Sermon The Key to Maximizing Your Ministry
Proverbs 30:24-28
“There are four things on earth That are small but unusually wise: 25 Ants—they aren’t strong, but they store up food all summer. 26 Rock Badger—they aren’t powerful, but they make their homes among the rocks. 27 Locusts—they have no king, but they march in formation. 28 Lizards—they are easy to catch, but they are found even in kings’ palaces.”
Introduction: Have you ever thought about your full potential? What does it take to maximize your potential in Ministry? Human beings are created by God, in his image to fulfill our god given purpose. Jesus came that we might live life to the fullest measure. What do think hinder us from maximizing our full potential? I believe that we sometimes fail to realize who we really are, what we have been given and what we can achieve in life.
Hosea 4:6 “If My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”
Priests are those that have favor and power with God and with men. If we are going to fulfil our purpose and maximize our potential, we must understand how life works. Two things are key. First there is a law of use. In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the parable of the talents. We have all some talent. It may be only one, but we are responsible for it. Are we acting up to the measure of our ability? Many wish they had more talents, but this is wrong, for the Lord has entrusted us with as many gifts as we shall be able to give a good account of. Our great concern should be to be found faithful stewards of such things as we have. If we fail to use it, we will lose it. The law of use. Second is the law of reciprocity. Ga 6:7 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, that he also will reap.” These governing laws are assigned to life. They control how things works. They not governed by how you feel, what you think nor whether you like them or not. We can never maximize our gifts unless we understand how things work. They allow us to change! Listen again to the text from Proverbs 30:24-28.
The four little things of our lesson learned how to maximize their potential and overcome their limitations, not by bodily bulk, external beauty, or even supernatural strength, but by their wisdom, conduct, industry, application, and adaptation. We tend to judge and value men by the external advantages. I believe we are given examples like this to help us realize the real measure of a man is found in his character. To maximize our potential, we must learn how things work, then use that knowledge wisely by conducting ourselves accordingly. A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds. Weak men tend to wait for opportunities wise men make them.
These four little things shows us that God is not limited by our weakness. Often God will use our weakness for his glory. God has a way of compensating for our shortcomings in life. Making sure we have everything we need. Satan's number job is deception. He uses his strategies, strength and energies to convince us that we are too small or too weak to do anything great for God. How true it is, for we in our own strength are too weak, too small and too limited. But with Christ, we can do all things through his mighty strength and power.
God seems to delight in using weak instruments for his service. When God needed a deliverer, he raised up a Moses and gave him a rod. When Samson needed a great weapon, God gave him the jawbone of an ass. When David faced Goliath, God gave him a sling and 5 smooth stones. When God want to save a widow woman and her son, he used a hand full of meal. After three and a half year of drought, God used a cloud about the size of a man's hand. In Zechariah 4:10, there is a word of caution when God says, "For who hath despised the day of small things. There is an old adage that says, "Big things sometimes come in small packages." When Jesus fed the multitude, he used two fish and five barley biscuits. Jesus said to move mountains we only need mustard seed faith.
I Corinthians 1:27-29 "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. And base things of the world, and things which are despised hath God chosen, yea and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence."
Most people complain about their limitations, the circumstances. The weather, the government and about many of things. They talk about what they do not have, when everything could change if they would celebrate what they have. I believe these few verses of Proverbs 30:24-28 is God's way of saying that we should allow our limitations to set the goals of our lives. You see the Bible says, “If God be for us, who can be against us” and have lasting success? As believers in Christ, we have the greater one living on the inside. And greater is he that is in me, than he that is in the world. We are overcomers; more than conquerors; above only and not beneath. We are blessed going out and coming in. We are empowered to prosper in every area of life.
I realize that in my own strength I am limited. In my own strength I have many limitations. I have all kinds of shortcomings, but my lack of individual power and ability will not keep me from doing great things for God because I realize one thing, I am not alone. The Lord is on my side! He has taking my part and he makes up the differences. If I learn what I need to know, use the knowledge I gain, and sow the right seed, I will receive a fruitful harvest.
This lesson is especially for person who feel small or weak, and limited in resources. The lesson is for those who feel helpless and stopped in life. Because of what God has placed in you, you are the key to maximizing your ministry. You are the change agent for your life. You are the rescuer you have been waiting on. The four little things of our lesson overcame every obstacle with wisdom. They were exceeding wise. The Wisdom of God can help us overcome every limitation.
Proverbs 4:7,8 "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her."
To Maximize our full potential, there are several things we need to consider:
1. All of us have limitations. We have limited time. Seasons always change. Winter comes to all. For 6000 years, all humans had dealt with the same limitations. It will never change. Wisdom allows us to Change.
2. The Wisdom to Change overcomes every limitation. The more difficult the limitation, the more wisdom must be applied. Wisdom is the principal thing! When seasons we change by simply make the proper adjustments. We adjust to winter, to night, and to cold. We know when to sow and what to sow.
3. The Wisdom to Change gives us foresight to plan for changing seasons and times. We can predict the future we want. Our harvest will always be determined by our seed. If We don’t like the harvest, we can change the seed. If we fail to sow in the spring, we will beg in the fall.
4. The Wisdom to Change creates a safe environment. We have the ability to choose a safe environment. An environment with people who are productive, ever growing, ever reading and continuously learning.
5. The Wisdom to Change gives us the ability to maintain unity, order, and collaboration. Leadership maybe weak, limited or non-existent, yet with unity, order and togetherness, we can thrive.
