Sometimes it’s easy for a minister to get real good at ministering to others; to focus on helping others and instructing them, while forgetting their own need. This lifestyle, if continued, can lead to spiritual, mental, and physical bankruptcy and is the downfall of many who are called. While a ministers’ calling includes ministering to others, our first calling is to minister to the Lord and only when this primary calling is kept can everything else flow as it should.
Consider the instructions given by God in Exodus 19:22…
In addition to all the commands given to the people of God, the Lord takes time to give special instruction to the ministers of God. He says, “And also let the priests…” I believe this kind of instruction is vital to those most familiar with the things of God, lest the things of God become too familiar and cease to be precious.
If you’re a minister, I encourage you to take the time everyday to check your heart, and to get yourself in a position spiritually where you can serve effectively. Don’t allow your calling toward others to usurp your calling towards God.
Remember this: You can only truly help others when you are truly being helped of the Lord.