iShineInMinistry

Colossians 3:24 (NKJV)

…for you serve the Lord Christ.

A prayer for you lovely ladies that serve in full-time ministry.

Lord Jesus, we know that You are the maker of all good things and that You continue to direct our paths, bless and strengthen us as we serve You. We thank You for the honor and blessing of serving You and Your people. We thank You for the endless miracles that we get to see first hand, day in and day out and we thank You that You have counted us faithful to be used for this reasonable service.

Lord, we ask that You will fill our hearts with grace, mercy, kindness and compassion as we serve and go to the places where You call us. We pray for hearts that are burdened for the lost and completely committed to doing the work of the ministry, no matter how difficult, dirty or taxing the task may be. We pray for strength, rest, a diligent spirit and a healthy balance that allows us to run this race of serving with endurance. We know that You will be faithful to do all of these things…we know that we can do all things through Christ, because You give us strength.

Please continue to remind us that we do all for Your glory and honor and that we are the vessels that You have chosen to use. Please keep our hearts pure and clean before You and search our hearts so that we do not become puffed up or prideful as we do the work of the ministry.

We thank You for all things and ask that You go before us, Lord. We love You and praise You…we ask that You be magnified in our lives. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Galatians 6:9 (NET)

So we must not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not give up. Pray for those that you serve with in ministry and continue to keep your eyes on Jesus!

Luke 15:10 (HCSB)

I tell you, in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents”

We are at the beginning of that wonderful season of “full-throttle” ministry again! I love this time of year…it all turns into a whirlwind of serving, praying, encouraging and then executing all of the wonderful things that the Lord has laid on the hearts of those in ministry leadership. You serve through fatigue and delirium and have a blast doing each and every task (well maybe not every). Year after year you see the Lord’s faithfulness and it just seems like the best day ever, every single time!

I love that we see Him show up in a spectacular way throughout all of these huge outreaches, filled with ideas, décor, volunteers and so many other elements. But I do wonder if, in our modern lifestyles that think “bigger is better” do we lose sight of how God shows up in the normal, day-to-day ministry?

We are waiting for the Lord in the midst of the Ladies’ Retreat, Christmas Eve Service, Harvest Celebration and other large outreaches; but do you also trust God is showing up in the exact same way during a smaller mid-week service or even in the toddlers class during Children’s Ministry? I think we sometimes go into auto-pilot and miss what the Lord is doing in those smaller things as we make huge plans for Him to really show up on those seemingly “bigger” days.

Please remember that He is there on the days when one person gets saved just as much as He is there on those outreach concert days when 300 people come to know the Lord. He is in that classroom when that sweet little seven year old prays the sinner’s prayer just as much as He is there when a room filled with drug rehab women are giving their lives to the Savior. No matter how many people see Him and how young or old they are, they are blessed and that ministry is blessed.

Be encouraged as you serve in the “everyday” ministry and look for the many ways the Lord shows up in those times…they are the same exact way He shows up during that candlelight service; and we are blessed because we get to be part of that beautiful moment when someone comes to know the Lord!

Make sure that you are praying for the Lord to show up in the “small moments” the same way you pray for Him to show up during those larger ministry outreaches!

1 Samuel 16:7 (NKJV)

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

I love serving in ministry with a variety of people that all have different gifts, different callings and hearts for different people groups that need to hear about Jesus. We have such diversity in the body of Christ and I love that we always have one thing in common even if nothing else about us seems to be in sync. God brings us all together to do the work of the ministry and it truly is a blessing.

I know that sometimes we get so used to certain people and begin to become comfortable with our usual volunteers, their quirks, their styles and their ability to understand us in a specific way. While we love to be able to serve with these people, we must remember that although we love them, God may call you to do something that does not fit their area of ministry. You may need to find another servant of the Lord to come along side you. When this occurs, please keep the above scripture in mind.

Whether we admit it or not, we are typically drawn to people that are most similar to us. Whether they dress like us, got married and the same age as we did, have the same spiritual gifts that we have or have the same type of personality as ours, they give us a sense of comfort, because they “get us”. However, God may be calling you to do something that requires someone to serve with you whose ideas do not look like yours, type of speech does not sound like yours, or they may have a style that is completely opposite of yours.

