Here is something i teach entitled 4 principles to pastor/live by to maintain your call.FOUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR MAINTAINING YOUR CALL(Rom 11:29KJV) For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. (That is, they are irrevocable.)(Heb 13:20-21NIV) May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, {21} equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.While it is true that God’s calling is irrevocable (by Him) and that He does indeed equip us to do His will and work, it is also true that we can lose sight of our call and our vision and initial zeal for His Work. Unless we actively pursue Him daily and maintain our relationship with the Great Shepherd of the sheep we have no right to claim to be His under-shepherd nor have we any right to care for His sheep. The Apostle Paul was concerned for this as he wrote in 1 Cor. 9:27 that he brought his body (soul, spirit 7 flesh) under discipline (subjection) so that he who had preached the good news to others should not become backslidden himself or a castaway. The work of the ministry is arduous, painful at times, full of joy the next moment and mostly rewarding but it will consume you, your time and your family if you let it. Someone once said that it is easy to be so involved in doing the work of the Lord that we can forget who the Lord of the work is!! 1. Take Life in Small Segments (Matt. 6:34) One of the great principles upon which to maintain a lifetime vision and passion for the Lord is to do His Work and follow His Will for your life one step at a time.a) It is difficult to see a whole lifetime of God’s will for us at one time and if we try to do so we may faint out of fear and uncertainty.b) The challenges and the difficulty of the Great Commission that are placed in front of us can be overwhelming at times.c) There is a reason why Jesus said to take life in 24 hr segments. Many people try to cross bridges before they even came to a river. He prepares us for events as they come not as we try to make them happen. d) Read Zech. 4:10 Who despises the day of smallbeginnings? Often we look at the big picture and miss the little steps along life’s path that have prepared us for the big leap of faith. We must build a foundation that our ministry (call) can rest upon or it will fall and us with it.2. Keep Plodding (Don’t Quit) Much of our commitment to Christ is centered in the understanding that we will be faithful to complete the task set before us and with the same intensity we started with.a) Difficulties will come but we persevere in the strength He gives us.b) We must walk by faith and not sight (results). Even if we don’t see much in the way of “success†we must be led by His Spirit and if so, He will give us all the “success†He wants us to have.c) While it is true that the Lord gives great victories and wondrous moments of joy to His leaders (people), it is also true that as we look through Scripture we see the great men and women that God used were people who kept plodding even in difficult circumstances. (Abraham, Moses, Noah, etc.) These men and women accepted God’s word as fact and kept moving even when outside circumstances didn’t confirm their vision or call.d) This is not accepting “whatever will be will be†orpredestination but it is receiving God’s Word (call - vision) as from Him and as fact and standing upon that Word and acting upon it whether we see it come in all its splendor or not!e) Outward “success†is no proof of the fulfillment of God’s vision for a life. Yet God is faithful to what He has promised for us!3. Be Yourselfa) Don’t try to be what you are not. Don’t try to imitate or replicate other ministries if God hasn’t called you to them. It is all right to learn from others and use their wisdom but don’t just copy them as you try to remake yourself in their images.b) Quit comparing yourself to others. In Matt. 25:14-30 Jesus uses the parable of the talents to teach a lesson on faithful stewardship not on seeing how many talents you can get or have. To some he only gives one talent, use what you have, be what you are to the fullest extent and that will be judged “successful†in God’s eyes. Who knows you might even get more if you use what you have to begin with instead of being jealous over others talents. But even if you don’t get more, be content and faithful with what He has given you.c) If you try to be what you are not you will often end up discouraged, frustratedand burned out. Better to say, “Lord you know the limitations and strengths of my life. Use them to the utmost so that I can be a true servant of Jesus Christ.â€4. Be Sensitive to God (Be led by His Spirit) The most important principle of all.a) The temptation is to try to find a formula or quick fix to see God move or to build His Kingdom. Resist it. Instead, be devoted to His Word and prayer and learn to hear His voice as He tries to speak to you. Open your eyes and be led by His Spirit. There are no shortcuts to guarantee “successâ€.b) Throughout the Bible we see men and women, ordinary people, yet used of God in mighty ways as the obeyed His Word (voice to them). They walked with God. They pleased God. They heard His voice and obeyed. They had a devotional life with God. Early they sought Him and He showed them His ways which were above their own ways.. They spent quiet times alone with God. There is one prayer I pray every day, “Lord, make me sensitive to your voice (my sheep know my voice, Jesus said) and your will today. May I not rely on the principles of men or on ideas that are successful for others, but may I know Your will and may I respond to what you want me to do in the service of Your Kingdom.â€c) When it seems that His voice is nearly silent, when it is the darkest and most difficult, when you are at your weakest and most helpless, this is when you must stop whatever you are doing and seek His guidance and direction and will afresh and anew. Don’t continue in your own strength, you will fail. Let Him lift up your head and heart and renew your vision and refresh your call so that having done all, you may stand in His strength alone. When it comes to the end of the day or life, may we recognize we were faithful to His call. The only way to serve Him is in His strength and might. We must maintain our vision and our call by diligently following these life-sustaining principles. Zech. 4:8-10 says not only “Who despises the day of small things, but it also says, “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of the temple; his hands will also complete it.†He heard the voice of God and though weak and tired, he knew what God had promised, He would finish. So it should be with us. Days of distress will come, days of fatigue and even days of joy in the service of the King, but unless the Lord build the house, we labor in vain. Don’t lose sight of whose Kingdom you're trying to build.Ministry:An incredible callto an inadequate personto do an impossible assignment
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