Life Priorities 2

Running through a grain field today was a great way to clear my mind after a couple of busy days and a flu that went through our family like wildfire. Hearing birds and seeing blue sky gave me a chance to "come up for air" and gave me a fresh perspective. As I looked at the grain, I couldn't help but think of Jesus' words as recorded in John 9: 34-36

"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together."

I have been reflecting about my life priorities. Therefore I have been thinking about how "scattered" my ministry has felt. In my last post I mentioned several high priority areas and promised that I would write more detail about them if people were interested. There seemed to be a lot of interest. But since then I have been even convicted to focus even more.

Jesus lived a life of focused priority. The Scriptures do not use these exact words...but he lived it by example. In this passage Jesus' "food" (reason for being) is to do God's will (follow HIS leading) and finish his work. This assumes that there is concrete work for him to do. Jesus shows how this work is clearly evident in the world. And this work leads to eternal life. What am I doing that leads to eternal fruit in others and in myself? What things am I doing that are NOT leading to eternal fruit? I am convinced that a large part of ministry MUST be focused on sharing Christ with individuals and teaching them all that Jesus taught. But in such a way that they do things that bear eternal fruit in others.

I have become aware of the danger to get very program oriented and focused on methodology in the church. The danger is that we lose focus on the individual and his particular needs. There is a danger of losing sight of what eternal fruit looks like because it is easy to quantify a program or an activity. But eternal fruit in an individual comes through something else-disciple making. Disciple making requires time, energy, and focus on an individual and his particular needs. Disciple making does not come so much from a book as from a life on life relationship that shares openly, suffers together, and cries out to God in brokenness together.

So this means that I must carve out much time to be involved with broken people (We are all broken.) Therefore I must be careful not to get over scheduled, over programmed, and over activity-ed. I must learn to hear God's voice and see who he has put in my path to live life with. Some of my greatest mentors have been people who spent time with me, believed in me, and proactively invited me into their lives. I want to do the same for others.

In the next post I will share why I am being drawn to one area of ministry that will become a much greater focus in the next several years.