Working for God

I arrived early this morning at my office at the St Andrews Methodist Church in Eldorado Park, south of Johannesburg, where I currently serve as a part-time pastoral assistant during this year of candidature. God has blessed me with a mentor in the form of our Circuit Superintendent, Rev Itumeleng Tlhakanye, who is teaching me that ministry is not quite the way it is described in the books.

A little like accountancy, in fact. When I was doing articles, I found to my amazement that no textbook tells you about your client dropping two dustbin bags on your desk, full of assorted vouchers, and are expected to make some sense of them by drawing up a sense of financial statements.

Likewise, the people whom God entrusts to our care often also come to us with their "dustbin bags" full of emotional baggage, expecting us ministers to make some sense of it all. Thank God for His Word and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit!

But this analogy is a stark reminder that this is a calling not to be taken lightly. To all ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, may you remain humble and true to the calling that God has placed on your life.