What Matters
As we sat on our porch this morning we pondered some deep questions, and I think we recognized some deep truths.
Acts 13:2 says ‘While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set [them] apart for… the work to which I have called them.”‘
We know that we are called to ministry in Honduras. But more than that we have a call to God Himself.
I asked Paul this morning, if God had shown us the path and given us all the steps and provisions already would we be sitting here? Would we every morning be seeking His face, and ‘inquiring of the Lord’ every Sunday night by the fire? We started that out of our desperation for answers.
Whatever you need, the answer is Jesus. We know that, we say that – but what does it really mean? As I sit here I realize that whatever we do – the steps we take toward moving, even what we do in Honduras – really is not the point. God doesn’t need us. He has a plan for Honduras (with or without us) because he loves the Honduran people. His plan for US is more of Him, above anything we could ever do or accomplish. If we pursue anything else besides Jesus we’ve missed it. Everything will grow from losing ourselves in Jesus.
We hear preachers who have mind-blowing wisdom and see people minister with signs and wonders – we ourselves have seen the miraculous around the world. We want to ask these people, “How do you do it?” Or, “How do you get God to do it?” You don’t. You seek Him. You follow Him. You obey Him. You LOVE Him. There’s nothing wrong with pursuing the miraculous or the favor of God or answers and guidance and provision, but the really important thing, the place where all of your confidence will come from is being lost in Him. Everything else will flow from that.
I’ve often told single women that if they’re looking for a godly man – stop looking. Unless you fall in love with Jesus, and allow the Holy Spirit to change you and heal you, unless you pursue being a strong woman of God, confident in every situation with or without a partner, then when that godly man encounters you, he will walk right by you and not see you because you are not prepared for him. You are not ready to support him and walk alongside him.
I think of ministry that way now too. This is the meaning of “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”. It’s not seeking the things of the Kingdom it’s seeking the One who IS the kingdom – the embodiment of Heaven and kingship. Our Lord should be our only focus, and then, in a way, it doesn’t even matter what the answers are to our questions. We won’t be confused, we won’t be afraid, we won’t be disappointed, because we will have the only thing that matters. HIM.