May 19

Proverbs 23:6-8 (NIV)
6 Do not eat the food of a stingy man, do not crave his delicacies;
7 for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.
8 You will vomit up the little you have eaten and will have wasted your compliments.

When I read this I didn’t think about food, but about time. As a pastor it is evident to me that some people just don’t want to go beyond being blessed on a Sunday. For some, that is their maturity level and the Lord hasn’t broken through that layer of self-centeredness. For those people I must have patience and understanding. Yet there are another people who have much to give, but rarely do. I thought about those people in relation to what I would ask of them in partnering in ministry. This lesson is really to me and not them. I believe the Lord is saying to me that I shouldn’t crave partnership from people who don’t want to partner. They are people who are always thinking about the cost of time and effort. I will be left wanting at the end of things if I coax them or pin them down to help in the ministry. So let God deal with them and change their heart and look for the people who are ready to put their hands to the plow. Stop wasting mental effort and getting disappointed by people who don’t want to minister. Eat with those who love ministering in their capacity! It will be a fulfilling meal.