William Carey wanted to translate the Bible into as many Indian languages as possible. He created a large print shop in Serampore where they continually worked on translation. Carey spent hours upon hours in that shop translating Scripture. Then one night his print shop completely burnt to the ground. Instead of becoming discouraged, Carey persevered and in the end accomplished his goal with steadfast determination. He once wrote: There are grave difficulties on every hand, and more are looming ahead. Therefore, we must go forward.

Had he not continued with the work God had laid on his heart to do, countless people would have not had access to the Bible in their language!

I have been in ministry for over 25 years, and I would be lying if I said there were not times when I asked the Lord why was I even doing it. Whether it was because of the lack of participation or interest, the negative attitudes, or simply feeling exhausted or overwhelmed by my workload, there were times when my attitude was less than enthusiastic! However, God has been so good in showing me the fruit of some of my labor often YEARS after the fact. But the truth is, our job is not to know in what ways our work will impact others, our job is to be obedient to what the Lord is calling us to do, and trust that He is using that for His glory!

If you are feeling discouraged today, I want to tell you to take heart. Keep trusting that if God is calling you to complete a task, it is part of His perfect plan and the larger picture we cannot see. Whether it is in Your current ministry or a new form of service God is leading you to, know that the work you do for the Lord is important and NEVER useless.

Suggested prayer: Lord, forgive me for the times that I want to give up because I am not seeing the results I want to see. Thank you for reminding me that it is not about me, but ALL about You. I want to be obedient to Your will and be used for Your glory. Here I am. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

1.    1 Corinthians 15:58 (NLT).

The Encounter for today was written by: Crystal B.