12 January 2006

Some Thoughts About Ministry

The Lord has called all of us. I've been in "trouble" on this very blog for suggesting that a call to ministry is different, so instead of "call" here, I'm just going to say "ministry." (I love B because he challenges me to think like a human being rather than like a know-it-all.)

Dean Higle brought some very key insights to understanding our development as ministers last night. Something he hit on lightly really stuck with me though. 1 Sam 15 naturally pits Saul's anointing against his passions, which I never realized before last night. Saul was in trouble because he allowed the passions of his kingship to rule over his anointing. He was anointed to obey God as a king, but he was passionate about conquering as a king. He conquered the way normal kings do, but God wanted an obedient servant who would live truly to the anointing.

What does this mean for us? It means that when we struggle about ministry, we need to remember God's anointing. Sometimes our passions and our anointing match. Other times they don't. What do we follow?

God's "call" rarely follows our passions, even if they are God-given. Rather, our passions align to God's anointing as it rests on us and as we grow in the likeness of Christ. We can do anything we want to minister, but if it's not an act empowered by God's anointing, then we're only acting on passions. Beware, ministers, not to confuse passions for anointing or call.

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