Let’s talk about vision and priorities. In SOS 1:5 The Bride says “Draw me away; we will run after you.” This vision for her vocational and personal goals has two dimensions: 1) Draw me away – She wants intimacy with God. 2) We will run after you – She wants partnership with the Lord in ministry. She wants to serve and love others.
To be drawn away with God is to have a personal relationship. Having a devotional life. This is a standard “well, duh!” reality. But how many actually practice it?
Jesus said the first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. We will be unsatisfied and discontent if we don’t live our life with this as our primary goal.
The second commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. Genuine ministry can only flow out of genuine encounter. We will have a more effective and powerful ministry if we wait to run with Jesus until we’ve been drawn away by Him. We will never have a successful ministry (no matter what our calling is) if we don’t firstly pursue to love Jesus.
4 comments
Adam Parker said:
Shawn, could you explain the “if we wait to run with Jesus until we’ve been drawn away by Him” reality? I’ve been kind of harping on this lately in my own walk with God and in speaking to others, but sometimes don’t quite know how to practically apply this to explanations of scheduling, timing and primary and secondary focus in a practical sense.
I mean, everyone always agrees with you when you say you have to have your primary goal be “loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength” but the “waiting to run with Jesus until we’ve been drawn away by Him” reality is a little hard for some to swallow b/c of our results/success driven society.
Posted on March 13, 2007 at 11:12 pm
{Shawn} said:
@ Adam: Everyone agrees with the idea. But when it actually has to happen they don’t like it. And often people get upset and offended at those who try to live it.
The upper room is a prime exmple. Jesus said “wait until you are endued with power.” in Luke 24. 500 watch him ascend but only 120 made it to the actual upper room prayer meeting.
The majority of people agree with this reality on the front end, but don’t like follow through it requires of us and them. It means saying ‘no’ to some things because our time with God is more important, etc…
Posted on March 14, 2007 at 3:38 am
Batsirai said:
Very true.
Everyone wants to be fruitful – for various reasons. Sense of self-worth, importance to others, impact… all very noble reasons – that must be satisified first and only by the only One who can.
From that place of rest, and security we can freely go -be accepted or rejected, welcomed or slandered as we minister – and be held in safety in the place of rest. All minstry ought to lead people back to Jesus. We cant lead people where we haven’t been. And its just plain easier too…
Timing is also an issue. Just cause you can sing, for example, doesn’t mean you are called to be an artist or on the local worship team. But even if we are called – it doesn’t mean right now. Hard lesson.
When we try obtain God’s promises/blessings/callings before His due time – we cause more problems. Sarah & Hagar – the world is still dealing with the consequences of Sarah’s ‘rush’.
Posted on March 14, 2007 at 9:08 pm
{Shawn} said:
@ Batsirai: I love what you said:
It’s often the roads we go on that the Lord has called us to lead people down. When we forge a path, we make a way for others to jog it.
This is where I am at with my own teaching right now. I’m only teaching a mesage that I have familiarity and experience in. Even though it’s not necesarily the ‘most annointed thing on my heart right now.’
Posted on March 14, 2007 at 10:44 pm