We buried a preacher who was 92 years of age this past week. Bill was a great man of God and a great preacher. There must have been times in Bill’s life that he became discouraged to the point of wanting to quit. He had disagreements with elders. He didn’t make the money he deserved to make.
No doubt there were times that he dealt with health concerns. Surely, he had similar family issues that we all deal with from time to time. Through all of this, he kept going. He worked for the Lord as long as he was mentally and physically capable.
Someone has said, “The measure of a life, after all, is not in its duration, but its donation.” Couldn’t the same statement be made about our preaching/ministry life? Shouldn’t we measure effectiveness, not by the duration of our ministry, but by the donation of our ministry?
It might help us get through tough times if we focus more on what we can contribute to the Church, the lives of people around us, our families, and our communities, instead of focusing on the length of our ministry.
What contributions can we make to show love and support to our wives? What can we do to help our children through tough seasons?
What can we contribute to the leadership of our congregations that would make their work a little less stressful and more effective?
What can we contribute to our congregations that would help people who are struggling with issues in their lives or who need greater faith?
What can we contribute to our own lives that would increase our faith, our knowledge of the Word, and our effectiveness in ministry?
What if we quit measuring our ministry by the duration and instead measured it by our donation, by what we contribute the cause? Brothers, let’s not give in to Satan. Let’s keep living for God every day and contribute all we can to the work we are doing.
