I have addressed in the past the common pitfall of misquoting the Bible. One that stands out in my mind, and one that I misquoted for a long time, was “All things work for the good.” It is a nice, warm, fuzzy, sentiment, but the quote is not accurate. It is not true that everything is going to work out for the best.
The same is true of any activity you may begin. And it is true of churches and all they do. According to this proverb, to whom should we commit our work so it will succeed? What does God do? What about the wicked?
I can’t think of a single church that is not confronted with a challenge. From the tiniest little chapel in the woods, to the oldest church, to the newest church, to the largest mega-church in the nation – all of them are confronted with challenges.
The first challenge is to answer the question, what are you going to do? Will you be in ministry? If so, what kind of ministry? How will you make this work?
For every good heart and good intention there is at least one challenge, one contradiction, one nay-sayer, one opposition. Sometimes there are more than one.
If you want to start a ministry or continue a successful one or revitalize a lagging one, odds are someone will tell you it can’t be done or that it costs too much. And having a Pollyanna attitude isn’t always the best approach either. Good intentions aren’t enough to ensure that good things are done. We need to commit ourselves to God, to working for His kingdom, to be certain we will have success. If we are doing work that serves God and we are committed to serving God, then God will be with us to be sure that it all works out.
If you are part of a church – new or old, small or large – you can work toward ensuring that the church is a success and is doing what is right if you commit your work to God. Churches that some may label as “failing” or “dying” can be revitalized if the church body will commit themselves to working for the Lord.
What is the exact quote from above? “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28.
Commit to God and God will help you work for good.
DAILY CHALLENGE: Does your church or a ministry in the church need to re-commit to the Lord?
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