by Caleb Miller

One of the single most destructive beliefs that has plagued the church for centuries is the thought that we didn’t deserve the gift Christ gave us.   Of course we did!  If we were undeserving of the gift of life, it wouldn’t have been given.  God wouldn’t have resided with man in the garden, left with man when he sinned, and done everything He could to get us back to Him.

We are deserving of the gift of salvation, it’s not a sense of entitlement, but we need to get beyond this.  It affects every area of our lives, and ministry.  When we’re sick, we limit our own healing by thinking we don’t deserve the wholeness Christ provided.  When we’re lacking financially, we try to figure out where we’re missing it to get our finances back in line.  STOP IT!!!  Take a breath, tell yourself that you deserve the FREE gift that Christ willingly provided for us.  I never see Christ say “take this cup Father, they don’t deserve it”

now, let’s roll that understanding into our ministries.  the apostle Paul wrote:

1 Timothy 1:12 – And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry,

we look at this verse and applaud Paul’s faithfulness, but the word faithful also has the meaning “worthy of trust”  WORTHY.  you’re worthy of the ministry God’s given to you, you deserve it.  You deserve to not be in worry about growth, finances, offense, teaching, music, or any other area of ministry.  You deserve what God gave you, it’s an important thing, and you are the one God counted faithful and put into the ministry.

Let’s get out of this rut.  We’ve been taught for too long that ‘we got what we didn’t deserve’ in relationship to our salvation, and it’s infected our ministry.  Purge the infection, thank God for counting you worthy, and begin the healing!