Stewarding Grace

This post fit this blog perfectly since I am writing it from a coffee shop. I am sitting in Perq Coffee Bar in Sarasota Florida reflecting on a few things. One of those things is how inadequate I feel at times to do the ministry that God has called me to. Often as a youth pastor I am overwhelmed with the responsibility that has been placed on me.

I have a feeling this post is going to resonate with many Christians (at least the ones who are actively discipling someone else); especially parents. There is a line that I have to preach to myself often. It's a line that at the surface sounds very discouraging but when you really think about it, it becomes one of the most freeing things you can tell yourself. Ready for it?

I cannot change lives!

Whew! Feel better? No? I should probably explain myself I guess.

2 Corinthians 5:20 says "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." Did you catch the part of that verse that said "God making His appeal through us?" I think we get so caught up trying to change lives that we forget that we are in-dwelt with the Only One who can! God appeals to men through us. That means that we are simply a mouthpiece to proclaim the good news.

That is so refreshing to me as I look at 35 teenagers on a Wednesday night and realize that as long as I am faithful to live and preach the gospel, God will do the work. By the way: God does it so much better than you and I! Parents always are telling me how heartbroken they are that their teenager is rebelling against God. The often ask me these words: What can I do? My response is first of all PRAY! Make sure that you are relying on God to do the work.

1 Peter 4:10 teaches us that we are stewards of God's grace. That's our job is to be a faithful steward of that grace. Preach the gospel always through your words and actions. As long as you're doing that, leave the rest to the Holy Spirit. And understand that you may only be the one to plant the seed in someone's life. As a parent, you can preach to your kids for 20 years and they seem to not get it. Then someone else comes along and says the same thing you've been saying for years when all of a sudden they get it! Don't ask why it took so long! Rejoice that God worked the miracle of salvation/sanctification in their lives!

Find freedom in the work of God! Know that He works in ways that go beyond our understanding (Isaiah 55:8). Trust the fact that so often He is at work when we do not think that He is. Believe that today and continue to be faithful in the work that He has called us to: preaching Christ and Him crucified!