Friends, this morning I read the Book of Galatians to kick off my quiet time of prayer and meditation.
This passage stood out as I asked Christ for direction on what to write about today. "19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." - Galatians 5:19 NIV THE FLESH This list of sins covers the gamut from the most severe to the seemingly most innocuous. Mixed in with this list from the Apostle Paul of blatant evil behaviors are:
DANGERS OF AMBITION For me, and probably many of you, selfish ambition is the act of our flesh that is most difficult to resist. As devoted Christ-followers called to ministry and marketplace leadership roles, we must examine ourselves daily and allow Christ to root out any and all selfish ambition. INTERNAL FRUIT We cannot and should not judge the motives of our fellows. We don’t know what is in the heart of fellow pastors, ministry, and marketplace leaders. We can certainly feel uncomfortable seeing some of their behaviors, and when we hear about one of our fellow’s moral or ethical failures, we can then realize that the fruit that appeared spoiled was indeed rotten. BACKSTAGE MOTIVES My friend Jimmy Dodd is famous for championing this view of “Front Stage/Back Stage” to describe the problem. The public-facing self (front-stage) can look very good, while the private, behind-the-scenes self can be rotten to the core. Only Christ can truly know our heart of hearts. Do we have selfish ambition? Are we doing things under the guise of servant leadership when they are really, in some part, selfish and self-serving? Do we secretly desire the spotlight so the world sees us as a worthy Christ-follower? Is our self-worth wrapped up in our accomplishments, title, or position? Do we want more growth of our ministry or business for selfish reasons, or is what we are doing truly for the glory of God alone? CONCLUSION Idols are everywhere. This quote neatly sums up the message I believe Christ has given me to broadcast today: “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” - 1 John 5:21 NIV PRAYER Father God, help us who are called to leadership to avoid being led by our flesh. May we only be led by your Holy Spirit and fully surrender to you. May our surrender be complete, in all ambitions, and may we only strive to accomplish that which you desire us to pursue, for your glory and honor, and not our own. Amen. Your aspiring servant, Daniel M. December 7, 2023 POSTSCRIPT: Dear friends, if this daily, transparent “Conversations with Christ” blesses you, please go to www.SOLIDpastors.org, where you will find these posted, and a repository of all, in English and Spanish. If you ever want to chat, you can reach me at [email protected]. May Christ bless you richly as you have your own intimate, daily conversations with Christ. Comments are closed.
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