Sunday, February 15, 2015

Why I left the ministry, for God's glory

There may be many things that drive a man, but one thing above all is his purpose in life. Without knowing your purpose you will feel lost and tirelessly search for answers. Due to that,  life will feel pointless to you, and depression and hopelessness will set it. I know , because I've been there.

I had many tell me what they thought was my purpose in life as I grew up . Many family members and friends believed I was called by God for the ministry.  They said I was gifted in speaking, preaching, and in theology, therefore I must be called.

They were wrong, and I'm so glad they were.

I believed for many years while that I was called. I preached many sermons , studied hard and began looking into seminary options. Until one night , and I remember that night like it was yesterday.... I was memorizing First Timothy , and I got to Chapter Three. In that Chapter it reveals a set of qualifications for anyone who believes they are called into the ministry. I saw the evilness of my heart, and realized that although I thought I was called and that my intentions were pure, they were not. That day, God showed me that I wasn't called to be preacher.

It devastated me. I saw myself as a fake, and a failure. It took me a while to come to the realization that God had others plans for me, and that those plans were better than the ministry. It was so hard for me to see that. Could I glorify God doing something else besides preaching? I Found that answer to be an emphatic yes. If I were to continue in the ministry , I would not be glorifying God.

There were many who told me that I was making a mistake, and  I should stay in the ministry. I would answer by saying " I follow God's Word, and according to God's Word, I am not called". That usually shut them up. Most of them had no idea about anything in the Bible to even make such a statement, and from that I realized something very important.

One major reason why many thought I was called was my knowledge of , and my devotion to the Bible. But, is that a trait only for preachers??? That's the problem. Today, just about the only one who studies the Bible is the preacher.

Men, we are all called to be preachers of our home. It is not just the job of the preacher to train my family up in God's Word or to watch over their soul. There will be many who will have to answer for this. "Oh its not my responsibility to know the Bible, that's my preachers job." That came directly from Satan and I abhor it. It is our job Men, and we will be held responsible. Brush the dust off  your Bible and stick your head in it until you go blind, and then get the audio version. If you were to get cut, you better bleed the Bible. You cannot survive without it, and your family won't either. Every Husband is this pastor of their home.

So I glorified God by leaving the ministry. Sounds crazy right? It's so true though. Plumbing isn't exactly what I had in mind. However , I love my job, and I'm good at it. I'm Happy and I know I'm in God's will. It's such a liberating feeling. I'm free to live, and I'm not constrained by what someone else thinks I should do with my life. I'm just free now, living in God's grace.


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