Day 312
II Chronicles 31:4
"He ordered the people living in Jerusalem to give the portion due the priests and Levites, so they could devote themselves to the law of the Lord"
King Hezekiah encouraged the people in his kingdom to forsake idolatry and evil living and serve the Lord God in accordance with His Word. One of the things he ordered them to do was to make sure the ministers in the temple were receiving what they were supposed to get, so they could devote their time to the ministry they were called to. Hezekiah realized that if the ministers did not have to be consumed with getting their needs met, they would be able to do a better job of taking care of the things of God, which would in tum benefit the kingdom and all its residents.
We must realize that even today, in accordance with the teachings of the New Testament, it is the responsibility of the believers who receive spiritual help from the ministry gifts to see
that the natural needs of those ministers are met. The degree to which ministers have to be concerned about natural things is the degree to which they are distracted from their ministry.
Meeting the natural needs of ministers includes financial support, but it goes further than that. As Jesus walked the earth, He received financial support, but that was not the only kind of assistance He needed. There was a time when He needed help feeding the multitude, and His disciples organized the crowd and distributed the fish and bread. There was a time when He needed help healing the sick, casting out devils and raising the dead, and His students went out in His name, enabling Him to help more people. One time He needed help getting some rest, so His disciples led Him to an area of a ship where He fell fast asleep. When it was time to celebrate the Passover, His disciples prepared the Last Supper, and they all ate together. Jesus functioned as a human being and could not have accomplished all He did without natural help.
As He commissioned His disciples, who were ministering on His behalf and would carry on His ministry after He left the earth, Jesus told them that the people who received them were receiving Him and would be rewarded. (Matthew 10:40-42) As we help those whose primary responsibility is to minister spiritual things, we are helping the Lord fulfill His ministry on earth.
Let us examine ourselves today and see how we are contributing to the support of the ministries we benefit from. Beginning with our local church, how do we do our part to help our pastor? After giving the tithes and offerings, there are many ways we can help. There is the ministry of helps. We can bring others to church. We can make donations of time, talent and goods to the various outreaches. We can purchase small items we see them use often and help them eliminate some trips to the store. Their shoes may need to be polished, their cars washed or their clothes mended. There is something each of us can do if we observe. Whenever we help them, we are serving the Lord and helping ourselves. There is one important thing, however, that we must all do along with our other kinds of giving. Praying for our full-time ministers is most important. Whatever we do for them must be done with love and Christ-like motives. Praying for them continually will help us keep the right attitudes.
I will be faithful to pray daily for those whom God has sent to minister to me on a regular basis. I will take advantage of opportunities to help them with the work of the ministry, as well as with natural things, so they may be better able to concentrate on the ministry of the Word.