Ministry

August 5, 2013

Good Morning My Beloved Ones,

I pray you are discovering your God-Given gifts and talents and are using them for His Glory.

Today I want to talk to you about “Ministry”.  When we think of “the ministry” we think of a handful of men or women who have a calling on their lives, have attended a seminary, and have been ordained to preach, don’t we?  Actually, ministry is just doing what God has gifted you for and told you to do to further His kingdom.  Ministry is not for a select few – it is for all who hear the voice of the Master and choose to obey.

What has God gifted you in, given you a passion for and an ability to do?  When we find a way to use those things to further the kingdom, it is our ministry.  I believe God has gifted me in writing, teaching and encouragement.  I use these things to write these letters to you.  It is my ministry.  He’s given me a passion for creating and organizing events, such as church Christmas parties, Secret Sister Program and Bible study groups.  This also is my ministry.

Throughout my Christian walk I’ve had my own ministries and have been involved helping in other people's ministries.  Some of these efforts have been successful.  Some have not.  What makes the difference? Success in ministry is determined by who is doing the work.  I can be a “Can do it” or a “Conduit”.

Because God has given us a passion for the work he has called us to, it is natural to want to rush in and go, go, go, - do, do, do.  But while our hearts are in the right place, when ministry is done in our own strength it is doomed to fail.  The “Can do it” is headed for burn-out because our own strength only lasts so long before it runs out.  The “Conduit” is one who lets the Spirit of God flow through him; who goes when God says “go” who does when God says “do”; who waits when God says “wait”.  When we submit our gifts, talents and passions to God and it becomes His ministry instead of ours with Him calling the shots, the ministry will thrive, because God never grows weary.

Some people get so discouraged when a ministry has failed.  I would say to those, it has not failed.  God will get some glory for what you’ve done if your heart was in the right place.  Pick yourself up, brush off and determine this time to give those gifts, talents and passions to God and be a conduit for Him.  The heart of ministry is to minister.  Let’s all be ministers for Christ as conduits of His love and grace to a lost and dying world.

In His ministry – your sister, Raelynn