Light vs darkness

As part of my current devotional time I am reading through The NIV Commentary: John written by Gary Burge. In today's reading he is looking at Judas' betrayal of Jesus, and he writes:

This story is more than a description of one man's demise. Throughout the Gospel we have been warned about the struggle between the light and darkness. In 1:5 we noted the absolute hostility between the two. As the Gospel unfolds, we hear again and again about those who choose the darkness despite their exposure to the light...In spite of his proximity to the light, [Judas] chooses the darkness. John invites us to reflect on the horror of this.

I immediately thought of those ministers whose frustrations with ministry have caused many to decide to leave the ministry. Some grew angry with God because their ministry wasn't what they thought it would be. Some thought they should have had more prestigious places to serve while others were hurt by the constant complaining and nit-picking of their members. Some simply couldn't see their families hurt any more by a congregation who seemed to not care.

Some who have stayed in the ministry have grown bitter and remain in the ministry only because they know nothing else or they are getting close to retirement. They have no passion for ministry and little interest in the people they serve. They do the minimum necessary to keep their job, but they have distanced themselves from their work, their people, and, often, even from God.

Our call to the ministry is a special gift God has given each of us. We were never promised it would always be easy or enjoyable. None of us can afford to turn away from the light of our calling to the darkness of denying that calling or our God. Yet, it isn't hard to do if we take our eyes off God and begin to focus entirely on the circumstances around us.

I want to encourage each of you today to rejoice in your calling. There will be rough spots, but God will show Himself faithful if we keep our focus on Him. As I look backwards over a 20 year pastorate I can remember a few rough times, but I can also see numerous people who found faith in Jesus Christ and are faithfully serving Him today. Those rough times do not seem nearly as difficult now as they did when I was going through them, and the victories more than make up for them. Stay in the light, and resist every temptation to slip into the darkness that would take you away from the calling God has on your life. When you begin to review your life and ministry you'll be glad you did.