They
Came to See God
July 2003
We live in a day and age when serving
Christ is in fashion. So, we must
take inventory of our motives. What
is the real reason why we do what
we do? Whether our calling has been
to the masses or just to our neighbors,
to a church family or to our own,
we must be careful to take note
of the reasoning behind our service.
Scripture says, "Beware of
practicing your righteousness before
men to be noticed by them; otherwise
you have no reward with your Father
who is in heaven" (Matthew
6:1). Are we serving Him for His
glory or for our own? Is our goal
to turn eyes to Him or eyes toward
us?
I have read stories of missionaries
and great servants for God who did
work for Him without complaint,
yet under unbelievably strenuous
conditions. I have read of the martyrdom
of those who chose to serve Him
in the face of adversity and great
challenge. There are those who must
choose between their lives and the
Gospel, yet often our biggest choice
lies in whether or not to fly first
class to our next "work for
the Lord." I see the stories
of missionary men and women who
lived in horrendous conditions so
that they might have the opportunity
to minister to the neighboring Indian
tribe. They suffered the death of
fellow workers, the lack of food,
life-threatening diseases, just
to name a few, yet they remained
focused on the reason for their
mission. I often find myself having
to say a quick prayer if the hotel
accommodations are not what I expected.
We all need to evaluate the reason
for our service. If it is truly
done for the Savior and for Him
alone, then we must "go away
rejoicing that [we have] been considered
worthy to suffer shame for His name."
(Acts 5:41) Our attitude should
not only be one of acceptance of
our circumstances but gratitude
for the opportunity to be used in
the midst of them.
Anne Graham Lotz, the daughter of
Billy Graham, once said to me, "Priscilla,
so many people who have big ministries
and big followings will get to heaven
and find out that they weren't even
on the front lines. I just want
to be on the front lines."
Where are these front lines? They
are certainly on the playing fields
of our faith, just on different
yard lines. Some have been called
to the fifty-yard line -- the place
that is considered to be mediocre
by the masses. How often I have
met housewives whose ministry is
to their children, the most important
ministry of all, yet they feel sedentary
and useless on this yard line. Yet
this is the position on the field
that they have been given. Even
if their job is simply to change
diapers and cook meals for their
family, this is indeed their ministry
and service to the Lord.
Others have been positioned so close
to the touchdown line that their
service is noticed by everyone.
They are always cheered. They are
celebrated. This is their front
line. Yet what matters most is not
the yard line on which you have
been placed, but rather, whether
or not you make the most of where
you have been placed. Most importantly,
are you using your positioning for
the glory of the Most High King.
One of my favorite Bible teachers,
Elisabeth Elliot, was asked by a
young woman about her rather straightforward
presentations. The woman asked why
she chose not to use amusing jokes
and stories when giving her speeches.
Why was it that she always just
jumped right to the meat of her
topic without feeling the need to
"warm up the audience"
as many speakers do? And Elisabeth
Elliot gives an answer that should
be the sentiment of all of our hearts:
"The people did not come to
see me. They came to see God."
In our work for the Lord, we must
thoroughly question our motives
and separate the righteous from
the unrighteous, so that we are
only doing those things that He
wants and not what we want. Whether
we serve God from the pulpit or
the pew, through mass media or as
the leader of a small Bible study
group in our home, our motto must
be, "The people did not come
to see me. They came to see God."
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