Be Filled with the Spirit

Am I the only one in children's ministry that knows both the highs and lows of the ministry? There are days in which I'd gladly sign up for another thirty years of service. Then, there are other times that it would be easy to look for the back exit door. Surely I'm not the only one that knows the rollercoaster of the ministry, am I?

Allow me to share with you a secret that I learned from one of my heroes that has enabled me to keep on keeping on. When the greatest evangelist of the nineteenth century, D.L. Moody, was asked why he said he needed to be filled continually with the Holy Spirit, he replied, “Because I leak!”

The pressures of dealing with people and situations can cause us to leak. The "joys" of children's ministry can cause our levels to ebb. Moody gave us the answer to longevity ... continually be filled with the Spirit.

The apostle Paul must have understood the "leaking" for he wrote to the Ephesians to be filled (the literal Greek reads being which is a progressive constant) with the Spirit. So, when we are on the mountain top of the ministry ... ask to be refilled. When the Gilbert O'Sullivan song "Alone Again Naturally" has become a state of mind ... ask to be refilled. If it is good enough for the apostle Paul and D.L. Moody, it is good enough for me. Selah.