You Just Never Know...

It could be a husband who isn’t happy in his job, who desperately wants to be the spiritual leader in his family but doesn’t know where to start, and he is silently suffering from depression because of his insecurity in all of this.

It could be a wife who has been emotionally and mentally abused for years but she’s afraid to talk to anybody about it for fear of what her parent might do.

It might be a teenager who has a tremendous amount of faith, passion, and a strong desire to be a servant of the Lord.

It is possible that it’s an elder who quietly goes about his shepherding word and never complains about the people who are critical of him or who question every decision made by the leaders.

It could even be a child who hangs on every word you say from the pulpit, who takes notes, and who loves to hear you talk about Jesus.

Or, it could be any fellow disciple who is dealing with secret sin and wants to be better, to do better, to live better.

Here’s the thing, brother about the work you do in ministry, in preparing sermons or classes, and in the task of preaching/teaching the Word.

We may never know, while it is taking place, or even in this lifetime who we are reaching with the Gospel message. We may never know who is accepting the challenges that are being placed in their hearts as we teach the Word of God.

We might not know who is being reached by our ministry and/or the preaching to change the direction of their lives.

We cannot always know the powerful influence that our preaching and our example has on young people and children.

We are not always aware of the hope, peace, and comfort that someone who is hurting receives when they listen to the proclamation of God’s Truth.

I will guarantee you that in any given week one or more of these scenarios is being played out in the lives of people who are touched by your ministry and your preaching. These people need what you are giving them.

So, hang in there. Don’t quit. You just never know…