stephen R Harrison

JOY 365: Day 33

But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. –Galatians 6:4 KJV

Our church staff spent the day praying and planning for our next fiscal year by evaluating our previous one. We call it our “master planning process”. We listed what we perceived as our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. These will help us assess our current church health and plan our calendar and budget priorities for ministry. I found this very beneficial as it reminded me of all the fruitful testimonies of changed lives God had produced throughout our church. It also shaped my expectations for what God would do next year in people’s lives. It caused me to pray with expectancy and thankfulness. It also gave me great joy as we allowed the Spirit to search the motives of our hearts, minds, plans, and goals for our local church. 

One thing I’m always cautious about in those meetings is the tendency to compare ourselves to other churches. There is so much to glean and learn from the entire body of Christ, but we must be careful to do what God desires. We must be able to “prove our work” is for the Lord’s glory and in His will. Scripture must guide this. We must calendar and budget for events, ministries, and everything the church does, because it’s a value found in the Bible. Galatians 6:4 says we must explore the work we’ve done and have been given to do by the Lord and rejoice not because we look like someone else, but because we are doing what the Lord desires. Our lives and churches are to live by the Spirit (6:1), bear others’ burdens (6:2), avoid deception and live genuinely (6:3), sow to please the Spirit (6:7), and do good in every opportunity, especially towards other believers (6:10). 

How are you living out Galatians 6:1-10 in your local church?