Religion discussion. 2

In developing my personal plan for ministry; the first thing I must continue to do, is not to lose my Identity. Maintaining your Christian identity is very important. As pastors, we allow ourselves to get caught up in the title and making it a professional calling (Tripp). Not remembering that we are children of God first and foremost. It is not for sure I will always be a pastor, but I will be always be a son. 

            What I must do to keep focused is to remember who I am and whose I am. Being consumed in the role of a pastor put oneself in a box. It allow one to be far remove from the true identity of oneself. It causes the individual to become judgmental and less tolerant of others (Tripp). As a pastor I should always see others as Christ see others. No one is greater than the other. The Bible says in Isaiah 64:6 “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away” (Bible,NIV). Our best is not good in the sight of God.

The Danger of Losing Your Awe

            The second thing that need attention is that I never lose the awe that once kept me excited. It is so easy to lose the awe. With the day to day hustle and bustle of life it can cause one not pay attention to what once compelled them to notice. Tripp stated that “When you have quit seeing, and in your failure to see, you have quit being moved and thankful” (Tripp). Keeping the awe in your life, God will never be just a past thing, it will be a very present motivator.

The Danger of Arrival

          There is danger when a pastor or any person to think they have arrived. Lastly, as I develop my personal plan; it is wise to keep humility in ministry. David had a spirit of humility. He realized that it was not about him but God. He knew how to stay small while he enlarged God. David wrote in Psalm 34:4 “Oh magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together” (Bible, NIV). I must never forget that I’m nothing without Him. Christ was our greatest example of taking a low rode and becoming a servant. Tripp used the scene of Christ washing the disciple’s feet. It took a tall man to become so small. Ministries grow by being humble. This was the most powerful point that I must maintain, if I want to be successful in ministry.    

   Bible, NIV   

   Paul David Tripp, Dangerous Calling (Paperback Edition): Confronting the Unique Challenges of Pastoral Ministry, Reprint ed. (Colorado Springs, CO: Crossway, 2015). 21.