To whom much is given, much is expected. That’s God’s word from Luke 12: 48. I write it because a couple of days ago, I posted Keep Eyes on the Objective. In it, the point was made that ministers should be willing to eliminate those things in life that would hinder them from their life’s work of spreading the gospel. This, of course, can apply to the lay person as well. However, to accept the work of a minister is to accept more; for it’s the highest call given.

To further elaborate; the best that a minister should offer – in terms of time, energy, talent, and loyalty – ought to be devoted to serving as a top officer and leader in God’s service. All else that would cause a detour around this responsibility must be set aside. The apostle Paul stated it so clearly. He declared, by way of God’s inspiration in 2 Timothy 2: 4, “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.”

This is a principle for success for any and every Christian. However, I emphasize that this advice is more so for the minister. That’s what I glean from verse 2 of the same chapter. In it, Paul encourages Timothy, a minister, to pass along that bit of wisdom as an application to be followed by others in a minister’s position.

If they did, we wouldn’t see one of the most common of distractions among some ministers. That would be the seeking of material riches and worldly acclaim. Ministers aren’t called for that purpose. Nor should the minister preach to others that it is their right to have these things.

Unfortunately, though, some have done this. They preach the pursuit of psychic and wealth prosperity, forgetting that Jesus said in Mark 8: 36, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? The result is that they and those who believe them become restrained by vines and thorns; meaning they find themselves pridefully wrapped up in personal, social, civic, and business activities that keep them from performing their duty on the battlefield.

The minister’s only purpose is to fight as a soldier for the sake of the gospel.