“Imprisonment and afflictions await me.
But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself,
if only I may finish my course and the ministry
that I received from the Lord Jesus,
to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”
Acts 20:23-24
Usually if imprisonment and affliction were the consequence of certain actions, we would simply stop those actions. There are probably not very many activities for which we would go to prison. If we would, it is because the issue at hand has become more important to us that our own comfort and survival. For Paul, completing his ministry has become greater than the value of his own life to himself. Since he must live to complete it, that is the value of his life. He is not suicidal. He is stating that the value of his life is not in serving himself, but in serving God.
This is exactly the point at which we must die – to ourselves. If we do not die to ourselves first, then we will not obey in affliction. We will not complete our ministries. But when our ministries become a greater objective than our own comfort and survival, we will find great courage and power for the task.
The call is to ministry. When we serve God, it is not to isolated worship and self denial (although times for this are essential), it is to join him in his plan to build a kingdom and a people for himself. People are the focus of the work. The ministry is given by the Lord Jesus. We do not get to think of whatever we may like to do, like choosing our favorite career. While in one way Paul’s ministry of testifying to the gospel is unique to him, this also is a part of all of our ministries; we will have different manifestations of this ultimate goal. Any ministry of love to others that does not have as its final purpose to meet their eternal needs falls miserably short of loving them in the most important way – giving them life in Christ, the very best gift of all and the fulfillment of all human need.
So, here is the question for me today: What is most important to me? Do I value the completion of my God given ministry more than my own comfort and survival? Am I willing to deny myself in order to serve God? If I am, what would that look like in my life today?
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