Presenting ...
... a weekly letter of encouragement.
December 13, 1993
Good Morning!
LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION: "What is more important
to you:
Cultivating a deep and abiding relationship with
Christ? Or
Doing great accomplishments for Christ?"
I recently learned of a missionary who, for two decades has done
the impossible for God by getting the Gospel into "closed"
countries. The only problem is that his marriage is in shambles
and his kids are in open rebellion.
We who are in business or the professions, like the missionary,
can be living lives of idolatry. That is, we may be
seeking to feed our damaged egos and fill the spiritual void within
us by Herculean accomplishments that garner man's approval. Cultivating
intimacy with Christ, the only One who can bring healing, often
takes a back seat to ministry, or to ego-enhancing accomplishments
in business or the professions.
QUESTION: What is filling the inner void in your
life:
"The cultivation of a deep, abiding secret life with Christ?
or
A frenetic sprint toward accomplishment that seeks to feed your
fragile ego and reap the approval of your fellow man?"
In I Kings 8:10, 11, God intervened in the ministry of the temple
priests in order to expose them to His glory:
"...When the priests came from the holy place...the cloud
filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not
stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord
filled the house of the Lord."
Clearly, God is far more interested in us knowing Him
than us completing the ministry to which we are called.
I can't help but wonder how the scenario would have played out
in the life of this zealous missionary if he, like the priests
of I Kings 8 had been arrested first by God's glory...and then
embarked upon the ministry to which he was called. By seeing
the glory of God, his broken self-esteem would have been healed,
and the mission would have been fulfilled without decimating his
marriage and family.
Have a great week!
Dwight Hill
© Copyright 1996 Dwight Hill. Unlimited permission to copy or use is hereby granted subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.
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