When Ministry and our Walk Becomes Work Instead of Worship

There is something I need to confess.

Sometimes, even as a pastor, I lose focus on God. Have you ever been there? 

That probably surprises some people. After all, I read the Bible every day.  Raise my family on and in God. I prepare sermons. I write Bible studies. I film devotions. I counsel people. My life is centered around ministry.

Or at least it should be.

The truth is, it is possible to spend all day working for God without spending time with God.

I can sit down to prepare a devotion with the best intentions. I genuinely want to hear from the Lord. I want His Word to shape my heart before it ever reaches someone else’s. But somewhere along the way, something shifts.

Instead of asking, “Lord, what do You want to teach me?” I begin asking, “How can I make this more engaging?”

Instead of lingering and meditating over a passage, I find myself watching the clock.

Instead of worship, it becomes a task.

Instead of communion, it becomes content.

Before I know it, I’m trying to check another box on the list.

As pastors, teachers,  and ministry leaders, we live with constant deadlines. Sunday’s sermon is always coming. The next Bible study needs to be written. Another podcast has to be recorded. Another devotion has to be posted.

Those responsibilities are good. They matter. God has called us to them.

But if we aren’t careful, the work of God slowly replaces the presence of God.

The danger isn’t that we stop preaching.

The danger is that we stop listening.

I’m reminded of what Jesus said to the church in Ephesus:

“But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” (Bible, Revelation 2:4, LSB)

This wasn’t a church lacking doctrine. They were discerning. They worked hard. They persevered.

Yet somewhere in all of that faithful labor, they drifted from the One they were laboring for.

That verse has always been sobering to me because it reminds me that activity is not intimacy.

I was listening to “At the Heart” by Benjamin William Hastings today, and the lyrics made me rewind the song a few times. They reminded me that God has never been after my performance. He’s always been after my heart.

That is so easy to forget.

The world has a way of creeping into ministry. Numbers begin to matter more than faithfulness. Views become more important than obedience. We wonder if people liked the sermon instead of asking whether God was honored. We chase effectiveness while neglecting intimacy.

The flesh is subtle.

It doesn’t always tempt us away from ministry.

Sometimes it tempts us to do ministry without depending on the Holy Spirit.

I’ve had to stop in the middle of sermon preparation and simply pray:

“Lord, I’m sorry. Somewhere along the way, this became about finishing a message instead of hearing Your voice. Bring me back.”

Because if the Holy Spirit isn’t leading my study, my preaching, and my devotions, then all I’m offering is information.

People don’t need another motivational talk.

They need the living Word of God, empowered by the Spirit of God, spoken by someone who has actually been with God.

Acts 4:13 says that the religious leaders recognized Peter and John because they “had been with Jesus.”

That’s what I want people to see in my life and in your life.

Not polished sermons or devotions.

Not clever illustrations or testimonies.

Not social media content and likes.

Jesus.

If you’re a pastor, teacher, small group leader, or even someone trying to stay faithful in your daily devotions, let me encourage you.

When you notice your heart drifting, don’t quit.

Don’t fake it.

Don’t simply work harder.

Go back.

Open your Bible, not because you have something to teach, but because you need to hear from your Father.

Pray, not because it’s part of your routine, but because you desperately need Him.

Read slowly.

Listen and meditate carefully.

Worship honestly.

The greatest danger in ministry isn’t failure.

It’s forgetting that before we were servants, we were sons and daughters.

May we never become so busy speaking for God that we stop walking with Him.

At the heart of it all, He doesn’t just want our sermons, our reading, our prayers, He wants us.

When He has us, everything else falls in place!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Jody