Thursday, June 7, 2018

Ministry Is Often Full Of Problems

By Dwight Stevenson


I am the type of person that enjoys learning more about my spirituality. Life can often get the best of us. My clients often tell me that they wished that they could be more spiritual. It's not easy to develop a relationship with God. It requires a whole lot of discipline and time. I am fortunate enough to have spent many long hours with God growing up. I used to sit in my bedroom praying each day after school and whenever I got a change to spend time with Jesus Christ.

As I sat and spoke with him, he told me that he always had bad thoughts of not wanting to live anymore. He told me that life had become a painful mess for him. It was full of sadness and pain daily. He was angry at the hand that life had dealt him. He wept and said to me, "What makes you happy?" I was blunt with him and said, "God makes me happy. When I pray, I feel at peace. God has taught me to let the past go because I cannot do anything to change it." Yes, he said. That is so true. He asked me, "How can I get to a place in my life where I no longer have to live in my pain. I want to forget my memories of all the people that have hurt me from a long time ago."

I asked him, "Do you feel guilty about anything? Is anything on your conscience that you have to get off your chest?" He said, "Yes!" I said, "okay, then tell me what is in your heart." He said that he had been a mean man all his life. He would often say insulting things to people to get his way. He was very stubborn and into himself mainly. He also believed in the philosophy of putting yourself first and others last. This is the total opposite of what Jesus Christ taught us. Jesus taught us to always put others first and then yourself. This man had lived a very selfish life and had hurt a lot of people. He started to cry.

I don't really know if he had to do this because of money or it was just his choice. The Bible says that He ate locusts and wild honey. It's hard to imagine living on a diet like this, but it is necessary for survival. Only God knows what we truly need in life. It's never easy to learn about your spiritual gift. It often requires a lot of trial and effort to get to a place where we can feel comfortable with our prayer life and ministry calling.

His board chooses to pay him a salary that he is comfortable with. It's obvious that he cares about people or he wouldn't be getting up in front of millions of people each week preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. He is passionate about what he does, and he deserves to get paid. He should not be forced to live like a poor person because he is a pastor. He is meant to live a life that God has called him to.




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