Years ago, when I was going through a season of reaction and resistance to my leadership in a church, my brother Nathan was helping with music. He was living at home and attending college. Nathan came to church one particularly difficult evening and he had a note for me from Dad. It was a simple passage of Scripture to read: Ezekiel 2:4-5. Dad quickly jotted it on the back of his business card and sent it my way.
Before I went out to preach that night I looked up the passage and it was a powerful encouragement to me to take courage in leadership and to preach and lead with God in mind and not to concern myself primarily with who receives the truth and who rejects the truth. Get on our face and be sure that God is pleased with what you have to say and preach the Word of God. Then know that some will reject it and some will receive it.
This afternoon while browsing in my own library I came across the very card. (pictured) It was a powerful encouragement to me and a reminder to preach and lead to please the Lord and not to please people.
When your work on earth is done could it be said; “They will know that a prophet has been among them.”