The Most Wonderful Career Possible

The conversion of sinners and their godly living through the truth is the strongest proof a minister can have that God has called him. The evidence of his apostleship is written on the hearts of those converted, and their renewed lives testify to it. A minister is greatly strengthened by these evidences of his ministry.ULe 121.6

Though today there are many preachers, there is a great lack of capable, holy ministers who are filled with the love found in Christ’s heart. The fruits many Christians bear are pride, self-confidence, love of the world, and fault-finding. Their lives offer sad testimony to the character of the ministerial labor that “converted” them.ULe 121.7

A Christian can have no greater honor than to be accepted by God as a minister of the gospel. But those whom the Lord blesses with power and success recognize their complete dependence on Him. They have no power of their own. With Paul they say, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant.” True ministers realize that they have a relationship to the church and to the world similar to what Christ had. They work untiringly to lead sinners to a nobler, higher life. They lift up Jesus as the sinner’s only hope. Their hearers know that they have drawn close to God in fervent, effective prayer. The Holy Spirit has rested on them. Their hearts have felt the vital, heavenly fire. When they present the love of God, people’s hearts are broken, and many are led to ask, “What must I do to be saved?”ULe 122.1

“For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”ULe 122.2

In this way Paul praised the grace and mercy of God. He and his fellow workers had been kept through affliction and danger. They had not held back truth in order to make their teaching attractive. And they had brought their own conduct into harmony with their teaching, so that truth might recommend itself to everyone’s conscience.ULe 122.3

“We have this treasure in earthen vessels,” the apostle continued, “that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” God did not intend to proclaim His truth through sinless angels. He has placed priceless treasure in earthen vessels, human beings. Through them His glory is to shine out. They are to meet the sinful and the needy and lead them to the cross.ULe 122.4

Paul showed that no selfish motives had prompted him to choose the service of Christ. “We are hard pressed on every side,” he wrote, “yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”ULe 122.5

As Christ’s messengers he and his fellow workers were constantly in danger. “We who live,” he wrote, “are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” Through poverty and toil, these ministers were accepting a death like Christ’s, but what was leading to death in them was bringing life to the Corinthians. In view of this, Jesus’ followers were not to increase the burdens and difficulties of the workers.ULe 122.6

Nothing could tempt Paul to conceal the conviction of his soul. He would not buy wealth or pleasure by conforming to the world’s opinions. Though he was in constant danger of being killed for his faith, he was not intimidated. He knew that Jesus who had died and risen again would raise him from the grave and present him to the Father.ULe 122.7