The Heart of Ministry

by Tiffany S.
from Virtuous Daughters, September 2015~Volume 15, Number 6

“Search me, O God, and know my heart:try me, and know my thoughts:
and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
-Psalm 139:23–2

I would strongly urge you to ask the Lord to search your heart. If He has entrusted a ministry to you, examine your motives. Do you crave recognition and praise? Are you frustrated when no one seems to notice your labor of love? Why are you doing this ministry in the first place? Is it ultimately for you, others, or the Lord? I regularly ask myself these questions, and plead for the Lord’s sanctifying work in my heart as He refines me and grows me closer to Him. A preacher at my church suggested that God’s hand of blessing will be removed from those who stop giving Him the glory for their accomplishments or ministry. There are many who begin their ministry in genuine love for the Lord and others; however, it is easy to lose focus and start building for ourselves rather than for God’s kingdom. We must examine our hearts, asking the Lord to fill us with a humble devotion to Him, rather than seeking earthly rewards.
   
I once read that living by faith means setting out to accomplish the Lord’s will before seeing that we have the necessary “supplies.” As Christians, first we seek God’s kingdom (Matthew 6:33), then the Lord adds “all these things” unto us! It has been said that when we simply say “yes” to the Lord, He will cause us to rest in Him  amidst our work. He will strengthen us and give us all that is needed to perform what He has called us to do. As Hudson Taylor said, “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supplies.”
   
Never labor in your own strength. Our victory and grace and strength come from Jesus Christ Himself! There are moments when we begin to feel weary, that our toiling for the Gospel is in vain...that the seeds we are sowing will never come to fruition. However, we must remind ourselves of God’s promises: our labor is not in vain in the Lord! Years ago, I began a small ministry, and eventually “fizzled out,” thinking that it had no impact on the person’s life into which I had been endeavoring to invest. Years later I learned that it had been significant to this person’s spiritual growth—it had made a difference. I was remorseful over my slothfulness in succumbing to the lies of the enemy that my “labor was in vain.”
   
Another example is a young American soldier in World War II who was captured by the Japanese after his plane ran out of fuel during the Doolittle Raid. While in prison, he earnestly endeavored to lead a fellow soldier to salvation in Christ, seizing opportunities (when the guards were absent) to tell him about Jesus. He soon died of malnutrition, never seeing any positive results from his efforts. However, God continued to work, and the seeds he planted in that comrade’s heart grew and flourished. The soldier he had witnessed to—Jacob DeShazer—became a Christian. After his release from prison, DeShazer became a missionary, leading thousands to Christ, including Mitsuo Fuchida, the commanding officer of the attack on Pearl Harbor. 1 Corinthians 15:57–58 is a poignant reminder: “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
   
Once a group from our church arranged to sing Christmas carols and present the Gospel message at an elderly, post-surgery rehabilitation center. We had scheduled with the staff and were completely prepared for the event. When it was time to begin, however, not one patient was present. The leaders of our group suggested commencing our program instead of leaving, in the event that someone would show late.
   
For thirty minutes, this large group of families sang and spoke just as if we had an audience of two hundred, when in reality not one person was there listening. At the end of the program, several participants commented, “What a waste of time!” I mentally agreed with them until one father said quietly and sincerely, “You never know who might have heard us through the walls. We may never know how God used this.” He truly believed that God had a purpose—that our efforts were not in vain in the Lord.
   
​Dear sister, God is working through you! We will never know all the ways God used us on this side of heaven! “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shown toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”—Hebrews 6:10