If you came across a “Top Ten Must-Have Tools” list by a legendary expert in your industry, you’d snatch it up. And you’d probably find a way to procure every one of the tools on the list.
Moses, identified by God Himself as “the servant of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 34:5), knew the must-haves for servant leadership. He knew them so well that he insisted he could not and would not serve without them.
And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.—Exodus 33:12-13
Those of us who serve in ministry are quick to recognize organizational or facility needs. May we be just as quick to recognize and just as insistent to obtain these three needs Moses identified:
1. The Presence of God
The presence of God is indispensible to ministry.
Some leaders get enamored by tech, spending double or triple the amount of time on producing a video for their Sunday sermon as they do in prayer and study for that same sermon.
Some leaders get distracted by the external signs of growth, paying more attention to numeric attendance than the pulse of spiritual growth in the lives of those they lead.
Some leaders get so preoccupied with planning programs in ministry that they allow no time to seek the power of God for those programs.
Technology can be a tremendous tool. Numeric growth is a blessing. Planning is important. But the number one priority—the real must-have—is the presence of God.
2. The Leading of God
Moses pled with God, “Shew me now thy way.” He knew he could not accomplish the task God had given him without God’s leading.
We have to have the Lord’s leading in what we do for Him. From parenting to teaching a Sunday school class to leading a church building program—we can’t “wing it.” And we can’t just rush into opportunities just because they’re there.
We must have the leading of God.
3. The Grace of God
Sometimes we go days on end serving in our own strength. We know our responsibilities and we’re familiar with how to conduct them. So we serve without pausing to seek the face of God and look to Him for grace.
As you enter this weekend of ministry, are you desperate for God’s grace? For His leading? For His presence? These are the three true must-haves for every servant of God.
