With Great Power comes Great Responsibility

Devotional #9

September 2, 2023

Scriptures: 

2 Corinthians 6:1-13 We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. 4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses;

Devotion:

Today’s devotion starts with a short story. A Pastor who brought many people to Christ, sinned publicly and therefore was discredited and removed from the Church he pastored for many years. He is human like us so why was his sin greater than others who sin? The answer is, it is not.  

All sin is sin but because of his position, the impact to his followers was great. 

It is important that as Ministry leaders (whether you are a Minister, Pastor or just someone who encourages people through social media), that we don’t allow our hardships to become stumbling blocks for our followers. 

You have probably heard the saying from Spider Man, with great power comes great responsibility and that is very true. When God places you in a position of leadership, greater is our responsibility for God’s people (Luke 12:48). This means you have to be very mindful of what you do, what you say, because you are held to a higher standard than many.

So how do you overcome being in a position of leadership and having the weight of your followers on your shoulders? Truth is, carrying the weight of others is not your responsibility. Our responsibility is to instruct, guide, correct, love and lead others to Christ. But where our ministry starts is at home. 

It starts with being disciplined at home. It means having a time set daily for prayer, spending time reading God’s word, hanging around like minded people. If we discipline ourselves and focus on our relationship with God, we will be prepared for any traps the enemy may set (Matthew 26:41).