The Ministry of “Weakness”

The Lord has allowed Julie and me to walk a path of testing for the last seven years. We can, without hesitation, say that these have been the most blessed years of our life and ministry. We have wept an ocean of tears. Our hearts have oft felt like they would break in two. The difficulty of the years, though, have been far outweighed by the grace, peace and fellowship we have experienced from the Lord. God has given us the opportunity to minister in a far greater way.

With hopeful expectation, we wait everyday for Emily to come home. God has flooded our hearts with peace, that He is in control. I’ve watched my wife weep deeply and then turn around and try to lift someone else’s burden. God’s goodness can always be found in God’s trying.

We often do not understand why God chooses to disrupt our pathway. I remember how healthy I had been all my life. Loved sports…loved the outdoors…..strong as an ox…all that surely made it easier to serve the Lord….. or I would think. Then God had a different plan. Twenty-eight surgeries…… a heart attack….five heart procedures…nine spinal surgeries…hundreds of doctors appointments…..memory loss….six years of every moment pain…..asthma, cellulitis, afib, severe arthritis, and I could bore you with more.

If I were to choose the path to best serve the Lord, in my flesh I probably would not choose this new path. It hinders me…It frustrates me….It embarrasses me….it weakens me. But, that reminds me that with God, there is strength in weakness. Often we would never seek to draw from His resources if ours were not depleted. God is teaching me everyday that His peace is better than my potential. His grace is better than my guarantees. Some may say, aren’t you hurt at God for what He has allowed. I can fervently say, NO….What are the benefits then, Mark?? The opportunity to fellowship with Him more in prayer. The opportunity to lean on Him more. The opportunity to understand more the beauty of His name. The joy to give Him my burdens so I can help share someone else’s. The experience of reaching into the Word of God daily to pull out words to transform my life.

Julie and I love serving God together. We love singing. I love preaching. I’m humbled at seeing people saved. We love counseling. We love teaching…..but I have become so thankful for the ministry of “weakness”. It has taught me so much. It has blessed me so much. It has deepened my trust in God, so much.

If God is taking you through trials. Please let Him use it to glorify Himself, edify others, and make you more like Him. Let’s thank the Lord for “weakness”.

Thoughts From Galatians

*  Galatians 6     Bro. Mark Lancaster

Chapter six begins by giving us some illustrations of what will happen when we are using the “Fruit of the Spirit” to guide our daily life. The working of the Spirit of God is always a practical work. It is not just for the minister or missionary. It is for the farmer, or teacher, or church member, or husband, or factory worker. It is evidenced in practical daily living.

Healing the Wayward

Often, one of the hardest things for Christians to do, is to know how to treat a wayward Christian. We don’t know whether to shun them or love them. We often want to help them but we are uncertain what to say. In verse 1, we are told how one who is Spirit-filled will react to a wayward brother or sister. First we see the Desire to restore. Someone who is being led by the Spirit, never desires to see another Christian struggle. They will treat them with a spirit of meekness. Verse 3 reminds us that we should never get high-minded about our self. If we keep the right focus about who we are, it becomes a lot easier for us to have the desire to help someone else. The last part of verse one tells us, “Considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”

Helping the Burdened

In verse two, we are reminded that “this is the law of Christ”.  So many people around us are hurting today. People are carrying loads that we often know nothing about. Family burdens, financial burdens, burdens with children, spiritual burdens, health burdens, and so much more. In order to care for others’ burdens, often times we have to take the focus off our own cares. In the past several months, God has sent several people our way that have had a special burden and just needed some encouragement. Unknowing to each of these individuals, my wife and I have been going through the same burden. I wanted to tell them how bad I was hurting inside, but the Lord seemed to prod me to just encourage those he had sent our way. The more I tried to help them and encourage them, the more I felt the Lord lightening the same burden on my heart. I think God is big enough to carry my burden as I help to carry someone else’s load.

Honor the Faithful

In verse six we are required to “communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.” We are reminded that those who feed us God’s Word should be given good things in return. We often do not realize the great value that should be placed on true feeding of God’s Word. It should be more valuable than money because it shows us how to be more prosperous in our money. It should be more valuable than our house because it teaches us how to truly build a home. It should be more valuable than our car because it tells us how to truly get to where we need to go. Then, if we see this teaching is so valuable, God says we ought to do good things for those who teach us the Word. I am sure we would consistently receive more out of what we are being taught if we had that type of spirit. A country preacher friend of mine said this, “A sermon does not have to be something that is pretty, it needs to be something that fixes something.” I know the preacher is not the one who does the “fixing”, but if he is used to help make things right, then maybe we need to be generous to him for helping us get something “fixed”. We pay a mechanic for fixing our car. We pay a plumber for fixing our plumbing. So, maybe we need to consider compensating those more who help us fix our problems in life. Some would say, well don’t we give him a salary for that. The salary of the church is not a compensation for what the man of God does for us personally. If he has personally blessed us, let us personally offer blessings in return.

Holding on in our service

Chapter 6 and verse 9 tells us, “Be not weary in well doing.” The labor of sowing is a good work. To till the soul, to break up the ground, to pull the weeds, and to plant the seeds are not easy jobs. There is sweat in our labor. There is aching of our bodies. There is a great deal of our time that we have to spend. It would be easy to get tired, weary, frustrated, upset, and discouraged if we did not keep in mind that harvest time is coming. I love fresh tomatoes. I have always had a garden of tomatoes no matter if it has been in five gallon buckets or an acre of land. I have never really enjoyed furrowing the rows. I hate having to constantly pull the weeds. The constant watering is inconvenient, but when I start pulling off those fresh, red, juicy tomatoes, I think nothing about those long hours of toiling in the garden. Our labor for the Lord often gets troubling and burdensome. It is hard to see the day of reaping down the road. People mistreat us. People misunderstand us, but one day God will reward us with far greater blessing than the burdens that we have born. Just stay faithful.

“When God gives direction and the devil throws a damper, don’t feel defeated for soon will come the answer. Just set your course to do His will and find delight in serving. For victory will come to those, who press on without swerving.”

Dealing with the dread of pain The endurance of daily, debilitating chronic pain can take over your mind and body. The pain medicine, to control it, can make you loose control of your mind and body, if you’re not careful. You must find peace in the Lord. Let your mind be consumed with godly music, scripture and unceasing prayer. This won’t take away the pain, but it refocuses your mind.

It’s Just Your Presence I Need

Sometimes we come to times in our life that it is not what God gives us that meets our need, it’s just meeting with God. This song talks about that.