Stay the Course: 5-Day Devotional for PastorsExemplo

Faithfulness, Not Results

How well I remember my first mission trip into the deepest jungles of Bolivia. Five families were stationed along a river in an effort to contact a nomadic tribe that had not yet heard the promises of Christ. When I arrived, the team leader asked if I would give devotions the following evening. Piece of cake, I thought, since I had plenty of sermons in my back pocket, ready to be pulled out at a moment’s notice. Preparation won’t even be necessary.

I could give one of my favorite messages on the dangers of loving the world. Oh, that’s right, there are no malls down here.

No problem. I could talk about the importance of commitment. Commitment? To a group of people who have given up everything for the sake of the gospel?

The more I thought about my messages, the sooner I realized that they had all been delivered in the comfortable and sterile environment of Northern Virginia. In my Sunday morning teaching, I often had to warn against the dangers of prosperity, the allure of the corporate ladder, or the pitfalls of power. But what could I say to a group of people who had sacrificed their comfort and security to see the kingdom advance?

I began to panic, but the Lord soon led me to 1 Corinthians 4:2: “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (NKJV). I was able to minister to their discouraged hearts and remind them that results might take years to see, not weeks. As Hebrews 11:13 says of the saints of old: “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (NKJV).

God is not interested in our results, but in our faithfulness. Maybe you minister in a concrete jungle instead of one that is waterlogged and snake-infested, but it is a jungle, nonetheless, overgrown with sin and full of people needing a way out. So how do you handle it when your efforts seem to be failing and “there are no grapes on the vines” of your ministry (Hab. 3:17)? What will keep you going?

Working in the Lord’s vineyard is often difficult and discouraging. Not every pastor will experience the growth of a megachurch. Vineyards come in all shapes and sizes, and the Lord knows exactly what you need to fulfill what he has called you to.