Being Effective For God’s Kingdom

In conversation with a friend this week, we spoke of the approaching season of Christmas, specifically, the topic of concerts and parades. We chatted of how busy our schedules can or will become. She made a very good point in reminding me that being effective in God’s kingdom is more important than being busy for His kingdom. The reality is that many church bodies, including ours, have, in the past, entered into the busyness of preparation for celebrating the birth of Jesus. Unfortunately, the preparation activities for concerts, parades, dinners and other social “Christmas events” consume our thoughts and energies. This can unintentionally place Jesus in the background. Don’t get me wrong, all of these things are important so we acknowledge the miracle of His birth. My point is, we must guard against busying ourselves so much with intentions and tasks that we lose sight of the reason we labor for His Kingdom. What we all must remember is that God wishes for us to be less busy in the human and more effective in the spirit.

Let’s keep our focus on Him not our events as such. When we help our fellow man, we are like Jesus. When all we do is in His name, we have His favor. When we study His Word and gather for service, we learn about Him. Through prayer, we must discern His voice from ours when making decisions for our ministries. The way we carry ourselves at work, in public or in private speaks volumes to His heart. Let’s not fret like Martha, yet be with the Master, Jesus, like Mary.

We cannot solve every problem, address every prejudice or fix every broken heart, yet, we can do what we can. As we are called to minister to the elderly, to the youth, to the ill and ailing, to the lonely and rejected then we must do it. We won’t win every war but we won’t lose every battle either. Every effort on the part of small groups like ours is noticed by the Father. He alone has placed us where He knows we will make a difference. He alone knows the plans He has for us, that He listens to us and where we will find Him, Jeremiah 29:11-13. He alone already knows how effective we are and will be if we keep our eyes on Him.

Mike Shindruk

www.mastershandministry.blogspot.ca