Jesus Is Our Reward

Thoughts on Intimacy and Influence

While I was at UpperRoom this past weekend, Michael Miller and I had a conversation on intimacy with God and leadership influence that really sparked my heart. I want to share some of these thoughts with you especially if you are someone with a leadership role in ministry. 

Before I jump in, I want to say I was blessed to be with a family of people who are as hungry for the Lord and His word as the crew at Upper Room. If you live in the DFW area, you’ve got to check them out. (If you’re interested here are the messages I preached at UR in the morning and night The Lord met us powerfully in both services).

The Lord’s desire for all of His people is intimacy. He is firstly and mostly interested in our hearts and devotion - far more than He is interested in us doing anything for Him. When we are intimate with the Lord our hearts expand and grow in ways that nothing else can produce. It’s in this internal expansion that we come to know the Lord deeply and find that the knowledge of Him unto intimacy with Him is the purpose of our lives. 

The Lord is generous. He always gives. He gives to the righteous and unrighteous alike (Mat 5:45). But for His closest friends He reserves His favor and His secrets (Psalm 25:14, Gen 18:7, 2 Chron 20:7). 

Often leaders start off in ministry by developing a deep well of intimacy with the Lord. From this place of personal encounter they minister to others. From the depth of a vibrant personal life with the Lord, the Lord begins to expand their ministry influence. He causes their sphere to grow so that they can feed others on the richness they share with the Lord. 

A major mistake many leaders make at this point is that they quit tending the place of personal encounter. Instead they focus on tending to their expanded ministry sphere. They end up with influence but they lack intimacy. Though they have a large ministry, they end up with a shrunken heart. They wrongly believe that greater ministry influence was the reward of intimacy with Jesus. Ministry influence isn’t the reward. Jesus is our reward. Expanded influence is an entrustment. He alone is the reward of all of our lives. Any responsibility He gives us is a stewardship that should be carefully tended from the place of intimacy with Him. 

In ministry leaders MUST remember the people are His. The resources are His. The vision is His. The message is His. Everything is His and for His glory, not our own. The only way we can rightly tend His ministry assignments in our lives is by growing deeper and deeper in intimacy with Him. He doesn’t expand our sphere so that we will leave the secret place. He expands our sphere so we will give to others what He has given us in the secret place. 

I encourage you, especially those of you who are leaders, take inventory of how you have tended intimacy with the Lord. Your personal intimacy with Jesus is far more valuable than any platform, ministry sphere, or increase in your budget. If you’ve found yourself more given to tending the size of your sphere than you have the garden of your heart, turn back to that place of simple devotion and allow the Lord to refresh you and restore you. Amen.