Cultivating Spiritual Maturity: The Path to Impactful Ministry
Patience, Preparation, and Perseverance in Pursuing Your Calling
Don't rush it. Remember, what older adults have grown into over a lifetime, you too can become. The ministry of someone with decades of experience is not out of reach, but it requires patience and preparation.
While it's natural to be eager to do more, remember that God is shaping you into the person He has in mind for the work He has for you. Trust in His plan and be patient.
Consider the journey of several biblical figures whom God used greatly. They all started with smaller tasks as God prepared them for a great ministry. Reflect on their stories and consider how this might work in your life.
Joseph
God gave Joseph glorious dreams of saving his family and being a leader they would bow down to in the future. His dreams were so big that they offended his brothers and even caused his parents to stop and think, yet there was a training period before all God had planned would come first.
Somehow, in the providence of God, Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, a woman falsely accused him, imprisoned him, and then forgot about him for 13 years. In that time, Joseph proves he has what it takes. He keeps his eyes on the prize and expectantly waits for God to open the door to greatly use him.
Finally, God thrust him forward to be the second in command of the world's superpower.
Wait on God and work expectantly, knowing that God is preparing you for how He will use you. Take it a day at a time. Do what is right now, keeping the right attitude. Do not quit; God will guide you through His great plan for your life.
Moses
Moses was unique from the day of his birth. He got special privileges that could have easily gotten him off track. His mother trained him, then turned him over to the best schools in the world to become a successful leader or military genius.
Then, he decided when he was mature that God had a plan for his life. He was 40 years old. Moses decided to act on what he believed he would do. Stepping out, he acted presumptuously. He ended up killing a man.
You might think he's finished and will never be used again. He goes into the wilderness, leaving everything he knows behind. No Egyptian would want the dreadful job he took, a shepherd of sheep.
Moses would spend the next 40 years in obscurity, but God was still at work. When you feel like God has set you aside, he is very likely simply preparing you for the next thing He will use you to do.
At 80, Moses steps out of obscurity. He is very humbled and strongly acknowledges his need for God's help. He will lead the exodus and write the first five books of our Bible.
David
Samuel anoints David King, but he will end up waiting between ten and fifteen years. During this time, God will place him in the palace, and he will learn about palace behavior.
God is always preparing David to be the greatest king of Israel. David learns from abject failure, as his best men totally abandoned him, falsely accused him, and he even lived in the kingdom of his enemies.
God had David kill lions, bears, and then a giant, but he still wasn't ready. There was more.
Do not skip the steps. Take the battle in front of you. Live up to who God wants you to be. Keep your eyes on the Lord and look forward to what God wants to do with you.
We don't waste time when we wait and train.
Even Jesus
Isn't it amazing that God Himself was born in human flesh yet disappears from history? Except for seeing him before the age of two and then at twelve, we basically wait until He is about thirty years old.
Obviously, He didn't need preparation, but He grew in wisdom and stature with God and man.
We rush so quickly into leadership that we cannot lay the foundation for the future. We want today what God has for tomorrow.
Steps to Take
Prove yourself each step of the way.
Practice with your weapons, the talents and abilities that God has given you.
Let every man be your teacher instead of knowing it all.
Put down strong roots that will hold you in the storms that come.
Read the Bible and study it over and over until it becomes a part of you.
Build a Sunday School class before you try to build a church.
Grow you more than you worry about growing a ministry.
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