Concentrate on the Job at Hand

Proverbs 14:4 (ESV)
Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.

I’ve always like this verse. Today it reminds me that our desire for perfect little packages (the perfect church, the perfect pastor, the perfect congregation) may get in the way of great growth.

That’s right, if there is no animals in the barn there is no poop to clean up. But a farmer, before John Deere, needed his animals to bring in his crops. So if you wanted abundant crops you had to accept the fact there was going to be some poop to clean up.

Matthew 9:37-38 (HCSB)
Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. [38] Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (HCSB)
Brothers, consider your calling: not many are wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. [27] Instead, God has chosen the world's foolish things to shame the wise, and God has chosen the world's weak things to shame the strong. [28] God has chosen the world's insignificant and despised things — the things viewed as nothing—so He might bring to nothing the things that are viewed as something, [29] so that no one can boast in His presence. [30] But from Him you are in Christ Jesus, who for us became wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, [31] in order that, as it is written: The one who boasts must boast in the Lord.

We are the oxen and we are needed to bring the abundant crops in. We will never be the perfect little packages that the world wants. And how dare we judge our churches, pastors and congregations on the world standards? God chose us, who have sickness, weaknesses and flaws, to work through us and do the impossible so that He gets the praise. Let God do His job (will) through us and we will see incredible things happen and we can (and will) boast in Him!