Hi, this is Joni Eareckson Tada and welcome to Joni and Friends.
(Joni sings:)
When all my labors and trials are o’er
And I am safe on that beautiful shore
Just to be near the dear Lord I adore
Will through the ages be glory for me
All that will be glory for me
Glory for me, glory for me
When by His grace I shall look on His face
That will be glory, be glory for me.
I just love that old hymn. Yes, I know it sounds a tad – what can I say – out of sync with contemporary rhythms? But I still love to sing it. Often I sing it when I return from a ministry trip, and come to think of it often when I return from my trips, I’ll get the common question, “How’d it go, Joni?” My friends want to hear about the good things – they want to hear about lives that were changed, people that were encouraged, churches that were trained, disabled people reached with the Gospel, others who were helped. Well, I once read something by an author named Steven James who mused on how the Lord might have replied to that question, “How’d it go?” after one of his ministry trips. If Jesus had returned to Capernaum from an afternoon of preaching and had one of the disciples asked him, “How’d it go?” he probably would have thought a minute, maybe rubbed his beard, and said, “Well, let’s see, most of the people did not understand what I was talking about, and the ones who did called me demon-possessed, some others said I was a drunk. Let’s see, half of the people walked out in the middle of my sermon and then a bunch of folks picked up some rocks and tried to drive me out of town over a cliff, but you know, guys, other than all of that, I’d say it went pretty well.” That’s probably what Jesus would have said, right? “How’d it go?”
Well, working in ministry – whether it was for the Lord or whether it’s for you and me – it does have its ups and downs. Things do not often go the way we want. Perhaps you serve on a deacons’ board or a church outreach committee – and if plans are going well, and if volunteers are signing up, and if people are responding to Christ’s invitation, be thankful. But if everything is falling apart, if helpers are few and pagans are throwing tomatoes at you, then – you know what – be faithful. The Father blessed Jesus’ ministry, yet consider all the opposition he experienced, the doors he could barely crack open, and the people who signed up in the beginning, then found better things to do later on. Friend, if the Father is in it, the effort will be blessed.
So, would you remember that one day, oh, it will be glory when we see his face and all the hardship and the disappointment is behind us? But if in your ministry today, someone asks, “How’s it going?” and if you’re tempted to give a long litany of all that’s gone askew and haywire, please don’t. Just remember Jesus, because if you are faithful to that which he’s called you to, friend, things must be going pretty well!
Drop me a line on Joni’s Corner at joniandfriends.org or you could always contact us at P.O. Box 3333, Agoura Hills, CA 91376.
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JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 93176
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