Who am I and where am I when some parts of ministry aren't going well? When people aren't coming or are flaky or join other things? There are some parts of IV that are going really well, but I feel like this has been a crucial thing for me to wrestle with because to be a witness to the gospel I will constantly face rejection and students choosing out. So what do I do and what do I believe about God and myself in the midst of that?
Psalm 27
4 One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek:that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling;he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.
I want to hear from you Lord
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
But I have only what I have and can lead only those you have given me.
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
What do we do as we face rejection or just indifference? What should we do when those we love and serve turn away or just slowly fade out?
1 Peter 4
12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.17 For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And,
“If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
Most of all I want to hold onto the hope I have through Jesus:
1 Peter 1
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
I am His, He is mine. Nothing has changed. He stays the same, and our hope in Him does not fade. Let me cling more tightly to it. And Lord help me to keep being faithful, to rejoice in the fellowship of your suffering for the sake of the world in the hope that some will come to the knowledge of the truth and believe and enter the kingdom.
