I’ve discovered a kind of peace that I’ve longed for all my life. I’ve found a place where our family is content and full of joy and a feeling of fullness. I’ve found a place where we are enough without others, but others are still welcome to join. It’s a certain kind of satisfied feeling.
I found this place when I stopped being concerned with other’s opinions and focused on the hearts within my own household. The moment I stopped seeking man’s vision for our family and started to embrace God’s.
I honestly don’t believe we can unselfishly serve others until we first learn to do that within our own four walls. It’s not different than ministry. I believe nobody should be a ministry leader of any kind without first having a strong and developed character, and if married, a strong family unit.
God then family. No matter what. No matter how eager others are to see you in leadership. No true leader should desire to promote others until they see they have firmly established character and thriving home lives.
I believe this very unapologetically.
I have still not seen a church led this way. I believe it probably exists, it’s just that I’ve yet to experience it.
God led our family into this rhythm. His word clearly states that elders should have established and healthy families.
In our eagerness to encourage and promote, we’ve sabotaged so many peoples character development. It’s a real shame. We set them up for failure then act surprised when it happens.
With this in mind, I want to challenge you to mind your own business.
What does this mean?
It means, take care of your family first. Consider how each decision affects you and yours first. Then once your family is well in hand, extend into the ministry of others.
Ministry is an obvious overflow of healthy family. We teach our family how to consider others’ needs. We have shown them how to bless others. They know how to celebrate each other, and others.
Extending our hearts outside our home has been an intentional part of teaching our kids the Godly way.
Consider yourself and your family. Do you mind you own business? What is your family dynamic like? If you are single, then what does your secret life look like?
Be honest. Have you neglected your family in an effort to be influential at church? Or to make a name for yourself at church?
I urge you to take a moment to think about these things with sincerity.
It’s only from a position of truly being grounded in God that we know the best ways to serve others…without being manipulative or self-serving. It’s only through God that we discover a way to bless others and not enable them or cause them to stumble. So many of our best intentions can be manipulated by our own emotions into something that’s self-serving and not at all helpful to others.
When we partner with God to discover how to properly prioritize our lives, then we truly break through into profitable ministry.
The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. Proverbs 14:1
Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. Psalm 127:1
365 Days in the Presence 