iShineInMinistry

Luke 19:10 (NET)

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."

Craft days, bible studies, retreats and everything in between...the life of full-time ministry is one of joy, fun and activity. We have an assortment of ways to engage in ministry and spend time with the ladies and other people of our fellowship. We get to live in a place of love, faith grace and it's truly amazing. However, we need to make sure that all we do keeps God's plan of salvation at the center.

God came to seek and save the lost as our scripture mentions. We need to make sure that is our aim and focus while we put together another outreach, prayer meeting or other activity as we do the work of the ministry. We can be a church or organization full of activity that becomes a social club for Christians rather than a place that is serving the community to welcome those that need the Lord. The great events we do are lovely, but when Jesus is not at the center and the focus of the plans, we might as well just be a sorority of saved girls.

Let's make sure that our vision for ministry is intact with God's plan. Let's pray for the lost, invite them in and see what the Lord does through our faithfulness in serving Him. Enjoy your calling!!

Psalm 16:11 (NET) You lead me in the path of life;

I experience absolute joy in your presence;

you always give me sheer delight.

Chronicles 16:27 (NET)

Majestic splendor emanates from him, he is the source of strength and joy.

As we come to an end of the month of September, I want to leave us with one fabulous exhortation...surrender to joy! God wants us to live in complete joy and fulfillment as we surrender our lives to Him. We can walk in total bliss as we say yes to the will of God. We can look to Him as the author and finisher of our faith. He wants us to be encouraged no matter what the situation before us reveals. We so many opportunities to choose joy and choose Jesus...what a beautiful choice that is for us!

He will allow us to find joy no matter the circumstance if we let Him. As I write this I'm sitting in a cafe on my lunch break, knowing that I am diving head first into hectic day at work, but I know that God will give me joy in the little moments of mayhem if I allow Him. As I was scrolling through old pictures on Instagram, I found a picture with this quote...

"I would rather have 30 minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special."

Once I saw this, I remembered last year...2014 was the year of enchantment with the Lord and I don't want that to go away just because it's 2015 (almost 2016). With that in mind, I'm challenging all of us ladies to find 30 minutes of wonderful in each day and praise the Lord for it. Surrender to joy, not just in September, but every single day that God blesses you with. Let Him be your blessed hope, your peace, your everything. He is a wonderful Savior and we need to keep our eyes fixed on the beauty of the Lord. Enjoy the final days of September...I hope they are filled with many minutes of wonderful!!

Nehemiah 12:43 (NET)

And on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God had given them great joy...

Psalm 147:1 (NKJV)

Praise the Lord!

For it is good to sing praises to our God;

For it is pleasant,

and praise is beautiful.

Full-time ministry is nothing short of an amazing privilege and blessing that we all get to experience every single day. We counsel ladies, we comfort children, we bake, set up and tear down outreaches and continue to grow as we get the opportunity to hear the worship service each week (depending on where we serve, we hear the same message multiple times so it really sticks)! This calling is just fantastic, but I want us to remember the better thing so that we can choose to surrender to worship as we serve Him.

Just as Mary and Martha got to spend time in the presence of the Lord, we have that blessed opportunity as well. While we may have many tasks that we oversee as we help prepare for the worship service, we need to remember to stop and go sit at the feet of Jesus once that first worship song begins to play. You may have to stop and worship as you cuddle a baby and listen to a child's rendition of "Jesus Loves Me", but still take the chance. You may need to pause and get your heart on track before you greet someone and hand them a bulletin, but you do have the opportunity. You may have to wait a minute or two before you pour that cup of coffee for someone in the cafe ministry, but allow yourself (and the waiting customer) the chance to enter into the presence of Jesus. We all need that pause and that moment with Him. We can't get encumbered with all the duties that come with ministry to the point where we forget about our Savior altogether. If we do this, we aren't really ministering anymore...we are just completing a checklist.

So, this week (and always) please remember to take those moments and really be with Jesus. Surrender to worship while you enjoy your calling, lift you voice, lift your hands and lift your heart to Him. You will be blessed and the people you serve will be blessed too! Worship Him in spirit and truth...Happy Surrendered September!

Psalm 34:1 (NKJV)

I will bless the Lord at all times;


His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Ephesians 4:1 (NKJV)

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,

Have you ever met someone in ministry that just adores serving, even in the hard times? Someone that fully rests in the faithfulness of the Lord even in times of discouragement? I have a friend like that and every time she faces a new challenge (she oversees a ministry that deals with extreme cases) she is ready to pray, search God's word and ask for prayer to see things clearly. These people truly have a servant heart and are willing to do every part of the ministry, even the "not-so-fun" parts.

Then we meet other people. Their hearts are filled with annoyance over every single thing and they can find fault in all aspects of ministry. They complain about the potluck food, or the music being too loud, or that it's too hot, then it's too cold. Nothing about their words makes you feel like they enjoy their calling. Sometimes it is very difficult to see how they even got there, but we know the Lord has a plan.

Whether you are the first person I described or the second one, we need to surrender to our calling at all times. God has placed us here for a reason and we are to be an example of Him and be filled with Him. Our wrath has no place in ministry. We can't hurt the flock that the Lord has entrusted to us like that. We are held accountable by God for this!

Instead of being flustered, annoyed or angry all of the time, choose joy. Choose to see how God is using this season and this calling. Choose to obey and say yes to what He has planned for you in ministry. If you know you are way too far gone for this...take a season of to get your heart softened and in a good place again. We should be blessed for the privilege to serve our Lord in this specific way and want to shine for Him. Say yes to the calling always and trust that He will give you the strength, courage, wisdom and joy to carry out this calling!

Philippians 2:14-15 (NKJV)

Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

Jeremiah 24:7

Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I [am] the LORD: and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.

Welcome to Surrendered September at iSparkle! Each of the sites will be dedicated to the subject of surrendering to the Lord this month. After partaking in “40 Days of Surrender” over at Mandy Hale’s website, The Single Woman, the Lord really has kept this on my heart.

I think all of us ladies need a little “refresh” in this area of our relationship with the Lord. We all know the places in our lives that need to be surrendered and each week, we will focus on some various topics, struggles and other things that we need to give to God. Let’s make sure to be in prayer over this month and fully give our hearts to the Lord, expecting amazing things as He reveals Himself to us over the next month! Won’t you join me?

Psalm 119:10

With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments.

Happy September!

Listen to this song and get READY!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUgYaKgdzEs