I believe that we are living in one the greatest periods in history to do ministry.
We can leverage technology for the spread of the gospel in ways the Apostles would never have dreamed. The spirit of collaboration that exists between us is allowing us to share the best practices available. We’re seeing things in our time that the generations of pastors that went before us longed and prayed for.
But as Luke 12:48 says, to whom much is given, much is expected. And as the torch of ministry is being passed to our generation, I’m worried that we’re going to fall short of the destiny God has for us.
Not through moral failure. Or complacency. But by chasing after the work of God for all the wrong reasons.
You can see this very real possibility in the contrasting lives of Elisha and Gehazi.
Elisha was Elijah’s protégé. He was so determined to fulfill God’s calling on his life that he chased after that calling with all of his heart. He wouldn’t allow Elijah out of his sight. As a result, he inherited a double portion of Elijah’s spirit and was used greatly by God in his generation.
Gehazi was Elisha’s protégé and should have been next in line to carry on the ministry. But instead of chasing God’s calling and His glory, he chased after Naaman’s gold. And because he did God’s work for his own reasons, he became leprous and useless in the Kingdom of God.
Sometimes, I fear that my generation will become the Gehazi Generation:
More interested in favors from God than the favor of God.
Losing our desire to chase after God in the chase for glory and gold.
Pursuing God’s gifts more than we pursue His glory.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. We’re not consigned to that fate. We can be used greatly by God, if we embrace and grasp onto this truth:
There is no greater gift and reward for our ministry than God Himself.
Pray this with me today for our generation:
God, raise us up to be a generation that will chase after Your glory alone.
May we faithfully fulfill our destinies in a world full of distractions.
