 Feature: SERVING - HOW TO KNOW YOU'RE PUTTING GOD FIRST |
Third in a series about serving God first
God calls us to serve people. Yet when Christ-followers - both individuals and teams -serve people directly rather than from the overflow of our service to God, we can battle burnout and depletion.
This kind of ministry drift is especially common where pressure to perform and produce tangible results is high - numbers of salvations, attendance at events, or newcomers in t he door, for instance. You work hard to reach goals, execute programs, and provide services, investing time and energy in meeting peoples' needs. Yet without warning your work subtly veers off course, concentrating on meeting the standards set by people around you rather than seeking God's desire for your ministry.
Are you swerving off track to serve people over serving God? Ask these three questions to find out.
1. Is your natural value expanding?
Each Christ-follower has natural strengths. God-centered service allows you to use your God-given strengths, but at the same time stretches you to grow those strengths. If you or a team member is too comfortable, you may want to consider why. Fear, intimidation, and insecurity are just a few reasons leaders prevent others from taking on new responsibilities and why servants don't cultivate the richness of their strengths. You can know you focus on serving God, rather than people, when your natural abilities are cultivated and stretched.
2. Is your practical value multi-purposed?
Does your ministry seek to bless those you serve in practical ways without encouraging them in their journey of faith? Evaluate any ministry that allows people to only be receivers. By sidestepping discipleship, your ministry can become self-serving: servants are primarily concerned about pleasing people they serve and receivers are motivated by what they can get, eventually dictating terms. God-focused service meets physical needs hand-in-hand with spiritual needs. You can know your service focuses on God over people when your ultimate goal is to equip those you serve to have a closer relationship with Christ.
 3. Is your spiritual value deepening?
The ultimate test in your service is spiritual depth. Are you (or your team) growing in your relationship with Christ ... learning to listen to God ... hungry to please Him ... testing what you hear to make sure you are discerning Him ... and following Him even when it may be unpopular?
If you're unsure how to answer those questions, then take a pause to re-focus your ministry back on Him.
If the answer to those questions is yes, then keep your ears and eyes focused on God, put safeguards in place - and press forward.
Read Serving God, Part 1: Are You a Well or a Pipeline?
Read Serving God, Part 2: A Tale of Two Ministry Teams
Growth Point
God-focused service stretches and deepens us spiritually.
Scripture
Test me, O Lord, and try me; examine my heart and my mind. (Psalm 26:2, NIV)
Prayer Points - Name a time you have grown spiritually as a result of serving.
- Consider a situation in which you or a team member's natural abilities are being stretched.
- In what ways does your ministry meet practical and spiritual needs hand-in-hand?
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| What People Are Saying ... |
 "Thank God and thank you for permitting this blessing - letting Dalton and Vicki come and help order our lives. They taught us how to walk as good Christians putting our confidence in Christ." Katherine Aguilar González, Costa Rica
Hear more testimonies from Christians in remote areas served by 30 60 100 MINISTRIES staff here.
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How can you know whether you swerving off track to serve people over serving God? 
Meanwhile, let us 
We are excited about the opportunity to equip Christ-followers in Ukraine when we travel there in April to present the 
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