When I left campus for my national youth service that year, all I wanted to do was to stay away from leadership responsibilities; I wanted to rest. I had been very involved in campus ministry all through my five years on campus. But as God would have it, I was given another responsibility. The burden of the faithful is more responsibilities.
Friend, you need to position yourself for more responsibilities. God does not bypass those who are responsible for divine communication and divine choice (Genesis 18:17-19). It’s amazing how God “abandons” the less busy and go look for the man whose hands are already full of responsibilities (Matthew 25:28-29). Notice that while on earth, Jesus did not choose casual, lazy, and idle people; He went for already busy people.
Peter, James and John were engaged in fishing, Matthew worked at the tax office, and Paul was an energetic lawyer and religious activist (Matthew 4:21, 9:9, Acts 9:1-6). Remember that when God was to choose the next Prophet to replace Elijah, He went for an Elisha who was already ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen (1 Kings 19:19). Truly, the burden of the faithful is more responsibilities (Matthew 25:28-30).
The person who is already getting things done would be the person who can always get things done (Matthew 25:29). The person who is idle cannot get anything done even when engaged. This is why your boss at work would always give you more work and leave the idle staff. The same applies to your pastor in church. This is why you need to position yourself for more responsibilities.
God will often shift responsibilities from the irresponsible to the responsible. The pastor who’s faithfully pouring himself into divine assignment would always be given more work to do for God; people like that hardly take a break. They are go-getters for the Kingdom. God can depend on them. They treat divine assignment with the urgency it deserves (1 Samuel 21:8).
Don’t let someone else’s sense of responsibility make you irresponsible. Rather, let it inspire and challenge you. David’s sense of responsibility made Saul irresponsible (1 Samuel 18:7-16, 2 Samuel 5:2). As a husband, the fact that your wife is financially responsible must not make you a lazy man (1 Timothy 5:8). As a pastor, that vibrant brother in your Church must not make you redundant; he needs to be led. Whoever takes responsibility takes leadership.
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria