Life in the trenches

I have found that one of the hardest times in ministry is when you walk with people through the depths of their sin and brokenness. When marriages are falling apart, when emotions run high, and when tears are shed that is when the good news of the gospel becomes so clear.

We are a broken people, we cannot ourselves hold things together, we cannot stir up enough "good" in our souls to be "good" people. It just isn't possible. We, each of us down to the core of our hearts, are sinners yearning for our desires, bowing down to created things rather than the Creator. We settle for a life concerned about our own plans and in turn we miss out on the greater plan God is working out each day we draw closer and closer to his return.

When I think of my life in light of eternity I can joyfully embrace the text messages, "interruptions" from friends in desperate need of truth, and the exhaustion that comes with being handed heavy burdens by the flock God has given us to help lead. Lord, may your glory be displayed in their lives. Lord may they fall more in love with you. May the desire of their hearts no longer be a longing for their own "happiness" but instead may they desire your glory which is the only thing that will bring fulfillment. May the renown of your name not come through flippant words on Sunday but by a life completely devoted to You.

When the gospel becomes the center of our own lives, the center of our marriages and the center of our families things begin to look different. Praise the Lord that when our perspectives shift, we can truly begin to bring Him glory. It can't be about us...