[A note to my readers. During this time of “shelter-in-place” I thought I would write a series of devotionals aimed for those in vocational ministry. I recently re-read Eugene Peterson’s book “Working the Angles” and thought that this would be a great time to refocus on my ministry priorities. There is some good stuff in there for those who are not in vocational ministry, but it is geared particularly to those who are. –jd–]
- Read
Psalm 103:21 “Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will!
- Meditate
Imagine a triangle. Go ahead. I’ll wait.
Got it? Good. Now imagine that the three lines of the triangle represent the visible roles we fill as vocational ministers. Let’s label those lines: preaching, teaching, and administration.
This is what we do. This is what people see. And, in some cases, these roles are how we define ourselves.
But what makes a triangle different from just three random lines? It is that they are connected at angles. Go ahead, take a look at your imaginary triangle. See those angles? Tri-ANGLES?
I want to talk about those angles. Much of what I will be writing in the next few days comes from Eugene Peterson’s insightful book, “Working the Angles”. We want to move from focusing on those three public roles, the lines, to what connects them, the angles.
What are those angles that keep our public ministry together? They are prayer, scripture reading, and spiritual direction. They are found in our private lives. Without those three, preaching, teaching, and administration fall apart. These are angles that are the foundation of being a minister who does the will of God.
So, let us bless the Lord and do his will.
- Pray
Father, I desire to bless you with my life and ministry as I do your will. My prayer is that I learn to focus well on these angles that hold together the roles I fill. Give me ears to hear, eyes to see, and a heart to receive your words.
- Contemplate
1. Have you allowed your identity as a minister of God to be in your public roles, forgetting to take care of those angles? Ask for God’s forgiveness as we go through this series.
2. Take the time to begin to look at your daily schedule and see how you can begin to work on these angles of ministry.
(This devotional series is based on my notes from “Working the Angles” by Eugene Peterson)
