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God so often allows his ministers to come to an end of themselves in order that they might begin to be more useful in his service.
Burnout is a terrible price to pay for Christian zeal. Sometimes it cannot be avoided. For some, their circumstances mean there is no other way to live sacrificially for Jesus.
In the USA it is estimated that some 1500 people leave pastoral ministry each month due to burnout, conflict or moral failure.
“I would rather wear out than rust out” as George Whitefield said.
The problem is that we do not sacrifice alone. It may sound heroic, even romantic, to burn out for Jesus. The reality is that others are implicated in our crashes. A spouse, children, ministry colleagues, prayer partners and faithful friends, all are drawn in to supporting us and propping us up when we collapse.
I like the analogy with firefighting. The aim is not to be a lone hero, but to work with other firefighters to stop the fire. In a similar way, the aim of gospel work is not to be a lone hero, but to work with other gospel workers to spread the gospel of Jesus.
There’s always more we can do in ministry, but God is not asking “Can you do more?”. He is asking “Do you love me?” Some of
There are, I want to suggest, seven keys to sustainable sacrifice. And we turn first to four implications of this foundational truth of our mortality and our dependency upon God. Four ways in which God keeps us alive in this age, four needs we have that God does not share. We need sleep, but God does not. We need Sabbaths, but God does not. We need friends, but God does not. We need food, but God does not.
But you and I do need sleep; it is a fundamental mark of our mortality. If we neglect this, we are implicitly claiming an affinity with God that mortals should never claim.
