There is often hardness in the work of God! Paul told young Pastor Timothy to “endure hardship as a true soldier of Jesus Christ…” We are soldiers of the cross. To say we follow Jesus means that we have picked up our cross and followed Jesus—and it’s time to stop complaining. We need to toughen up.
Stop complaining about those over you and under you in ministry. You are in this for the long haul—and it’s time to act like a soldier and do the work of the ministry. “Endure the hardship with us!” That’s what Paul was saying to his spiritual son.
Every follower of Christ will carry the pain of the cross. This is the ministry burden that God gives. The Roman legionnaires of Bible times suffered hardship in the service of the Emperor; why not us as Christians in the service of the King of Kings? We serve the Lord. We serve a King. We have an eternal cause. That’s why we serve despite hardship.
We do not serve for compliments—they are often shallow. We don’t serve to please people—they are often inconsistent. We don’t pay attention to the opposition—there will always be some. Leaders attract opposition.
Spiritual warfare is a reality. The victory is not found in chasing the devil, but in doing the right things despite the devil’s work. There is an anointing from God on you if you are standing for the right cause.
Mistakes are inevitable because you’re human. Sometimes you are in trouble because you did the right thing the wrong way, and on occasion, there is trouble even though you did everything right. Be mature enough to accept that you’re not always doing everything right! You are learning. You will overcome it eventually. Onward and forward!
Opposition may come from personality differences, resistance to change, lording it over people, carnal believers, and of course demonic opposition that may be present. Some Christian workers assume that behind every problem is a devil, but don’t blame the devil for everything. I’ve seen plenty of workers and leaders create their own troubles without any help from the devil.
Every follower of Christ will carry the pain of the cross. This is the ministry burden that God gives.
Pray much before you speak; be wise. Don’t create unnecessary offense. Get realistic and understand you are working with the most difficult and unstable part of God’s creation—human nature!
No matter what the issue that causes difficulty is, follow the Lord Jesus and represent Him. Follow the way of love and bring your feelings under discipline. Not everything that you feel should be expressed. Don’t just bury your feelings, but deal with them, process them, and bring them into submission to your spirit. Use your heart in the work, but also your mind and your will.
Use your head. Think, plan, pray. If you are in control of yourself, you are greater than one who rules a city. That’s what Proverbs says; “Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.” The greatest spiritual fruit that needs to be exercised as a worker is self-control.
Lastly, when you succeed, all glory goes to Jesus. And if you fail, you pray, “Lord Jesus, show me how to get it right.” If you get fired from your role, you say, “Thank you, Jesus, for the privilege of serving. Thank you, Lord. You know the truth and I will trust you.”
If you’ve been hurt, get over it. That sounds callous—but you are a soldier of the cross. You chose this road. You denied yourself and your feelings to follow the Lord, to honor Him! Remember the words of Paul when he talked about his extremely hard life of persecution, beatings, shipwrecks, abuse, gossip, and finally martyrdom. He also had a “thorn in his flesh!” Yet he heard the Holy Spirit say, “My grace is sufficient for you; my strength is made perfect in weakness.” And don’t forget something else Paul said, “There is a crown waiting for me!!”
So I encourage you today, dear Christian worker. God has called you to follow Him. Be a soldier that endures everything. Always look to Jesus in every situation and you will overcome! You will finish the race with joy.