God’s Call to Ministry - Part Four: Spiritual Maturity
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One of Rita’s and my favorite spots in God’s creation is Lake Tahoe. Half of the lake is located in Nevada and the other half in California. Over the years we have laughed because we enjoy the $6 prime rib dinners on the Nevada side but stay in a quaint and serene cabin by the lake on the California side.
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On one of our first Crown Financial Ministry Regional Directors Meetings at Lake Tahoe, I discovered some amazing facts about the lake. It is a crater positioned 1 mile high; it has 72 miles of gorgeous shoreline and 32 trillion gallons of icy water. With an average depth of 1,100 feet, the glacial runoff contributes to 99.9% water purity. If you could pour the water in Lake Tahoe over the state of California, the state’s entire land mass would be covered in 11 inches of water.
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Then it struck me: the depth of my character (or spiritual maturity) will determine the breadth of my influence (God working through me). This quality of spiritual maturity only happens over time. Our faith grows as we understand and apply God’s Word and as we experience His faithfulness while we “do life.”
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The worst thing you can do is to try to force God into acting by prematurely jumping into vocational ministry. Starting a ministry or taking it to the next level is hard, and unless you are grounded in your faith, you will give up and potentially miss out on God’s best. The difference between presumption (prematurely assuming God will bless our work, or testing him) and walking by faith (following God in the right way and at the right time, or trusting him) is huge. Wait on him to grow you up and make you ready for what he has in mind; it could mean the difference between success and failure.
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God’s Call to Ministry - Part Five: Giftedness
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