Depth with God sustains ministry joy

To be able to grasp the fullness of the joy that comes with ministry, we have to focus our minds and hearts on grasping our relationship with Christ. Part of that grasping involves a deepening of the relationship, as well. For your ministry to make the strongest impact, it calls for a strong relationship with Jesus.

It is far from a new and enlightening idea to say that deepening our relationship with Christ is a continual and varying process, changing with the tides of our lives. As our pastor Rick has said, there are no secrets to maturing our relationship with Jesus. Rick reminds us as ministry leaders of three ways that are obvious, and yet easily forgotten as we work on growing in our friendship with Christ:

1. Spend time with God
I’m sure we have all experienced the Catch 22 of realizing that the very ministry and work for the Lord that we are dedicated to is what is hindering our time with God. Rick points out, “We must guard our time with God very jealously.” I’m glad that Rick puts it that way; we serve a jealous God who wants our hearts to be loyal to Him above all else, and therefore, we have the right and duty to protect our personal time so that it is given to God before anything else.

2. Talk with God continually
How comforting to know that our prayers to God do not have to consist of certain fancy or “spiritual” words, nor do they have to correspond to some format. Rick emphasizes that by trying to measure up to some prayer ideal, we “substitute a relationship for a ritual or rule.” Prayer is simply conversation with God, our Father, our Abba. The same Father that Jesus was in constant communication with. How much more do we as imperfect humans, trying to serve the Lord as we serve others, need to be in conversation with God!

3. Trust in God wholeheartedly
For the depth and strength of our friendship with Christ to increase, our trust in Him must increase. Can you look back on struggles and challenges that have entered your life, noticing how those have brought you to a more intimate relationship with Christ and causing you to rely on his provision? As much as we want to resist experiencing those struggles, those are the things that cause growth in the process of facing the challenges.

Hungering for a deeper, more intimate relationship with Jesus will help you as a church leader to remain joyful in and passionate about your ministry. It takes persistence, vulnerability, and faith to intensify your relationship with Christ, but continuing to deepen that connection with him will allow you to grasp the abundance you’ll feel when you are serving those within your sphere of influence.