A Minister's Fears and God's Faithfulness in Labor

Paul's cry—"I am afraid of you" (Galatians 4:11)—echoes the deep anxieties of faithful ministers. What are these fears? First, that his word should not issue in conversions. Second, that converted members fail to adorn their profession. Third, that converts apostatize entirely.

Yet duty remains clear. A minister must labour on despite these fears, recognizing they may be groundless—or if grounded, he bears no responsibility for results. He must resist despair, knowing even the worst sinner may convert and the worst backslider reclaim their faith. His work: do all within his power, with God's help, to prevent failure.

Encouragements abound. He labours for God's glory. Adonai Himself is responsible for results. Isaiah's promise holds: God's word will not return unto Him void.

Dr. Bang's dream captured this truth. Exhausted, he swung a pickaxe against basaltic rock for hours with scarcely a dent. Ready to quit, a dignified stranger appeared: "Your duty is to pick, whether the rock yields or not. Your work is in your own hands; the result is not. Work on." The next stroke shattered stone into thousand pieces. He resumed his labours, and revival followed.

Dr. Talmage illustrated fruitless labour's torment: prisoners carrying cannonballs back and forth across a yard, building nothing. Purposeless toil becomes double punishment. Yet the minister's labour—unlike the prisoner's—accomplishes Yahweh's eternal purposes, though results remain hidden.