Pay attention to humble things

Every servant of God should strive to reach the highest level of development within the endowment he has received from God. I put it this way because the Apostle Paul says that we are to minister 'according to the measure of faith' received.

Each person has a different level of potentiality in the things of the Spirit. We could speak of "spiritual endowment". The Lord gives thirty, sixty, one hundred for one. Each person receives a gift, a specific level of endowment according to God's calling and sovereignty. Now, within that endowment, and within her specific area of ministry, the servant of God, the servant of God, must make a great effort to acquire competence, a basic level of ability and performance within the areas that characterize her service.

In the case of the pastor, for example, a certain level of skill is required in the areas of preaching, administration, evangelism, caring for souls, leadership training, and other similar skills that we could point to. These are basic things, the fundamental and even indispensable tools of the person who serves in a pastoral capacity. If the pastor does not develop minimal competence in these areas, his ministry will be limited and he will not progress to his full potential.

If you lead, for example, worship in your church, you should pay attention to the development of your voice, your physical appearance, your knowledge of choirs and hymns that can bless the church, develop your knowledge of music, even if it is basic theory or an instrument, and the like. You should practice developing an effective, consistent devotional that brings people into the presence of God. You must learn to pray publicly, in an effective and inspiring way.

There is a very basic, very mechanical aspect of ministry that is not very romantic, but that we have to work to master. It is precisely there where many ministers and servants of the Lord fail. We simply subscribe to a vain and escapist spirituality that underestimates the importance of developing that mastery of basic skills.

We have to spend time on these rudimentary, mechanical aspects of our ministries. We must avoid as much as possible a super spiritual, mystical ministry that refuses to consider the practical and concrete aspects of ministerial work.

The image of the marathoner comes to mind, running mile after mile, monotonously, patiently and persistently practicing his sport, perfecting his body and raising his endurance capacity in preparation for the race.

The ability to tolerate monotony, to pay attention to the humble and unattractive aspects of ministry, is what often separates ministerial excellence from mediocrity. That constant attention to the humble but fundamental tools of ministry, whatever they may be, is the foundation for true ministerial greatness.