The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

John 17:22-23 (CEV)

God is more concerned with who you are than with what you do.

Ministry is a gift from God but please don’t make the mistake of making it your idol by placing your worth and significance in your accomplishments and achievements rather than in your relationship and identity as a child of God. This mindset will eventually cause stress, which can develop into burnout and have major negative effects on your life.

God clearly desires for us to fulfil our life’s purpose, but not at the expense of our spiritual wellbeing. Often, we want to do great things for God, yet we overlook the first thing of knowing God and how we can deepen our experience of God.

Intimacy comes before ministry.

When God comes first and stays first, we free ourselves from the guilt of not doing more, not trying harder, and not succeeding like others around us.

We sometimes rush into serving God without first understanding our sonship and true identity in Him. We must recognise who we are in Christ before God can reveal anything to us or fully release us into ministry in His Kingdom.

Sonship is the key to living well and serving well.

Knowing that we are sons and daughters in God’s family completely changes how we live and how we respond to God. We act and think differently when our focus is on growing in our identity and life in Christ. Then all we do becomes an overflow of Him working in us and living His life through us.

There is no stress or strain on us when we rest fully in the truth that our lives are hidden in Christ. As we enjoy and experience Christ and His power, we will live with a sense of Christ's presence in all of our daily moments. After all, there should be no separation between what we are experiencing on the inside and what we are expressing on the outside.

Let us must respond to the prayer of Jesus in John 17, that is we want to be one with the Father, to know Him as intimately as He desires to be known. 

Tags; identity, intimacy, ministry