THE TRAGEDY OF THE MODERN DAY MINISTER

I saw something today I never thought I'd ever see. I've heard pastors use it to buttress points while teaching and personally I've used it unfailingly while teaching on 'Christian Devotion'
What did I see? A tanker full of fuel (not sure if it was pms or diesel ) that broke down because it ran out of Fuel . I watched with amusement as the driver siphoned fuel from a teeny weeny  20 litre gallon into the humongous vehicle. Hilarious right!

This to me  represents the tragedy of the modern day minister...so full of activities while the secret place remains deserted.

Someone I respected and still respect so much told me as a young believer to study all I can because a time will come in my later years when I just won't have time to study as much. I swallowed it,  believed it and never for once doubted that statement. I expected it too so it wasn't a surprise when that time also came upon me suddenly. I depended on the residual knowledge I'd gathered over the years reading my bible from cover to cover. I guess I impressed some people with my knowledge of the word but I battled with so much guilt. I knew something was wrong.

Activities! Programs! Meetings, Outreaches ...powerful, and you have to balance all this with being a wife, a mother , keeping a day job. Its hard to explain how or when but God gets gradually edged out from the spotlight and center stage. Most times it felt like I was that nylon bag trapped inbetween the wheels of a motorbike, going everywhere and going nowhere. It's only a matter of time until all that motion takes it toll on the body, soul and spirit. Burn out, high level irritability, insensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Before you know it sin comes knocking on your door.

What God demands is not the perfuntory 1-2 hour devotion we give Him daily. Actually, He wants all of the time and that shouldn't scare us rather it should fill us with sublime joy that the God of all the universe needs our attention because He is so much in love with us.
Have you ever stood up to leave your place of devotion and you felt an invisible hand hold you back and a gentle silent whisper say, 'one more hour' ?, when was the last time you lost the sense of time before Him.
Brothers and sisters, knowing, loving and following God this way should not just be our starting point but should be something we should remain and end with. 'And now, little children, abide (remain) in Him; that, when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at his coming' 1 John 2:28

As the years roll by you discover people are getting more and more dependent on their pastors, while the pastors are shifting more and more away from the divine presence. I'm of the opinion that this is a travesty and an error that should be corrected. No man should have the right to play the role of the Holy Spirit in anyone's life. There is no senior Holy Spirit and a junior one. We all recieved of the same Spirit. The role of the pastor is to point you to the Master, to prepare you for the work of the ministry and generally groom you in the things of God . Each one of us should have a viable, vibrant relationship  with God just as much as the pastor. You should pray as much as he does, study as much as he does (the bible is not just for pastors and ministers) catch as much revelation and work just as hard in the vineyard. After all aren't we going to face the great white throne judgment together. Anyone that teaches you otherwise has robbed you of a divine opportunity of knowing the Master for yourself and is inadvertently preparing you for eternal rejection by God.

Takeout time to wait on the Lord, not just long stretches of time after which you go back to being the normal you, but rather entwine Him in all that you do. Listen more, speak less, study more, argue less. In Him we live and move and have our being.

Waiting on God should never be an exercise we do when we want to go and display to our audience/congregation that we too can carry anointing, or when we want to grow church numbers etc rather it should be part of our daily living till Jesus comes. The more resistance life and ministry presents, the more we should press in to this high calling of first ministering to the Lord. He IS our ministry.