Daily Devotional – 9/6/17 “Trust the manufacturer!”

When I was younger, I loved roller coasters (some still today). It was the thrill, speed, twists and even turns that could cause your stomach to drop that were all worth riding this huge ride. Yet, these kinds of rides come with requirements. You have to be a certain height (or accompanied by someone older), you have to be able to hold your head up and have control of your upper body and you have to be mentally prepared. As I thought about this, it reminded me of ministry because whether you want to admit this or not; ministry is not for everybody. Say what you want but not everyone can handle the twists and turns of ministry that can cause your stomach to drop, your feelings to get hurt or your name to be scandalized. You have to be able to hold your head up. You have to have control of your upper body, you know like your mouth and your heart. And you have to be mentally prepared because there are some things you’ll be witnessed to that will leave you wondering what is happening in your life.

And, if I can be honest with you, it’s not just ministry because being a child of God is hard too. For just like ministry, you will find yourself going through the trials of life, fighting to defend what you believe in, stomaching some stuff you wish you could spit back, handling some more stuff your natural heart could not while bandaging wounds that should have been fatal to your flesh. But aren’t you glad that God made you spiritually equipped to handle the roller coaster of this journey? Are you not ecstatic at how well manufactured you are? Yes, there will be some times where you will need to be taken down for service but that is when your contractor is restoring those areas that could potentially wear out. All you have to do is be willing to be put in service. All you have to do is be willing to handle the weight of the load. All you have to do is be willing to go through the dark tunnels, over the hills and around the turns. All you have to do, beloved, is trust the manufacturer and operator because He knows what He is doing. For the bible says in Psalm 100:3, “Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”