|
Bishop’s Chamber
November 2008
Some of you are
aware, while others
may not be aware of
my recent illness.
It has been, without
a doubt, an ordeal;
however, it has also
been quite
rewarding. As the
servants of God we
don’t always take
the time to assess
our own relationship
with God because we
are always so busy
attending to the
flock. It is quite
possible for us to
come to a place
where we are
actually working off
an empty cup and not
realize it. Every
man and woman of God
must persistently
and consistently
seek the face of
God; not for a
sermon or lesson to
teach to the
leaders; but with
purposeful
intentionality we
must seek the face
of God just for our
own personal
rejuvenation. I
believe that at
times we forget that
we forget that
before we are
Apostles, and
Pastors, and Bishops
we are first;
believers and
husbands, and wives!
During this time of
illness I discovered
that I had allowed
myself to get away
from some things
that I had set up as
basic tenets for my
spiritual life. The
demands and rigors
of what we do would
even give us space
to attempt to
qualify and justify
our lack of alone
time with God by
pointing to just how
busy we are. It is
my contention that
we take another look
and be real with
ourselves as to
whether or not all
that we are doing is
actually glorifying
God.
Have you ever asked
yourself this
question: Is
preaching the most
important thing I
have to do? If you
answered yes to that
question then your
priorities are
skewed. There is no
doubt in my mind
that the preaching
of the gospel of the
Kingdom is one of
the most important
things that we have
been called to do;
however, is that
supposed to become a
substitute for real
time spent with God?
Some of us don’t
even realize how we
have crippled the
body because we
retard their growth
by not allowing them
the opportunities to
use their gifts.
What makes any of us
think that somehow
the house of God
will not continue to
prosper because we
are not there? The
other thing that we
must be mindful is
that we can only
transfer to the body
what we possess.
There are times when
the Lord may want to
take the body to
another dimension,
but it become
impossible because
of the fact that the
man or woman of God
is not spiritually
equipped to take the
body to its next
place. Each of us
must remember that
the same word we
preach is the same
word we are supposed
to live by. The Word
of God stresses that
we are to be the
example of the Word
before the
congregation. In
many of our messages
we emphasize the
need for a devout
relationship with
the Lord and then we
don’t show them what
that looks like.
Ministry carries
with it numerous
frustrations,
discouragements and
disappointments;
yet, we have an
outlet available to
us whereby we can
divest ourselves of
all of those of
things so that we
can maintain a fresh
perspective as to
how each situation
should be handled.
Too often we carry
unnecessary burdens
because we don’t
take the time
necessary to refresh
ourselves. Most of
us are always
looking forward to
the next engagement
instead looking
forward to the next
time we are going to
be able to commune
with our heavenly
Father. Do you even
know Him as Father
--- or is He still
just God. If this
time of temporary
setback has taught
me nothing else, I
have learned that I
have to stop putting
Him off for what I
think is more
important. When you
make your schedule
for this coming year
make sure that you
schedule personal
time with God, and
time for your wife,
husband and family
if you are married.
If you are not
married then you
definitely need to
plan that time with
the Lord, and not
just once. Some of
us have put the
writing of books
because you’re just
too busy! There’s
something wrong with
that picture. First
and foremost it’s
all about laying
before The Master to
receive fresh
revelation from Him
and to deepen one’s
own personal
relationship with
him. Trust me ---
you and your
congregation will be
glad you did!!
Enjoying The
Journey,
Apostle Gilbert
Coleman |
