To What End?

Thought:

When I stand before the Lord, and present my life’s work to Him, I picture Him leaning toward me and asking (as my life’s “work” is being tried in the fire), “Tell me…what was the end you had in mind when you did this?”

Question:

“To what end am I walking in those good things He has prepared for me beforehand to walk in?”

I am either:

1) Strengthening the things that remain

or

2) I am shoring things up.

Jesus says to the church in Revelation 3:2 “Strengthen the things that remain.” And yet, the snare that is so easily sprung upon me is the one where I slip from “strengthening” to “shoring”.

When I am shoring things up, ministry is very subjective. It is mostly (if not all – trying to be kind here). It is primarily filtered through MY circumstances and MY situation; not through the vision that God has for me personally and those He has given me to equip for the work of the ministry…and that is a horrible and destructive place to be…to myself and those around me.

I begin TO say things from the position God has given me…but I DO NOT model them.

I expect things FROM people because they SHOULD be doing them…but I don’t expect anything FOR them.

yikes…my time is now spent shoring up the ministry so it doesn’t fall apart.

God began to ask me to do things that are “impossible” because I had forgotten that God does the impossible!  I had forgotten that God did the impossible in my life! He asked me to step out and trust him, despite all my fears, my questions and my apprehensions. He wants me to walk in simple obedience. All He wanted to know then, as He does now, is “Do you trust Me?”

And that is moving back into the rightful place of Strengthening the things that remain.

I should be doing what I am doing so that by my walking in simple obedience to do the one thing the Lord has asked me to do, it would provoke/stir up the Body to love and to good works. And that out of my passionate love towards God, that my obedience would display itself in a greater love for the Body in desiring to equip them, sharing with them the things I discover along the way, and would then overflow into other believers lives, and that would spill into increased areas of ‘ministry’ for the Body to walk in.

The ministry could be so much more effective, and far reaching if I would multiply myself by pouring myself out into others. They would be strengthened. The ministry would be strengthened. The kingdom will expand.

 

 

4 replies
  1. Bill Holdridge
    Bill Holdridge says:

    Amen, Josh. I am thinking about the same things myself.

    Having a talk with my senior pastor son the other day, he was sharing with me more about his calling. He used the phrase “laser focus” in describing his desire to live out his calling. I like it.

    Thanks for the post.

  2. Josh Olson
    Josh Olson says:

    Thanks, guys. Great encouragers 🙂

    It seem s that the Lord is constantly reminding me and bringing me back to the foundational necessities of who I am/we are in Him.

    The Lord has filled me with a fresh expectation for the day when we will be gathered around His Throne for all of eternity singing with all of who we will be unrestrained by sin. May that be part of our motivation in continuing in the work of strengthening the things that remain.

    Blessings.

  3. Greg Gordon
    Greg Gordon says:

    Josh,

    Great post brother, very good word. “not through the vision that God has for me personally and those He has given me to equip for the work of the ministry”

    This is very true we must do ministry from the heart of God and not as something to just do even because we have to. We must not put burdens on others that we are not willing to carry and emulate also.

    I really like you’re emphasis on the motives of the heart.

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