My dad “gave” me 2 Corinthians 4 in a sermon when I graduated from high school. God used this passage of scripture to encourage me again today. I’ve been very discouraged, and I need to remember that I deserve nothing. Everything is a mercy.
2 Corinthians 4:1 (ESV)
Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.
“Ministry is a mercy. It is a gift of God’s grace and favor to the utterly undeserving. You know, you hear people talk about burnout in ministry. Burnout is not because of work. You don’t hear ditch diggers complain about getting burned out on digging ditches. Labor doesn’t make people burn out. What makes people burn out is discouragement, and discouragement is connected to unrealistic expectations. If you realize you deserve nothing, and that everything is a mercy, that’s all you need to know.”
John MacArthur in “Certainties that Drive Enduring Ministry” at the 2007 Desiring God National Conference
No comments:
Post a Comment