“…Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.”
Colossians 3:23
If we want to fulfill our ministry, we need to apply ourselves to do the work of the ministry. That means we need to put forth effort, effort toward both spiritual and natural matters that pertain to the ministry that we’ve been called to. The work that we do should be done diligently, with our whole heart, giving God our best. II Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Ministry has a spiritual side. To fulfill our ministry, we need to pick up the spiritual responsibility of taking our place of authority as a representative of Christ in the earth. Spiritual matters are spiritually discerned, so if a minister is naturally minded, he or she may miss the spiritual business that needs attention and fall short of completing their ministry. If a minister is aware of the spiritual side of their ministry, but is lethargic with spiritual tasks, they will be ashamed before God for failing short of completing their assignment. To fulfill our ministry, we need to be attentive to our spiritual responsibilities and be tenacious to accomplish what needs to be done in the spirit realm.
Ministry also has a natural side. If a person thinks that ministry is only spiritual, he or she will be found negligent with the practical work that is required to successfully complete the ministry that they have been called to. While we live in the earth, there are earthly responsibilities that require our attention and effort. When our heart is to complete our assignment in ministry, we will be persistent, relentless, and laborious to get the job done. When our motivation is love for God and love for people, we will work hard to complete both natural and spiritual tasks so that we give God what He desires and see Him glorified with our life.
God wants us to follow His guidance in all that we do. He doesn’t want us to be lazy with the ministry He has entrusted us with; but He also doesn’t want us to go to the other extreme where we work so hard that we damage our health or our family. God cares about us, the minister, as much as He cares about the people we are called to minister to. When our focus is on the Lord, He will lead us in ministry and add people around us that can help us to fulfill the ministry that He has called us to.
Application: Are you giving attention to prayer, impartation and anointing, and exercising your authority? Are you taking care of the practical responsibilities? If not, make those adjustments and do the work of the ministry that will cause you to produce results.