Giving God Glory for What He Does Through Us
- Jack Selcher
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
In several track and field events, the wind can enhance performance. They include the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, 100-meter hurdles, 110-meter hurdles, long jump, triple jump, decathlon, and heptathlon.
Athletes run faster and jump further with the wind at their backs. That is why wind stronger than two meters per second eliminates record performances in these events.
Javelin throw records are not wind-dependent. My brother and I threw the javelin in high school and college.
PSAC officials seeded my twin brother, Charlie, first in the conference javelin championship in his junior year. His distance was at least fifty feet farther than he had thrown in high school.
In my brother’s blog, he modestly stated that his “adult successes have been mostly wind-aided.” He implies that he has had a lot of help. I love that sentence.
It reminds me that God should get credit for our successes as Christians. Since, apart from Jesus, we cannot do anything significant, God-aided performance is the only kind that can be effective (John 15:5).
Pastoral ministry is difficult. It is stressful. Pastors feel isolated. Their constituents come from both sides of the political spectrum.
They are stubborn. They hesitate to give God a larger place in their lives than He already has. Their routines and habits resist change. The same is true of their congregations!
The usual measuring sticks of church success are attendance and offerings. In the current spiritual climate in the United States, both are in decline. It is a challenge for pastors to feel good about their ministry.
We must guard against two opposite errors. I have experience in both.
The first is to become frustrated, angry, and depressed at a futile cat-herding venture in pastoral service. In March 2022, a Barna survey revealed that 42 percent of pastors were considering leaving the ministry.1
The Apostle Paul reminds us that it is always too soon to quit in the Lord’s service. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9 NIV).
Keeping the Holy Spirit of Jesus in the driver’s seat makes all the difference. Otherwise, our frustration, anger, and depression eventually break through the dam that restrains them.
The polluted flood waters of our pent-up emotions cascade over those we signed up to help. We can easily disillusion people who are looking to us for spiritual leadership. We might even seriously shake up their faith in God.
The second danger is to take personal credit for success. People might compliment a sermon or lesson, thank us for advice, or praise us for showing up when needed. It was God-aided service.
We prayed for Him to give us the right words for the situation. He did. Yet, our pride tempts us to take all the credit and dance in our undeserved little glory cloud.
Most of our adult successes are wind-aided. We stand on the shoulders of many who have helped us.
All of our spiritual successes are God-aided performances. Let us give Him the glory He deserves. What is your takeaway? See additional free spiritual growth resources for Christians.
God has empowered me to write His Power for Your Weakness—260 Steps Toward Spiritual Strength. It’s a free, evangelistic, devotional, and discipleship e-book. Pastors have used it in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia to lead 6,090 people to Christ and teach the basics of Christianity to 15,150 people. I invite you to explore and use it in your setting. https://www.christiangrowthresources.com/his-power-for-your-weakness
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