Example of David: "Everyone in Israel and Judah loved David because he was a successful leader. In every battle David was more successful than any of Saul's other officers. As a result David became very famous." Warning! Red light! Notice what happened in 2 Samuel 11:1 "In the spring, when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the army, but David remained in Jerusalem." He's not being where the kings should be, out on the front lines. He's getting distracted. "David remained in Jerusalem" and he lost touch with people on the front lines. And that was his downfall. Because in 2 Samuel 11:2 it mentions a lady named Bathsheba. Instead of being out there on the front line, serving, ministering, working, he's at home saying, I'm just going to relax. He got distracted. And he encountered Bathsheba.
David's son had the same problem. "As Solomon grew old his wives turned his heart after other gods and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord." He got bored and he allowed other things to distract him from what God called him to do.
There are a lot of things that can distract you in ministry. They're good but they're not the best. Personal problems can distract you. Health can distract you. Other interests can distract you. Finances can distract you. Recreation can distract you. Things that you think are fun and good and wonderful can distract you. Satan doesn't care if you go off and sin, as long as you don't do what God wants you to do. He'll distract you.
One day Jesus was walking down the street and looked at three would be followers and said, "You guys come follow Me." One guy says, "I can't follow You, Lord. I've just bought a piece of land." What's the logic of that? The land is going to stay there. There's nothing going to happen to it. Next guy says, "I just got married." He had a better reason. Third guy says, "I have to go bury my father." The issue, when you read the Greek there, wasn't that his father had died because his father had been dead for a while. He just said I've got to go home and spend some time.
The point is business, marriage, family are all distractions and part of life. But you need to be aware when they're keeping you from what God wants you to do. I am a firm believer in family. I believe in the family and I believe in marriage. But the Bible did not say, "Upon this rock I will build my family." He did not say, "Go into all the world and build a family." I believe in the family so I have a right to talk this way about it. But you need to keep it all in perspective.
Don't be saying, "PastorAlbert said put the church before the family." I'm not saying that. But I am saying it's not the sum total of your life. Jesus said "Seek first the kingdom of God." The kingdom of God is what we're to seek first in our lives. I didn't say that. Jesus said it.
So the leader gets distracted. The antidote is to stay focused. Never forget your mission. Proverbs 22 "Do you know a hard working man? He shall be successful and stand before kings." Ecclesiastes 11 talks about being focused "Sow your seed in the morning and in the evening let not your hands be idol for you don't know which will succeed. Whether this or that or whether both will do equally well." The Bible says "No man having put his hand to the plow and looking back is good for the kingdom of God." Stay focused. Don't get distracted.
No comments:
Post a Comment