I think it is very easy for us to rejoice in the wrong thing when we are trying to do God’s work. Just as the disciples in Luke 10 I too have been caught up in my perceived "successes":
(1) "Pastor…I don’t know the Bible well enough. Can you tutor me and help me understand the basic Bible stories".
(2) "Pastor…I believe we need to get rid of our bulletin inserts and put Bibles in our pews."
(3) "Pastor…I think we need to give half of our free will offering, from coffee hour, to that visiting pastor as he bikes across the country on his missionary journey."
(4) "Pastor…I would like to serve on the church council." (O.K….maybe this one didn’t happen, but I can dream can’t I?)
Anyway…
…Jesus says, "Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this…but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." (Luke 10:20) None of this is of my doing. None of our "successes" are of our doing. None of the things we like to rejoice in are our doing. God is the maker and author of life. Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit and thus it is God working through us. But more importantly, our rejoicing should be in what God has done, not in what we are doing. God gives us life through Jesus Christ our Lord. I don’t give people life.
So as I celebrate some of the exciting things that are happening in my world, I pray that God does not let them go to my head. Rejoicing in the salvation that Jesus gives us through his death and resurrection is the key to evangelism. People won’t come to Christ because of my perceived "skill" but through God’s work and God’s work alone. It’s not my doing, but God’s doing. So any "skill" I may have is of God.
So Let’s praise GOD always and forever, Amen!
-edh-
The Heart of a Pastor 
praise the Lord!
Amen!
Praise God! Now if only the Spirit would accomplish #4 on your list.
Good message. Is that what you are preaching on Sunday?
After doing some more sermon prep I decided (or God decided) that I need to preach more of a discipleship sermon. Jesus sent out the 70 by twos and in much the same way, we are sent out. I want people to feel “equipped” to go out and share the Good News. Too many people still think evangelism is something that only the pastor does or some committee works on. But we are all called and sent. But also…our work in sharing the Good News, in the end, is about the fact that God writes our names in heaven through Jesus Christ. Rejoice in that and others will point at you and say “I want some of that”.
And with any luck, people will flock into the office and say “I want to volunteer for the council (hopefully not to get rid of me) 🙂
A follow up from my last comment: It was a weird feeling to have a sermon manuscript written that I totally trashed on Saturday. But I am glad I did. It just was not the sermon to preach (see my sermons blog for more commentary).