Daily Devotional By Desiringgod Ministry – John Piper Ministry 29 DECEMBER 2024 | Topic: Joy Banishes Burnout
Click HERE for Previous MESSAGES
Joy Banishes Burnout
How Pastors Finish Well
Statistics of servants of God who do not end well can be very discouraging. Dr. J. Robert Clinton conducted a now-famous study of how leaders in Scripture finished their tenures. Of those about whom he was able to get sufficient data, Clinton determined that about one in three finished well. Commenting on the contemporary scene, he suggested that the ratio is probably even worse. But if what the Bible says about God’s keeping power is true (Philippians 1:6; 2 Timothy 1:12), it does not have to be so.
I want to focus on two issues that hinder people from finishing well. The first is disappointment over what they have experienced. When talking to Christian leaders, I have often found that, once you get below the surface, there is deep-seated anger or discontentment over disappointing experiences they have had. The second issue is insecurity — a feeling of inadequacy that triggers harmful attitudes, actions, and lifestyles. Both of these are heavy loads to carry, and they easily trigger negative feelings about ministry that could overwhelm us and destroy the joy of service.
1. Learn to lament.
One key to health in ministry is learning to lament. Romans 8:20–39 gives some important direction for experiencing deep fulfillment while facing disappointment. Paul says that the creation — including believers “who have the firstfruits of the Spirit” — has been “subjected to futility [or frustration]” (Romans 8:20, 23). In other words, frustration is an inevitable reality in the life of service. Things will go wrong. People will hurt us. Our faithful service will be rejected. We will experience physical or mental infirmities that drag us down. And we will even appear to be failures on earth despite a life of costly obedience. If we don’t come to grips with the fact that frustration is part and parcel of our present experience, disappointment can overwhelm us.
Paul himself experienced this frustration throughout his time in ministry. As he languished in prison, many labeled him a failure and even sought to bring him lower (Philippians 1:15–18). Many were ashamed of him and refused to stand by him (2 Timothy 4:16). But writing from prison, he said, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content” (Philippians 4:11). Contentment — especially in the midst of frustration — is a virtue to learn.
And what exactly did Paul learn? Well, among other lessons, he learned to lament or groan with the rest of creation (Romans 8:22–23). Though this groaning anticipates coming glory, the cry of pain is so severe that it is compared to the pains of childbirth. The lament is the most repeated example of this Spirit-led groaning in the Bible. Over a third of the Psalms are classified as laments, and many of them use raw language to describe the pain the psalmist experienced.
The Bible gives us permission to express our pain in the face of frustration. We can lament directly to God and to believers whom we trust. In doing so, we arrest the process whereby pain deteriorates into bitterness. And by honestly expressing our pain, we also open ourselves to God’s comfort. If you want to weather the inevitable disappointments of ministry, learn how to express your pain in groaning.
2. Let sovereignty unseat insecurity.
A second key to thriving in ministry is a high vision of the sovereignty of God. Paul describes stunning reality in Romans 8:28 when he says, “For those who love God all things work together for good.” Good will come even out of our most painful experiences. As evidence of God’s commitment to our welfare, Paul says that God “did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all” (Romans 8:32), so he will undoubtedly provide everything else we need.
“People basking in God’s love are happy people.”
If we really grasp such commitment to us by the Lord of the universe, our insecurity will be erased. In fact, we have the assurance that “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). The fear of failure is banished when we reckon that “if God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). As we exercise faith in God’s sovereignty, we “abound in hope,” which fills us with “joy and peace” (Romans 15:13).
Many attribute burnout to overwork. But I suspect more often insecurity, resulting in unhealthy work habits, causes burnout. When we are unsure of our worth and our position, we can drive ourselves into the ground. The mad rush to prove ourselves successful according to worldly criteria leaves us unhappy and without the peace of God. This craving for affirmation can have disastrous results — like the inability to trust others or the attempt to find refuge in extramarital affairs. Insecure people are easy prey for the enemy and thus prime candidates for not ending well.
How can we let God’s sovereignty banish burnout-causing insecurity? At the risk of sounding simplistic, spend slow, meditative time with God daily in prayer and Scripture. That habit almost unconsciously challenges our insecurity. For example, when you read Deuteronomy 33:27 — “The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms” — you find a solid foundation for security. Our identity in him takes away the shame that society, with its competitive ethos, inflicts upon us. For “those who look to him [daily] are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed” (Psalm 34:5).
I don’t mean to imply daily time with God is always exciting and emotionally inspiring. It’s not, but I am daily building the firm foundation upon which I stand. That has a way of buttressing my security. The same goes for prayer. Though it can feel laborious, I know that I have been with the eternal God, who is also my Father. Lingering in the presence of God enables the truths about God that we know in our heads to travel to the heart.
3. Enjoy God’s covenant love.
A third key to remaining joyful in service is experiencing God’s love for us. At the end of Romans 8, after two imposing lists of obstacles we face in life, Paul affirms that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:35, 38–39). This unstoppable love reframes our frustration. God’s love overflows into our lives and attacks the bitterness that threatens our contentment (Romans 5:5).
People basking in God’s love are happy people (1 John 3:1). How could it be otherwise? Experiencing God’s love results in joy and provides the key to serving God over the long haul. Jesus told his disciples, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11). After that, he gave a call to sacrificial service: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). First the joy; then the ministry.
I once heard David Sitton, founder of To Every Tribe Mission, tell a story from his teenage years when a ninety-year-old missionary spoke at the youth fellowship of his church. The man had been a missionary for 72 years. At the start of his talk, he kept repeating something like, “I want you to remember this. You can forget everything else I say, but don’t forget this.” As he kept saying this, the young people were getting impatient, wishing that he would go ahead and give them this gem of wisdom. Finally, he said, “The joy of the Lord is your strength. When the joy goes, the strength goes.” Having said that, he sat down!
This experience of the Father’s love and joy bookmarked Jesus’s own ministry. He began by basking in the Father’s love and delight embodied in the Spirit (Matthew 3:16–17). And that joy proved sufficient to sustain him through the greatest groaning and hardest act of service imaginable. “For the joy that was set before him [he] endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2).
All of our joyful, lasting ministry looks to him (Hebrews 12:1). Coming to grips with the reality of frustration and knowing how to express our pain prevents disillusionment. The realities of God’s sovereignty and love open the door to experiencing joy. So, pursue the joy of the Lord day after day. It alone will sustain us in ministry over the long haul.
ALSO READ: CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW US ON TWITTER ⊗ OPEN HEAVEN ⊗ JOEL OSTEEN DEVOTIONAL⊗ ABOVE ONLY ⊗ OUR DAILY BREAD ⊗ SEEDS OF DESTINY ⊗ JOYCE MEYER DEVOTIONAL ⊗ RHAPSODY OF REALITIES ⊗ JOHN HAGEE ⊗ MFM DAILY DEVOTIONALUTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST⊗DCLM DAILY MANNA ⊗ JOHN PIPER DEVOTIONAL ⊗
