Satan may attack us overtly, as a roaring lion seeking to devour us. Peter warns us of that, (cf. 1 Pet. 5:8). Yet, at other times, he comes as a serpent and assails us subtly. He is so cunning, (cf. Gen. 3:1a). The devil will take something meant for good to be used for God’s glory and entice us to seeking our own glory. It becomes a substitute for God—and that is idolatry. There can be idolatry in ministry. Scott Saul’s points this out in his book, “From Weakness to Strength: 8 Vulnerabilities That Can Bring Out the Best in Your Leadership.” He warns:
If you find your happiness in yourself and your own achievements, you’re bound to be disappointed. Consider how often you’ve let yourself down, for one thing. For another—well, C. S. Lewis was onto something when he said:
Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in; aim at earth and you will get neither.
I learned this the hard way when, for a season, I allowed ministry in a “notable” city among “notable” people to become an idol. I now see how foolish this thinking was. I see how right Francis Schaeffer was when he said that there are no little places and no little people. If Jesus would choose the small, obscure town of Bethlehem as his birthplace and the better-known (but only because of its bad reputation) town of Nazareth—“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46)—as his temporal home, and if he could choose to build his kingdom chiefly through people who were not wise or powerful or of noble birth (1 Corinthians 1:26), how dare I act or think or believe otherwise as I minister in his name! (p. 26, Kindle edition).
May we never seek the spotlight, but strive to shine it upon the only One worthy—our great God and His Son, Jesus Christ!
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