The reason for my drooped shoulders weeks ago was the fact that I had just received inquiries from over 30 people, the same day, for financial help. As I prayed to the Lord to lift up my spirit, He reminded me of a prayer I made to Him 14 years ago at a local Church on the south side of Indianapolis. I had asked God to put me in a position to be of help to others. He had answered, but I had forgotten. I immediately felt lighter. I realized that my growth this past decade has been as a direct result of the responsibility placed on me. The more the responsibility grew, the more the Lord grew me to meet it.
Paul’s Responsibility
The apostle Paul didn’t desire any man’s sponsorship. He set a new precedent in ministry, working with his own hands to provide for his own personal needs and for those around him. Perhaps he faced the scourge of not being regarded as a full-time minister. Paul could have resented his huge workload or the fact that other ministers took from the people to defray the huge cost of ministry (nothing wrong with that). Instead, he realized that the responsibility he faced was tied directly to his effectiveness in ministry. Paul’s effectiveness, in the short time he did ministry, is unrivaled today.
The Responsibility
I see the single mother reading this, who now realizes she has been taking care of her son for over 8 years and has not yet failed to provide. The load has seemed insurmountable sometimes, but she would be nowhere near the Christian she is now had it not been for the responsibility. I see the son reading this, who now realizes that the financial stability he has enjoyed over the last 4 years is tied directly to the responsibility he had to face providing for his disabled dad and unemancipated siblings. The responsibility helps you out-think your age, it pushes you to hang on one more day and drives you to take risks. The responsibility you once resented is actually the conduit to the financial breakthrough you desire.
I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. – Acts 20:35
