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What on Earth Am I Here For?
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Wednesday, October 1, 2003
My Prayer Today
Dear God, Thank you that you sent your Son Jesus to heal, restore, and save me from my past and my sin. I come to you and give you all of me to be used for your glory. I give you my past, my present, and my future. I pray that you would use me to be a blessing to someone else today. Help me to be sensitive to the needs of people around me and serve them with your love. I cannot do this without your strength and grace. I ask that the overflow of my life would be something sweet to those around me. Give me a boldness to share your life and your love to others. May I not only share it in word, but also in actions. I need you Holy Spirit to empower me to do this. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Bible Verses
Luke 22:26-28
26 "The greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. 28 You are those who have stood by me in my trials."
Reflecting on Ministry
Read Luke 22:26-28 again:
1. Why is the greatest person like the one who serves? Is ministry about authority or servanthood according to Jesus?
2. Why didn't Jesus utilize his role and authority and ask others to serve him? What does this mean for us to do when we are in authority?
3. Can you think of anything Jesus did to serve his disciples? Can you think of anything you can do today to serve your family or friends?
Exploring Ministry
Have you recently thought of a particular ministry that you would be interested in getting involved in?
What are you passionate about?
Do you notice when a church is unclean, or when someone is standing alone in a lobby, or when someone needs their car fixed? The fact that you would notice these things, may indeed be an indication that God may be directing you to a particular ministry in that area. Be creative, maybe you could begin a new ministry!
You are unique, so what will flow from you will be unique. This is why you are vitally important for ministry! God can use you mightily if you will yield to him whatever you have and serve others.
Understanding Ministry and My Purpose
Many people who attend church have the common misperception that the only "minister" is the one behind the pulpit. This is absolutely not true! As Christians, we are ALL called to be ministers to those in whom we are in contact with. In other words, we are always a minister wherever we are -- no matter if we are paid for it or not. In fact, if vocational ministers are doing ministry for the money they are doing it for the wrong reason. Ministry is something that should flow naturally from us if we are walking after Jesus. People will only get the overflow of what your life consists of. If all we are giving people is stress, trouble, heartache, anger, and bitterness, then this unfortunately is what we consist of. However, if deep inside us there is a well of joy, peace, patience, love, and kindness -- people will want to be around us because these are the things which flow from us. Jesus explains to his disciples in Luke 22:26-28 that he came to be a servant. What does a servant do? According to Jesus, the greatest person is the one who puts the needs of others first and serves them before taking regard of their own needs. This is very hard for us in the type of culture we live in. We are often so concerned with our own needs, that we forget to see the needs of others. We have our own agenda. And perhaps the reason why we get hurt so much is because our agenda is too healthy! What Jesus is saying to his disciples is that in order to be a great person, we must be willing to make our main agenda to serve those around us (even when we think they may not deserve it). To think Jesus would love us enough to die on a cross for us is such an amazing sacrifice. If he did this for us, then our response should be to serve and make ourselves a "living sacrifice" to those we come into contact with each day. We are ministers, and true ministers serve! Sometimes that means loving unlovely people, remembering those who have forgotten us, being kind to the unkind, forgiving those who have hurt us, and being patient with those who are not always patient with us. This often seems so hard! Naturally speaking it is almost impossible, but because the Holy Spirit lives within us, he empowers us to do all of these things and become a servant to all. Ministry will be the result of those who learn to depend upon the Holy Spirit to become the source. We are all ministers, who and what is flowing from you?
Applying Ministry to My Daily Life
God gives each of his children gifts. Each of us, if we are Christians, have a gift in which God has given us to be used to reach others and minister to specific needs. Our past can also be used to be a ministry to others. Some of the most tragic, painful, and horrible things that have happened to us, can also be redeemed and used to reach others. You may think "no way, God could never take my past and use it." Yes he can! If we will allow for his Spirit to heal us and build us up in him, those experiences can actually become a "doorway" by which we are able to minister to those who are currently facing what we once faced. Most of us have a hard time getting beyond our own past to think that God could possibly use it to reach someone else. You may already be thinking of an experience already -- which maybe you haven't told anyone about. But if we will allow God to touch, heal, and forgive our past -- He can redeem our mess and use it as an agent of healing for someone else. What would have happened if someone you trusted came to you years ago, when the experience happened, and told you that they also went through it but God healed them and brought them through with victory. What a blessing that would have been! So here is the big question -- could you do that for someone else? Just think what a blessing you could be! Yes, you are a minister and God wants to use you. But we must all give God everything and ask that he can make things a blessing to others. Pray that God would both heal you and make you an agent of healing to someone else.
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