Without having our feet on the solid ground of a relationship with God, we can easily fall into any of four traps.
Our first trap is that of the Pharisee. Because the Pharisee is not motivated by God’s grace, he is not driven by motives that are pure. Instead, his motivations are rigid perfectionism guided by strict legalism. The mission he is on is perverted into attempts to force everyone into his own mold, which is definitely not what God calls us to do. We are to simply bring the Word to the world, without infusing it with our human (therefore different) ideals.
The Do-Gooder is the second trap we should not fall into. Do-Gooders are often motivated by their own need to be needed or to make a notable difference. They are not helping because of true compassion and commitment to meet human needs. There are millions of people in this world that do good, but few do Christ’s good.
A common trap is the savior complex. Without a sense of God’s providence, caring peoplem ay feel that they must save the world themselves. Far-reaching plans and feverish activity mayb e based more on anxiet and fear for the future than attention to God and discernment of God’s will for the present.
Lastly, we have the trap of burn-out. Without a vital relationship with God and other Christians, one’s fire for the mission burns out. You cannot chagne the world if you are running on empty. We need to read the scripture daily, for in scripture we are uplifted and reinforced. Sometimes when I get discouraged, I just read the book of Acts. I always realize that what we are going through today is trivial when compared to the first Christians, and somehow that always comforts me.
We are to follow Jesus’ example if we are to avoid these traps. Jesus’ ministry came from his relationsihp with God and close friends. Between times of intense ministry, Jesus withdrew with his disciples to a lonely place to pray and share his concerns.
Luke 22:39-43 tells us, “Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. When He came to the place, He said to them, ‘Pray that you may not enter into temptation’. And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” (NKJV)
Changing our world begins with changing ourselves and sustaining that change in our heart, mind, and will.