Ministers of the gospel must not become so absorbed with ministry that they fail to cultivate intimacy with God, Chuck Kelley emphasized.
Ministers of the gospel must not become so absorbed
with ministry that they fail to cultivate intimacy with God, Chuck
Kelley emphasized.
Indeed, intimacy with God must be the core of every
believer’s life, said Kelley, president of New Orleans Baptist
Theological Seminary.
“Left unguarded, left unwatched, it is the
deterioration of that core that can undo everything we spend a lifetime
doing,” Kelley emphasized during the seminary’s recent commencement
ceremonies.
To illustrate, Kelley told of how a destructive
variety of termites came to New Orleans in the 1950s. The formosan
termite arrived in the city undetected on a boat bringing goods to the
Port of New Orleans. Since then, the small insects have cost the city
millions of dollars in repairs.
“The termites came in such an innocent way, and no
one even knew they were here,” Kelley said. “(But) The federal
government thinks the formosan termites may go down as the single-most
destructive pest in the history of the United States.”
Kelley held up a cross-section of a large oak tree
from the seminary campus. Only a few inches of wood remained on the
outer portion of the tree. The middle had been completely eaten away by
formosan termites. The tree had fallen – unable to support its own
weight.
“As you see, it has no heart,” Kelley said. “It has
no middle. These are very small little bugs, but left alone over time,
they can be absolutely devastating.”
A similar thing happens to ministers who fail to cultivate their relationship with God, Kelley warned.
Indeed, ministers never plan to leave their spouses,
they never plan to disappoint their churches and families, he said.
“Something like that happens in your life when you
fail to guard your heart,” Kelley said. “Above all things, keep your
heart diligent for out of it flow the issues of life, … the rivers of
life.”
Kelley proposed three keys for guarding one’s heart:
• Examine it. “We get so busy (that) we stop asking
God to give us a report card on the state of our soul,” Kelley noted.
“Guard it by giving it attention.”
If ministers regularly examine their hearts for sin, they can avoid the
tragic problems that stem from an unchecked life, Kelley insisted.
• Live obediently. Kelley warned against simply
focusing on the avoidance of sin. The focus should be on following what
the Bible says.
“Build your life around a commitment to absolutely
obey the Word of God even when it ruffles your feathers,” he said.
“Focus your attention on obeying the Word.”
• Stay passionately in love with the savior.
Remember the price Jesus paid on the cross and the forgiveness he
offered, Kelley urged. “Know that the savior who died for the sins of
the world has died for your sins,” he said. “Find in his passion for
you your passion.”
“It is in that passion for Jesus that you will find
yourself borne above all the stresses and trials and demands of life,”
Kelley said. “You will find yourself constantly wrapped in the love of
God.” (BP)