Looking for Fruit in all the Wrong Places

A thought hit me today as I was praying for God to work in the hearts of the teenagers I am shepherding: fruit in ministry is often not what we think it will be. I have a feeling that if you ask 50 youth pastors what fruit in ministry looks like, most of them will either tell you that fruit is bigger numbers or more spiritual growth in their current numbers.

Galatians 6:9 teaches us that we shouldn't grow weary in doing good, because we will reap fruit if we don't give up. Often times that fruit will result in spiritual growth in the people we minister to. Often it will result in more people that God will entrust to you. But sometimes, the fruit we reap is not either of those. Sometimes the fruit (the reward) of our hard work, faithfulness and good stewardship of the ministry God gives us is a deeper relationship with God.

As we continue to press on and trust God to work in our ministry, and as we walk with Him through the good and messy times of ministry, He will draw us closer to Himself. If you don't consider that to be fruit worth reaping, then you need a heart check.

The really cool thing about that is as we draw closer to God, it WILL affect those we are discipling and shepherding. We must not miss the fact that sometimes, we are looking to reap the wrong fruit. Let God reward your labors however He chooses.

Here's the thing: if fruit in ministry was only physical and spiritual growth in those we minister to, then there have been quite a few missionary failures. We hear of missionaries spending 30-50 years on an island or living with a tribe; faithfully preaching the gospel but never seeing one single convert. Was Galatians 6:9 not applicable to them? Of course it was! the fruit they reaped was a greater trust in God and faith that He would reach them, even if they never saw it! They reaped the reward of closeness with God in a seemingly impossible scenario. That's fruit worth reaping.

So pastor: don't give up! You will reap fruit, but it may not be the fruit you are trying to reap. I know that this blog is not well written and is scattered in it's thought process, but I believe the Holy Spirit was teaching me this as I prayed for fruit in ministry this morning. I pray it is an encouragement to you.