After I had known the Lord for a few years, a brother in the Lord taught me how to follow up new converts. He also passed me some notes. Due to carelessness, however, I lost a page of the notes. I felt very ashamed of myself and I told him about it. This was what he said to me: “These notes are important to me. But I will love my brother more than these notes.” When I heard that, I was very moved because he valued me as person more than what I could do.

As we serve together in church, we always want to produce things that are of a high standard. This is desirable because we must give our best to God. What God is more concerned about, however, is our spiritual growth. In other words, it is God’s intent that by serving, the one who serves can grow spiritually and also the one who is being served can grow likewise. Hence, we must regard more people coming forth to serve as more important than achieving high standards, a person being encouraged than his capability and he experiencing the power of God than receiving power to do things with perfection. In essence, the Lord is more concerned that a person grows spiritually than that he is able to do things with perfection. Hence, let us with honesty say more words of encouragement and praise. That means that even when we have to rebuke or suggest areas for improvement, we must be clear about our objective: Our goal should be to build his spiritual life and encourage him to love the Lord more and not to cause him to feel discouraged and hence stop serving the Lord. If you understand this, you will be careful that you say things with gentleness and love

This is how Jesus treats us too. “A bruised reed He will not break, and a smouldering wick He will not stuff out” (Matt 12:20). If you look at them from a practical perspective, we should change or throw them away. The Lord, however, regards as more important that person than what that person can do. What man discards, the Lord mends, whom man detests, the Lord loves. Let us have the mind of the Lord, and not be like the world who for the sake of achieving perfection, stumbles and destroys such a person.

For the same reason, the Lord is more concerned about a person’s inner spiritual life than his external beauty. You may be very clever and capable, able to perfect what you do. If, however, you do not have a sincere spiritual life, you are not serious about following the Lord, you do not seek the Lord’s glory but your self-glory, even if what you do is regarded as well done, the Lord does not regard your work highly. Neither does He accept you and He cannot use you.

The reason is this: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams” (1Sa 15:22). The Lord is more concerned about the state of your spiritual life than what you are capable of. Hence, if you want your service to be acceptable to God, you must first, have a clean heart and a vibrant spiritual life. There is no perfect spirituality but you must love the Lord sincerely.

Thus, if you want to be a teacher of the Bible, which includes preaching from the pulpit, teaching in the Children or Adult Sunday School or in fellowship meetings, you must be one who thirsts after God’s Word, keeps a regular Quiet Time, puts into practice God’s Word and is exemplary. If you wish to lead fellowship groups, you must be someone who loves and cares for others sincerely. If you want to lead the prayer meeting, you must be someone who often prays fervently. If you read the Scriptures on the pulpirt, you must be one who loves to read the Bible. The strength to lead comes from a clean heart. Otherwise, what you do is but an empty shell and is unable to edify lives. If, however, you are not very capable or clever, but you serve God sincerely, God can use you in great ways so that others can be blessed by you.