"God is my Job"
Then he added, "Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself. (Ezekiel 3:10 NLT)
One of my favorite movies is "Hitch" starring Will Smith. It's about this guy who helps socially awkward men get the girl of their dreams. He is a love guru. A modern day cupid minus the diaper, wings, & bow & arrows.
A pivotal scene during the movie is when Smith is arguing with one of his clients, played by Kevin James. James' character is heart broken over losing the love of his life. He goes to Smith for help only to have him basically say, "Get over it." James says the words that have stuck with me ever since (I'm paraphrasing here).
James: "You mean you don't believe in the stuff you are selling? You don't believe in your own product?"
Smith: "What do you know? Love is my life."
James: "No, love is your job."
Why did this hit so hard with me?
I'm a pastor. But first & foremost I'm a Christ follower. It's hard not to confuse the two. Sometimes God being my life bleeds over into God being my job as a pastor. This is dangerous ground.
In the midst of church planting strategies, mission trips, staff & elder's meetings, sermon prep, & counseling sessions, sometimes as a pastor, God can shift from being my life to being my job. I can lose sight of following him personally to following him for what it does for me publicly. I can read & study his word for a sermon but not to know him. I can read the Bible to get a blog post but not let it engage the deepest parts of my heart. I can read black ink on white paper but ignore the God that the Bible was written to connect me to. In other words, there is a constant danger of God shifting from being my life (a normal Christian) to being my job.
Here in Ezekiel God tells him to let his word sink deep into his heart first before he speaks it to others. The only way to really be an affective follower of Jesus & a good preacher is to let God's word sink into me, deep into me, before it goes out to others. I need to listen for myself before I listen for others. I need to receive from God before I can give out for God. I need to be in relationship with God before I am in the pulpit for God.
What ways do you see God as a job? Where can we see a shift from duty back to delight?
No comments:
Post a Comment