6. The Wisdom to Change allows us to find a new level persistence within. The only way a child of God can lose is to quit. God has placed a reservoir of persistence in us to keep on, keeping on!
Our hindrance to great accomplishments is not because we lack individual power, resourcefulness, or giftedness. We all possess the ability to change. This lesson is especially for people who feel small in number; feeble folk who feel weak and helpless, and people who feel their leaders are weak, limited and insufficient. Allow these verses to speak to us again, Proverbs 30:24-28.
"There are four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: The Ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer; The conies are but a feeble folk, yet they make their houses in the rocks; The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands; The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in king's palaces."
1. Overcome the Temptation to Complain about the Limitations. All of us have limitations. Life rain on the just and the just, the rich and the poor, the wise and the unwise. That just life and seasons. Nobody get a free ride or can do everything. Some have great power but they plagued by selfishness, greed and a desire for control. Some who we may envy or admire have limitations too. It is that way in the spirit and in the natural. This is demonstrated in the story of Jacob wrestling with God. God changed Jacob's name from Jacob to Israel; after Jacob got just what he wanted God left him with something that he did not want; a limp. All of us have a limp. And all of us have the grace to overcome every challenge. Many spent their time, energy, and resources, only complaining about the limitations. It’s so tempting because misery loves company!
2. Overcoming Limitations Will Require More Wisdom. That’s okay because I am still learning, reading, and growing. These four creatures in the text are small and feeble, but they exceedingly wise. Get wisdom and get understanding; with all thy getting, get understanding. When you don't have much support, much money, much education, much influence and limited friends, you will need more wisdom. When have a lot, you can live a little foolish and make a lot of mistakes and still seem to get by. I don’t want to just get by, I want to reach my full potential. The bigger the limitations, the more wisdom is needed. It is provided all around us, in the word of God, in the faith stories of others because God give it liberally to all who seek it.
3. Notice The Wisdom of the ant - "a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer" The ant greatest wisdom is in the area of foresight to make provision. The ant is so admired in the Scriptures that the sluggard and lazy folk are commanded to take a lesson from the ant. The ant recognizes that seasons change, conditions change, and opportunities change. When food plentiful he uses his time, energy and resource, not just eat drink and be merry, but he plans for his future. Yet many small groups who are not strong fail to plan. If we fail to plan, then we plan to fail.
4. Notice the wisdom of the Cony or the Rock Badger - 'A feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks" the cony problem is their inability to fight or flee. They are ineffective in defending themselves so they make their homes in the crags of the rocks. They find areas with the roughest and most unstable surfaces that will support and hunter nor a predator. His fur is valuable, and his meat is sweet yet they survive because of where they live. Use wisdom and protect yourself from danger. Who are you hanging around that robbing you of your potential? Who are you hanging around that is only taking from you and not building you up. It was the strategy our parents use to protect us as children. What strategy have you must in place to protect your dream, your future or your ministry. The things you allow have great potential for good or harm. We use a strategy to protect our home, our family and our valuables, what about your ministry? Your environment will have a effect on your future. Choose your environment well.
5. Notice The wisdom of the Locusts - "they have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands" The weakest of locust is the lack of good leadership. They have no king. To overcome that limitation, the locust developed a high level of unity, order and collaboration. That same principle preserved the black family, the black church and the black community for years. We have always had men out of place, men in the street, men who fail to provide leadership for the family. The community raised the children and fed them together. Families survived without welfare or public assistance. Many of our churches have experienced weak leadership, uneducated pastor, pastors who did not care, pastors who were too sick or too tired or too old to provide proper leadership, but the Church survive because the people band together. Locusts are small and have no king but their strength is in their unity. The place of unity is the place of power. (Remember the tower of Babel – Genesis 11)
6. Notice The wisdom of the spider or the lizard in the Greek - " taketh hold with her hands, and is in king's palaces." The passage refers to the small lizard which the ability to hide in your summer plants and allow you and I to transport them into our homes. The greatest ability is agility and flexibility! "he taketh hold with her hands." The lizard is bold and fearless and works well with his hands. He can navigate the walls, windows and doors with equal grace. He searches for hiding places, all cracks and corners, to gain entry. A lizard, so small that it can easily be caught by hand, yet may be seen in king's palaces, seemingly having the run of the palace. The key is his agility and flexibility. Wisdom gives every human being agility and flexibility; we can change and adapt. We can remake ourselves. We can change location, our skill set, and our future. What we are today, does determine what we can be tomorrow. We are adapt and change.
7. The emerging Ideas to take away from the Text suggest: (a). We can overcome these limit (b.) We can overcome these limitations by stay in a protective environment where we are growing, learning and reading. Being around quality people who helps on our way. (c.) We can overcome limitations by working together in unity and harmony. Supporting one another and blessing one another! Finally, (d) We can overcome every limitation if we are persistent, remain agile and flexible. Adapting to change with the ability to hang in there!
Since God protects and provides for even the humblest and lowest of his creatures, He certainly will provide for his own people. Each one of you has been consecrated for a specific work in the church of God. You have been set apart to maximize your ministry and reach your full potential. You are equip to bring good news to the poor, ministry to the sick, prayer for the dying, care for the lost, to seek the wandering, comfort the sorrowing, save the sinning, and be ever ready to take up any work that God requires. You carry the anointing to do this holy work. Regardless of your weakness, limitations and personal struggles, the Lord has anointed you and you have just what you need.
