Pastor Encouragement - 4 Things God Wants You To Know About The Rest Of Your Life And Ministry

Introduction

My assignment today is to encourage you in the work of the Lord. Most of your know that I served as a pastor before teaching at the Seminary. Since then, I have had the opportunity to serve in nine churches as Interim Pastor. I know a little bit about what you face every day. Each of us could write a best seller about our experiences in the ministry. It would be a work filled with some humor. Later today I'm going to ask you to write out your funniest ministry story. I'm going to share some of mine with you. But our book would also be filled with stressful times, wouldn't it? Heartbreaking times. Times that have caused us to question our calling. Times when we wanted to quit.

I want to use this part of Caleb's life story to encourage you today.

If you didn't know this story, at first glance, it wouldn't seem too remarkable. But when you know the story behind the story, it is incredible, isn't it. It actually begins 45 years earlier when Moses was still alive and leading the people to the Promised Land. Twelve spies were sent out. Joshua and Caleb came back and said that with God's help they could take the land. But the others said that they saw giants, the descendants of Anak, the Anakim. The heart of the people melted and they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Now, fast forward. Caleb is 85 years old. But he still remembers the promise of God that he would one day inherit the land. Caleb is not ready to quit.

Let me share 4 Things God Wants You To Know About the Rest of Your Life and Your Ministry.

I. God Has Big Plans for the Rest of Your Life and Your Ministry

CALEB believed this truth… God had promised the land…

Do You Remember When You Were First Called To Ministry? You may not have known exactly what God had in store but you knew that He had a plan.

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for good and not for evil, plans to give you a future and a hope."

Caleb knew that God had a plan for his life. Well, the Lord STILL has a plan for your life.

Do something for me and for yourself right now. Say in your heart, “God has big plans for my life.”

II. God is Not Going to Tell You What the Plans Are… (all at once)

How many of us have been tempted to pray this prayer, “God show me the rest of my life." How many of us have lived long enough to know that we don't want God to show us the rest of our life?

To realize God’s plan for our lives we must walk by faith and walk in faithfulness. What does the mean?

Several times in this passage Caleb says of himself and others say of him that he wholly followed the Lord his God. To realize the plan of God in our lives we have to walk by faith and walk in faithfulness.

Let's say that you're at church one night and all the lights go out. This, by the way, is a rather simple illustration. So just play along with me. All you have is a flashlight – Total darkness. You turn the flashlight on. There's only one problem. The light doesn't go all the way to where you're going. But if you walk to where the light stops a miracle takes place. More light. And if you go to where that light stops..... You get the idea.

That’s the way it is with God. We find His specific will by following His general will for our lives. How do we know that is true? It's in the Bible.

Proverbs 3:5, 6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”

Walk by faith.

Then walk in faithfulness. Live the godly life of a dedicated child of God...

You've probably had days when you didn’t know which way to turn in your ministry. Maybe that's where you are today. Be faithful and walk in faithfulness.

God has big plans for your life. He's not going to tell you what they are all at once. You have to walk by faith and walk in faithfulness.

III. God Has Been Preparing You All Your Life for What He Wants You To Do Now

Caleb was the perfect one to lead the people into the Promised Land. He knew the challenges. He knew the land. More than that, he believed that God would give him the strength to win a victory. I think his courage gave the young men the courage they needed to fight.