GOD FIRST. FAMILY SECOND. MINISTRY THIRD.
For those of you who have the honor and privilege of serving in ministry, allow me to CALL A THING A THING for you. If your life priorities are not as follows… GOD FIRST, FAMILY SECOND, MINISTRY THIRD …then your life is OUT OF ORDER! Period.
1. GOD FIRST. John 15:5 says, “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.” Your relationship with God is main priority! You cannot pour into the lives of others from an empty cup. Your cup needs to be overflowing. What’s in the cup is for you and the overflow is for everyone else. Don’t let your tank get empty. Your time with God in prayer, worship, and the Word is crucial! That’s how you fill up and overflow. That’s how you keep the anointing flowing in your life. Without it… you can do nothing.
2. FAMILY SECOND. 1 Timothy 3:1-5 says, “…If someone aspires to be a church leader, he desires an honorable position. So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife… He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?” Your first ministry is your family. Your spouse matters, your children matter, you matter. God holds you responsible for your household first. If your house is a wreck, your children are out of control, and your spouse is starving for attention… you need to draw some boundaries and enforce them! Boundaries are your responsibility. You decide what is or is not allowed in your life. You also need to pay attention to those who have issues with the boundaries you draw. These are usually people who are intentionally or unintentionally trying to control or manipulate you. The only people who get upset about you setting boundaries are the ones benefitting from you not having any. You have the right to set the standard (boundaries) for your life. If you can’t draw boundaries and enforce them… you need to consider another profession.
3. MINISTRY THIRD. 1 Peter 5:2-4 says, “Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example.” As leaders we must lead by example! Your life example should inspire and minister to others. So many church leaders live OUT OF ORDER. Their lives are a mess… Their finances are out of wack, house is a wreck, and their family is all jacked up. OR their lives are out of balance… their so busy that they don’t have time to enjoy the life, family, and ministry God has given them. We brag about our busyness, but what we’re really saying is that we don’t have time to seek the Lord and hear from Him. OR they don’t live any differently than the world does. We are to come out from among the world (2 Corinthians 6:17). We should look different and act different. Righteousness is nonnegotiable! I’m not saying that we church leaders aren’t human and that we should be perfect. But we should be like the Apostle Paul, pressing toward it! (Philippians 3:12-14)
My fellow ministry leaders… we have some evaluating to do. 2 Corinthians 13:5 tells us to examine ourselves. I’ve taken a look at my life and I’m seeing some necessary changes. I encourage you to pause, take a deep breath, and do the same. Your future will be glad you did!