Yesterday I was reading through Ephesians with one of my youth workers and 1:19-20 and 3:20-21 really convicted me in a way it hasn’t before.

Ephesians 1:19-20
“I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.” (NLT)

Ephesians 3:20-21
“Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen.” (NLT)

This mighty power, the same power that raised a dead man back to life, is for me. God is working in me and wants to accomplish infinitely more than I can ever hope for or imagine. Not so people will think how great I am, but so that he will be glorified through me and people’s eyes will be directed toward him because of it.

This really challenged my approach to ministry. Too often I place unfounded limits on what my service in youth ministry can accomplish for Christ. Common excuses relate to a lack of funding for different ideas, not enough man-power to execute the plan, or how uncomfortable/offensive it might feel for me or others involved. However, I think the biggest reason I don’t dream outside all boundaries is because I really don’t believe my dreams will actually fly. They’re too big, outside the limits of my resources. And if I try anyway, I’m afraid they might fail and erode my credibility. I’m afraid of the criticism that will come as a result. Plus, it’s just so much more comfortable to work within the human boundaries I set for myself. I like to talk a lot about vision and passion and I highly respect those who dream and run with their calling in life, but so far I’ve been too timid to do likewise. I’m really my own nemesis.

As I read through Mark Batterson’s book, “In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day,” a lot of my erroneous thinking process continues to be challenged in this area. It will be interesting to see how all this plays out as I transition to a new ministry in Minnesota over the next couple months.

I pray God gives me vision, passion and an unstoppable drive to “accomplish infinitely more than I could ever dare to ask or hope” so that he might be glorified through me.

Posted on January 26, 2007