As I enter my tenth year leading this congregation, I have spent much time reflecting on my ministry. Throughout this season, I have often felt tense and frustrated by unmet expectations, yet I am simultaneously filled with gratitude for the love and respect this community extends to me. While I feel deeply valued by my members, I am most humbled by the reality that God allows me to proclaim His Word to His people. In this state of mixed emotions, I constantly remind myself that I am living a great life.
“I am living a great life.” This simple statement is one I repeat often. When I do, calm washes over me. Perhaps you also need to be reminded of this truth. Ministry is filled with challenges and was never intended to be easy; Jesus was clear about the weight of our task, and the early church leaders exemplified the sacrifice required to make disciples. Despite the pressure, you are living a great life, and I want to explain why.
You are living a great life simply because you are called a Christian. As recorded in Acts 11:26, disciples were first given this name in Antioch. The term essentially means “little Christ,” describing those whose lives so closely resembled Jesus that His title became their identity within the community. This was not a self-proclaimed label, but a recognition from observers. If your life reflects the character of Jesus to those around you, you are indeed living a great life.
This great life of ours is not only identified by those who see the way we live but by the amazing task to which we are called. Throughout the Scripture and history, God has called many to preach the gospel. This is our great task. The trouble here is our focus on how many we preach to instead of our preaching mission. Stop looking at the size of your congregation and start dwelling on the immense weight of the reality itself. The One and Only Holy God has called you and me. Only discouragement or pride will result from focusing on the size of your congregation. If you preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, you live a great life.
Living like Jesus and preaching his gospel leads to a third reason we all need to be reminded that we are living a great life. Proverbs 19:21 states, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails” (NIV). When I started pastoral ministry in 1996, I had a lot of plans. Those placed in my heart by God have been fulfilled. I can recall the day I moved away from the city where I attended Bible college. My wife and three children had gone on ahead of me with my mother-in-law, leaving me and my father to drive the moving truck from Colorado to California. As I left town, I asked the Lord for 25 years of ministry, followed by another 25 years of teaching the next generation of pastors. Twenty-seven years later, I am pastoring a local church and teaching courses for those who enter ministry in my denomination. His plans for me are being fulfilled, and I am living a great life.
We all need to be reminded of the reality that we are living a great life from time to time. That is probably why God has you reading this article. So, when you find yourself with a death grip on your phone or restlessly moving through your day, stop and say these words, “I am living a great life.”
Perhaps, when driving away from church next Sunday, you should tell yourself the same thing instead of putting yourself down for not delivering the perfect sermon. Live like Jesus, preach his gospel, and fulfill his purposes. It is a great life.
