DIligence, Persistence and Devotion in Leadership

UV 1073/10,000 Diligence, Persistence and Devotion in Leadership
For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;

Romans 1 v 9


God is a witness of all that we think, feel, speak and do. He is a faithful witness and keeps a faithful record of all our words and deeds. Saul, who once persecuted the followers of Christ, leading the crusade to have them captured and killed in public as an example, realized the importance of always checking his motives and actions with the Holy Spirit. Paul served God in his spirit and not with his hands. He persevered for the cause of the gospel, taking it to distant Rome, to the Greek islands and across the mainland of Europe. Though he ministered to a large number of people, he could say without exaggeration that he always remembered them in his prayers. He was diligent in his prayer life. He rightly called God to be his witness for no one else could certify the truth of his claim that he unceasingly prayed for them.

Paul brought the people with whom he shared the gospel before God in prayer. He interceded for them, praying for their continued growth to maturity, their protection and their blessing. It is a sense of empathy and burden that enables us to remember others all the time in our prayers. It is not as if we have to run through with God all of their needs. We only need to make mention of their names and believe that God who knows all of us in our entirety will undertake for them. Not that God had forgotten their names but He wanted to see how committed the apostles were to the flock entrusted to them.

Paul was not only faithful to God, he was faithful and sincere in his devotion to the people he shared the gospel with. He did not just say, “ believe and be blessed” and then forget them. He visited them whenever it was possible, communicated with them through letters carried by personal couriers sent by him. His ministry to people is an example for others to follow. He did not tax them with claims on their contributions or offerings. Even as Jesus prayed, “ let not one of them be lost”, Paul’s concern was that as many as possible be saved and all who were saved by faith, grew in knowledge, understanding and in character. He was conscious that God was watching his every move, listening to his every word and accompanying him on his travels.

Prateep V Philip