Now, before you write off Ida and go to your favorite volunteer Sally, please make sure that you are seeking God as you get ready to serve. God is looking at the heart when He calls people to ministry; those that seem most unlikely by your standards are perfect for this calling in God’s eyes.

So, check your heart at the door and make sure that as you lead in ministry, you too are looking at the heart when you serve!

Are you starting/redeveloping/restructuring a ministry and need fellow workers? Make sure that you are seeking the Lord and letting Him pick the right volunteers and servants that truly have the heart for the ministry and not just people you like to be around!

 Psalm 86:12 (HCSB)

I will praise You with all my heart,

Lord my God, and will honor Your name forever.

I love getting the opportunity to operate in the Spiritual Gifts that God has blessed me with as I serve in ministry. My favorite things are organizing and administrating events, and encouraging others as they serve as volunteers or in other forms of leadership. Other times, I get to spend time in prayer with people, which I also just adore! Then there are other parts of ministry that are not my favorite…like staff cleaning days, ew!

Just like in every other part of life, there are parts of ministry that you don’t just naturally enjoy or love doing. Now, this does not make you a bad person, but it does make you human. Nobody loves to do everything, but while we serve we can find ways to give it our all and make those less than fun parts more enjoyable.

Although I did not particularly enjoy cleaning, days I did quite love the people that I got to serve with as I wiped, shined and mopped. This helped me take my eyes off of myself and serve the Lord joyfully as I used this as an opportunity to spend time with people I love. Women’s Ministry may not always have the opportunity to interact with the High School Ministry and Men’s Ministry might not always get to spend time with the people that serve in the Accounting Ministry. Those random moments that take us out of the “norm” of our ministry callings may seem inconvenient at first, but then become some of the best memories we have while serving!

My exhortation to all of us is to give it our all, make every single task we complete an act of worship and praise the Lord with our whole heart as we do the fun things and not so fun things. We will be pleasing in His sight when our hearts and attitudes are in the right place and it will honor His name as we do the work of the ministry!

Colossians 3:23 (HCSB)

Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men.

John 11:13-15 (CEV)

Surrender your heart to God,

turn to him in prayer,

And give up your sins –

even those you do in secret.

Then you won’t be ashamed;

you will be confident and fearless.

I love reading about the women of the Bible that had completely surrendered lives. Lately, I have been completely entranced by the lives of Ruth, Esther and Mary. Each lady demonstrates what godly character should look like on an everyday basis and they are fully devoted to their Lord, not what others may think of their actions and callings. They serve faithfully, walk the path that God has placed for them and seek Him with their whole heart as they do His will.

Ruth left all that was known and familiar to her to follow the path the Lord had in mind. She did not stay in a place of comfort or ease, but went on the journey that God gave to her so that she could be a godly example to us ladies. In her we see a surrendered life, filled with devotion and loyalty to God and family.

Esther took on a calling and surrendered her actual life to be used for the glory of God. Not only did she marry some guy that she did not actually fall in love with, but she also saved her people and went before the king (her husband mind you) to save them, knowing that her life was on the line. She simply said, “If I perish, I perish.” Could you live a life that surrendered to God, trusting and obeying when you had no idea what the outcome would be? We obviously know that she survived, but Esther did not know that as she walked the path God placed before her. What a life of faith and obedience!

Finally, Mary is obviously surrendered to God, calling herself a handmaiden of the Lord; she was willing to take her outward reputation being slandered and tarnished for the ultimate glory of the Lord as she gave birth to our Savior. Could you surrender to the point where people would judge and think ill of you, even if you knew that your calling was of the Lord? Would you risk your outward façade of being a “good girl” to do the will of the Father?

I encourage you to read each of these accounts in the bible (Ruth, Esther and Luke 1) and really ask yourself if you would fully surrender to Godand let Him take hold of your life. Ask Him if you are truly willing relinquish your rights and allow Him to let your life unfold before your eyes for His will and good purpose. He will search your heart and show you the truth; however, if you know the answer is “no” (and it is for most of us), pray throughout the week about how you can surrender certain areas of your life to Jesus and let Him move mightily on your behalf. You may be surprised where He takes you and how your life shines (or sparkles) for the Lord!

Listen to this song (one of my favorite versions) and ask God what you need to surrender to Him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsKw0c7mPhQ