Building Altars to God

This morning I was rocked by Mark Batterson’s post called Altars to God or Monuments to Self. Here is a quote from the post:

In I Samuel 14:35 it says: “Saul built an altar to the Lord, the first one he had ever built.” But just one chapter later, I Samuel 15:12, says: “Saul went to Carmel to set up a monument to himself.”

Are you building altars to God or monuments to yourself?

In all types of ministry, it is very easy to fall into a “Monument to Self” mentality. Senior Pastors are the visible head and most public figure in a church, with larger churches making his visibility much more widespread. In youth ministry, the Youth Pastor is the public face, leading the events, preaching and teaching in large settings, and dealing with the congregation.

When you are the public face of a ministry, it can become easy to turn the ministry into a monument of your own. Only when you humble yourself, allow for a team ministry mentality, and give ALL the glory to God will your ministry truly be an altar to God.

(image by Alex Cheek)