"Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean." Matthew 23:26 These leaders had their spirituality backwards. They learned how to look good on the outside, without cleaning any of the ugliness on the inside of their lives. These masters of the exterior failed the very basics of spirituality.

"For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings." Hosea 6:6 How often I’ve fallen into the trap of thinking God wants my sacrifice of time and my offering of hard work, more than He wants my knowledgment of praise and my pursuit of intimacy. Too often I have erroneously equated my spiritual health with my doing God’s work. Have you done this too? If I were to ask you over lunch about your spiritual condition, how would you answer?

What thoughts immediately come to your mind? I’m embarrassed to admit this,but I often answer with an external focus. Like my Pharisaical forefathers,I tend to communicate spiritual connectedness on surface actions. I say, "I’m doing well! I’m attending church services, I’m in an accountable small group, and I’m having several quiet times a week." While these externals are easy to quantify they don’t adequately determine the heart’s condition.

I realize true spirituality can be seen in tangible ways like going to church, sharing openly in a small group, and having meaningful quiet times.

But, there is not always a reciprocal relationship between spiritual health and Christian behavior. God isn’t looking for people who "act" good but aren’t good on the inside. God is much more concerned about your being than your doing. Let’s think about this truth by looking at some classic words of Jesus.

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied:"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Matthew 22:36-39 (NIV) The distinction between these two commandments is that one is the greatest and the other is the second greatest. Failing to understand this will have devastating effects on your spiritual life because serving in ministry and loving others can become an excuse for not falling more deeply in love with God.

Have you ever heard or said something like:

"I can stop reading the Bible right now; I have enough material for tonight's message."

"I don’t need to take time for prayer. We’ll pray tonight at youth group."

"I’m too tired for alone time with God; I was up late doing ministry."

"I had a rough week at work, I’ll skip church this weekend."

Failure to see the difference between loving God and loving others (doing ministry) can result in a ministry-focused life rather than a God-focused life. Does this distinction make sense to you? Your service in youth ministry should never come at the expense of your personal spirituality. Basically, your spiritual growth shouldn’t suffer because you are doing ministry.

I’m not suggesting you must maintain your spiritual disciplines during youth events. Who can have a meaningful quiet time in the middle of a missions’ trip or after an all-nighter? Missions trips are hard work and overcoming the effects of an all-nighter can require intensive psychotherapy and heavy medication. Don’t feel guilty during those times. Your personal spirituality is greater than the sum of your spiritual disciplines. But your connectedness to God is more important and can’t be measured solely by how many quiet times you’ve had in the last week.

One commandment is greater than the other, yet they cannot be separated. Faithfulness to the first command (love God) will result in obedience to the second (love others). However, faithfulness to the second (loving others) doesn’t necessarily lead to authenticity to the first (loving God). Loving God will lead to loving others, but loving others doesn’t necessarily lead to loving God. Without a love for God, youth workers will be ineffective. Another implication of the connection between these two commandments is this: The God who has called you to draw near to Him is the same God who has called you to serve Him. You can do both. You may live with tension: Do you choose a productive, healthy spiritual life or a productive, healthy ministry? It’s not an "either/or." It is a "both/and." Actually, this may be a good litmus test for staying in ministry--if you cannot simultaneously minister and remain spiritually healthy, you may need to consider stepping away from doing (ministry) for a season. As a child of God (first), and a youth worker (second), you must ask, "How can I remain spiritually healthy while I minister to students?" Thanks for asking for clarification... the first step toward healing is to admit that you've fallen into doing. Ask a friend to journey with you and hold you accountable and realize that accountability is only as effective as you are willing to be honest.

http://www.simplyyouthministry.com/community-articles-doug-s-thoughts.html