donkey? Have you ever been eager to go on a missions trip or outreach opportunity? Perhaps you wanted to be a part of a ministry in your home town, along with many of your friends. Maybe you didn't care exactly how the Lord used you; you just wanted to serve Him in a exciting and special way. But then did you find that because of your age, or the wishes of your authority, or some other limitation, you were prevented from ministering?

I know how discouraged you must have felt, because I myself have been in the same situation. I had friends who worked in many wonderful ministries, and while I was happy for them and their thrilling experiences, I was also sad because I wanted so badly to serve the Lord, and yet I was firmly tied at home. I would like to share with you the steps through which God led me in this area, to overcome discouragement and be truly ready for ministry.

1. Adjust your attitudes – Philippians 3
"Ask, and it shall be given to you" (Matthew 7:7)

While it is a worthy ambition to minister for the Lord, such should not be our main goal. Our primary, ultimate goal, which should be the consuming passion of our lives, is to know Christ. Anything else, including good things and even ministry, could hinder us from achieving this goal, and thus all should be counted as loss for the purpose of knowing Christ. God will not give us eternal reward so much on the basis of good works we have done, but as to the degree to which we know Him (Matthew 7:22-23). We should purpose to devote our lives to seeking this goal, and not be concerned with ministry or anything else which might come in the process.

2. Develop spiritual disciplines – Psalm 105:4, Hebrews 12:1-2
"Seek, and you shall find" (Matthew 7:7)

In order to run with endurance the race of life, straight and steady toward the goal of knowing Christ, we must fix our eyes on Him through the disciplines of Bible reading, memorizing, meditating, and prayer. As we do these diligently and daily, we will be able to see Him progressively more clearly, for He is the One about whom all of Scripture is written.

Yet it is not easy to run a race. There will be abundant temptations all along your way to cease these disciplines or let distractions take priority, because our enemy knows that without Scripture and prayer you would soon become a carnal Christian. God didn't promise that the way would be easy, but he did promise that He will always be with you, supplying you with grace to overcome every temptation, and that He will not allow any trial into your life which is too difficult to bear. By His grace, you can overcome all obstacles in order to carry out each of these disciplines daily.

Get alone with the Lord as soon as possible each morning for a quiet time. Find a private location, such as your bedroom, a closet, the laundry room, or outside, where you will be free to search for insights from God in Scripture and communicate with Him in prayer. Set your heart right before His throne daily, and ask Him if you need to make something right with another person.

Don't read the Bible as though it were merely assigned reading; recognize that it is written expressly for you, for today, from your Heavenly Father who loves you and longs to draw you closer to Himself. Ask Him for insights, rhemas, and direction, and He will give them to you if you wait before Him with the right attitude. Be sure to check out any direction you believe God is revealing to you with your authorities and the basic principles of God's Word, in accordance with I John 4:1.

Make sure your prayer time includes intercession, praise, confession, and fellowshiping with God as a Friend. All true prayer draws you to God's heart; intercession also draws you closer to the people for whom you are praying, in a Godly way. Praise lightens any depression or discouragement you might experiences, and leaves you rejoicing in God. Confession is a necessary part of cleansing your heart, and the fellowship about the little things in life will serve to bring all these areas under Christ's control.

3. Serve in simple ways – Mark 5:19
"Knock, and it shall be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7)

After the Gennesaret demoniac had his healing encounter with Jesus, he was so grateful and excited that he entreated Jesus for permission to accompany Him on His spectacular missions across the countryside, although the natives in that place were hostile to Christ. Jesus must have seen that much of the man's zeal was naive, and that his immaturity and inexperience in following the Lord would cause him to soon fall away under opposition; therefore, Jesus did not allow him to participate in the grand ministry, but told him to go home and report to his people what great things Jesus had done for him.

I can see myself as the man in this story. When I first began to earnestly seek the Lord, I wanted to immediately go out into the world and minister; however, willingness is not the only factor Jesus looks for in those whom He would call to minister in great ways. Because I needed to develop more Christ-like character, God placed me at home serving my family in little ways, learning to witness of His grace through the example of a pure life. Minister to your family and needy people around you as a true servant, ready for any job, and seeking no reward whatsoever.

In Jesus' next recorded visit to Gennesaret (Mark 6:53-56), there is no mention of the former demoniac, but we notice a startling change in the people of that place. Formerly they begged Jesus to leave, but now they thronged about Jesus, bringing sick people from all over the countryside for Him to heal. Is this not evidence of God's powerful working through those who serve in simple ways in their own home and town?

4. Watch God work wonders – I Cor. 2:9

One day, that lone donkey saw men approach him and begin to untie his ropes. If I had been that donkey, my hope for freedom to serve might quickly be quenched by memories of all my life so far. Yet when his owner started to complain, the men spoke six words: "The Lord has need of it", at which the owner allowed him to go! The donkey was then given the glorious task of carrying the Lord Jesus Christ Himself into Jerusalem to accomplish the greatest act of love in the history of mankind, a task far greater than any other work the donkey could have imagined. Had the donkey been used earlier, he would have been disqualified from this job, for the prophecy from hundreds of years previously, about the only recorded animal on which Jesus rode, called for a donkey upon which had no one had yet ridden.

My friend, if you love the Lord and have a genuine desire to serve Him, I believe that all your life to this point is merely an introduction to the amazing, spectacular, glorious, unimaginable story God is going to write, the play He is going to direct, with you as the primary character! Stay in His hands, and you will have excitement unimaginable, in His time. More importantly, you will one day hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."