True Devotion
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October 18, 2015 |
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 "Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Revelation 2:10).
Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
If you have the faith to love God to the utmost degree, you can truly love God from the depth of your heart. The faithfulness of Moses, Abraham's obedience, Paul's passion, and all the devotion of the patriarchs were possible because they had love for God. I hope you will check what kind of devotion you have, compared to such patriarchs.
1. You should check if you have a changing mind, which changes according to your benefit or advantage
'Changing-mind' is one of the fleshly attributes that we have to be most careful about. On the outside, it might not look like you are doing a great evil, but as the changing-mind grows, eventually it can even lead you to betray the grace of God.
It was the case with Judas Iscariot. He witnessed so many signs and wonders directly while staying near Jesus. Just with a word from Jesus, a dead person came back to life and a man born blind opened his eyes. But seeing this Jesus, Judas Iscariot just thought that he could one day also enjoy privilege and honor because of Jesus. But the things did not go as he thought they would. People conspired against Jesus and persecuted Him. Those in power, in particular, tried to kill Him.
Seeing that the situation was turning unfavorably for Jesus, the heart of Judas Iscariot began to change. Since he thought he wouldn't be able to get any benefit out of it, in the end, having been instigated by Satan, he made the extreme choice of selling out his own master.
When this church had great trials, those who used to say that they would keep the church and the shepherd with their lives, left the church one by one. It was a trial of blessing that was allowed for this church by God. And yet, in the eyes of the fleshly people, it looked like the church was suffering great damage and it didn't seem beneficial for them, so they soon changed their minds. There were even pastors who just forsook the flock entrusted to them. They used to say they were going to be faithful to the kingdom of God, but they eventually left. Although they did not hinder the ministry of the church, they just forsook the church where they had received so much grace of God. It means they did not possess true faith. They lost all their love, faith, and hope that they had stored. Therefore, we always have to check 'changing mind.'
Especially, if you usually seek your own benefit, it is likely that you will change your mind more easily. When you do the work of God, you should not try to do what you like according to your preferences, but you have to go with the will of God. For example, for pastors, they are served and respected by the members, but more often they have to unconditionally sacrifice themselves and give of themselves for the members. Sometimes they have to give up their own freedom and rights. They should be willing to give up their time, what they want to enjoy, and even their everyday life.
Also, workers should first think about the benefit for the kingdom of God as a whole. If one wants to be commended for the work that he's done personally or by his own department, he will be happy if he is commended by seniors, but otherwise his fervor will cool down. He will be disappointed and become tired if he doesn't get what he wants. You work hard in a duty that easily draws attention and commendation, but if another job seems to earn praises more easily, you want to do that job, neglecting your own duty.
Apostle Paul established many churches in many places, giving birth to many flocks of God. Rather than taking from the flock, he paid for his ministry by making tents. So then, how many persecutions and sufferings did he go through?
Acts 20:22-24 says, "And now, behold, bound in spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God." Knowing that he would be beaten, put in jail, and even put to death at the end, he said only 'Yes' if it was the will of God. Even when he was in jail, he did not seek his own comfort but he worried about the church and the conditions of the flock.
When you received a position and duty in the church, probably you only wanted to dedicate yourself for the Lord, for the church, and for the members. But if you want to change your mind just because it is not beneficial for you any longer, or just because you feel it is too hard to go through, wouldn't your previous faithfulness be in vain? Rather than seeking your own benefit, I hope you will first think of the kingdom of God and the souls.
2. I urge you to check if you have not considered everything only according to your own situations
Sometimes you might be given a job that you don't really want to do, or one that is beyond the scope of your capabilities. In those situations, you should not say you lack the ability to the work given to you, and just try to do the job that you are good at and you are willing to do. Doing your God-given duty is not only done by knowledge of the world, talents, or money.
Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." If you ask for the wisdom and strength of God with all your heart, you can be a great worker of God.
Especially, in case of pastors, they have to focus more on the souls who are in despair, the weak souls, and those who have hardened hearts, rather than those who are doing fine in the church. Even if you are given a job that you don't really want to do, I urge you to first think about what the will of the God is for you.
But I am not saying that God will indiscriminately give you any random job without considering your faith, circumstances, visions, and capabilities. I am just saying that rather than thinking about your own situations, you should be able to think about what God wants for you first, for He always wants to give you the best things.
Once, I asked the workers around me to try to take on a duty in their respective mission groups and serve the members. I didn't ask them to do that just because I wanted them to have more duties and be faithful in all God's household. It was because, when they had the duty to take care of the souls, they could understand the heart of the shepherd and they would be able to love the church and the members more deeply. If you do not broaden your heart and just stay within your own limitations, then it means you are being stubborn saying, "I will not do anything more for the kingdom of God."
Also, for some duties, you stand on the stage with splendid appearances while for other duties you have to serve without anybody recognizing you. In some cases, even after you did some hard work, nobody recognizes and sometimes the merit and commendation go to another person. I want you to check if you can dedicate yourself with the same attitude of mind in this kind of situation, too.
You might be given a job that you didn't really want. You could be led in a direction that you never expected to be led. You might be put in a low position or you may have to hear criticism concerning a job that you did with dedication. Nevertheless, I hope all of you will still dedicate yourselves with the attitude of an unworthy servant (Luke 17:10).
The God also dedicates Himself during all the days of human cultivation. After all, it also comes from love.
Because God knows the weakness of human beings, He knew He would be betrayed by them, too. He knew they would be stained by sins and He would be heart-broken because of it. But He has endured for a long time with His love. He doesn't want to give up on any of the souls, so He gives them chances again and again. Eventually, He gave His beloved Son as propitiation on the cross and demonstrated His love once again (Romans 5:8).
I pray in the name of the Lord that you will realize the love of God towards you, devote yourselves with the true love, and be used greatly.
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