Recently, I was having coffee with a fellow pastor, and he made a comment I had to explore. Our discussion found its way to ministry, and more specifically, our aims in ministry.
Calmly, he said something along the lines of: “I just want to be like the donkeys that carried Balaam and the one that carried Christ: (1) Speak God’s Word, (2) Carry Christ’s Glory, and (3) Don’t Stumble.”
Let’s explore these three simple, yet profound ministry aims:
(1) Speak God’s Word.
In Numbers 22:21–39, Balaam had to learn the difficult lesson that his primary aim was to speak God’s Word. Hence, when he deviated from this responsibility, God opened the mouth of a donkey to teach him an important lesson.
Lesson: The Bible teaches that all flesh is grass and the goodness thereof is as the flower of the field…the grass withers and the flower fades, but the Word of the Lord stands forever (Isaiah 40:6-8). What we learn from this punchy reality is that our lives are brief, no matter how beautiful and wonderful they may be. We learn that our positions, influence, power, resources, and more are temporarily held and sustained—no created thing lasts forever. On the other hand, God’s Word lasts forever. Indeed, it is God’s Word that echoes now and into eternity.
Therefore, ministry must be built on the Word of God. This is only possible through knowing, understanding, and wisely applying it to ordinary life (reading, praying, memorizing, meditating upon, singing, sitting under the preaching of the Word). Anything else resembles a dreamy parrot.
(2) Carry Christ’s Glory.
In John 12:12–19, Jesus is carried into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, fulfilling the prophecy made in Zechariah 9:9. How odd would it be if the donkey assumed the hallelujahs coming from the crowd were directed toward him instead of Christ? Sounds silly, but it is the very thing we’re tempted to do in our ministry, isn’t it?
Lesson: There is one Savior of mankind who reconciles and redeems a sinful humanity back to God. His name is Jesus Christ. He gets the glory. He gets the praise. He gets the honor. Him alone. And so, we should always keep in mind the warning from Proverbs, which says a man is tested by the praise he receives (Proverbs 27:21).
Therefore, the ministry must focus on turning all things to the praise and glory of Christ. Ministry is a ministry of deflection and reflection.
(3) Don’t Stumble.
As the donkey in John 12:12–19 carried Christ, we know that it was not only to deflect any glory but also to keep from stumbling as it made its approach to Jerusalem.
Lesson: How do we stumble in ministry? It could be financial, sexual, or prideful, and on and on. We stumble when we lose sight of our purpose, which is to preach the Word and lift high the name of Christ and His glorious gospel.
Therefore, the ministry must have sobriety of spirit. There’s a gravitas, a weight to ministry. The gospel is too important to treat as not worth buffeting our flesh over. We must persevere under trial, confess and repent of our sins, and press on. We remain resilient despite circumstances, as Proverbs teaches us (Proverbs 24:16).
God, help us. Amen.
— July 16, 2026