One of the critical elements in advancing God’s kingdom is in understanding that as a man, you are responsible for that which falls within the realm of your personal influence. A man who neglects this responsibility prevents himself from remedying it.
I pastor a church with over 200 employees. We have such a large staff because our focus is not merely internal, but includes community impact. Most of the time the church runs smoothly and I’m not involved in the day-to-day logistics. Yet occasionally I get a phone call from someone in the congregation who sounds very upset, telling me something he or she doesn’t like.
I’ll never forget the time a woman called to tell me that she’d phoned the church five times the day before and could never get through to the operator. All her calls had gone to voicemail.
I could have told the caller the parable of the persistent widow and encouraged her to try a sixth time. I could have asked her why she wasn’t giving her complaint to the operator, and why she was giving it to the senior pastor of a large church, Christian school, and outreach center. How was I supposed to know why the operator wasn’t available?
Yet, even though that’s what I felt like saying, that’s not what I actually said. Because the caller was right. She had contacted the correct person with her complaint.
I may not be directly to blame for the missed phone call, but my position makes me ultimately responsible. When I get a call or complaint, I seek to handle it immediately so that it doesn’t happen again. Why? Because I’m ultimately responsible.
A similar complaint was brought to Adam. Not about a phone call, but about a piece of fruit. Even though it was Eve whom the serpent tempted to eat the fruit that had been forbidden in the Garden of Eden,[1] it was Adam that God went looking for. After all, Adam was responsible.
Men, I want to challenge you today to accept the responsibility that God has given to you, and live up to the calling He has placed on you to be a kingdom man.
[1] Genesis 3:1-6
[1] Genesis 3:1-6
[2] Genesis 3:9
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