Recently, while preaching in a Gospel meeting, I had the privilege of spending some time with a few outstanding young couples who are very active and engaged in the life of the church. I observed that they are powerful couples for the Lord. The Kingdom is richly blessed by young couples like these and countless others around the world.
They were talking about some friends of theirs in another state, and one of them, in trying to describe this individual, said, “She enjoys being the center of attention.” While I do not believe they meant this in an ugly way, it was one way to define the person.
It got me thinking about those of us who preach. What defines us? If someone asked your closest friends to describe you in a few words, what would they say? One reason this is important is that it has a great deal to say about how we will be able to relate the Gospel to others and how we will be content in our work.
Would you be defined by your ability to communicate (“He is such a great speaker), by the way you serve others, by your heart for the Lord, by the way you dress, by the car you drive, by the difficult challenges in your life, by a mean spirit, by the stories you tell, by a humble heart, by your kindness, or by the way you take time with others?
Of course, the problem with some of these descriptions is that there is always the pressure (internal and external) to keep it going. What’s next? This can cause a lot of stress in our lives and cause us to question our own motivations about what we are doing.
One of the best descriptions I’ve ever heard came from one preacher talking about another preacher who had recently passed away. The preacher said, “He was more focused on Jesus than anyone I’ve ever known!” WOW! Now, there’s a description that all of us should desire to have, and it’s one that will keep us from quitting when times are difficult. May God help ut to focus on Jesus!
