iShineInMinistry

Matthew 6:1 (NET)

Be careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven.

We are getting right to the heart of things in July, looking for a complete and total reset as we do the work of the ministry at iShine. We are taking a long, hard look at ourselves and making sure our hearts, minds and motives are in the right place. Last week, as we talked through remaining humble, a thought stuck in my mind as I was volunteering for an event. The question that we must all ask ourselves as we serve is, “Who is this for?”

I know that the answer to this question may seem pretty obvious to us; but we need to really ask ourselves the question, then let God answer. Are the things that we do in ministry for us, for people or for Him? Our sole aim should be to glorify the Lord, even if no one else sees or acknowledges our efforts. We should not do things just to make others happy or to get accolades or show off how wonderful we are, but we should do everything we do because we love Jesus and want to bless His heart as we worship Him with every part of our being. We should not do the bare minimum just to get by or say we were involved; we should have that servant’s heart, that desires to do all for the glory of the Lord and also come alongside our brothers and sisters as they serve and be a help to them (not out of obligation, but out of love).

The verse above speaks of the one that does things just to be seen by others. If your heart is in this place right now, I would encourage you to take a little break and get your eyes back on the Lord and heart back under His submission. He is the one that we want to please in the long run, not our pastors, missionaries, friends or ourselves. As we please the Lord, they receive the benefit, but it should not only be about being a pleaser of man or being popular in our social circles. I hope that you and I will always take the time to see where our heart loyalties truly lie as we serve our heavenly Father.

Philippians 4:11-12 (NKJV)

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:

I know how to be abased and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have leaned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and suffer need.

Content: in a state of peaceful happiness

Do you ever have those days when nothing seems to fall into place? You complete five huge tasks just in time to find out that you forgot about three other more important projects? You are sleep-deprived and everyone wants to be around you today…right now! Life seems to be spinning out of control and all you want to do is take a nap. Remember when you were a toddler and all you wanted to do was get out of taking naps? If only we knew then what we know now!

Ministry is constantly moving and the Lord is always doing some amazing new thing that we get the privilege of being part of as we serve Him. We may lose sight of that when we need rest or need resources or want to sit down for just five minutes to catch up on emails. The thing we need to remember is that we should also be content in the hectic times. Yes we may be overwhelmed, but think of the person that could potentially be saved from your diligence for this busy season. Yes we may not have all the funds we need right now, but think of the person that has the Spiritual Gift of giving that may get to step out in faith for the need you have. Yes we may be tired and want to take a nap, but think of how much deeper that sleep will be at the end of the night when the day truly is over.

Let us not lose sight in those times of weakness, because we know that moments where we are abounding are right around the corner. Let us remain content in all ministry moments and let the Lord continue to help us in those times of need…He will give us the strength to continue this calling we have been blessed with!

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV)

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

On this wonderful Sunday I just want to encourage all of us "iShine Ladies" to focus on the cross and the beauty of the Lord's sacrifice. He loves us so much and every opportunity that we are given to be a blessing should be taken with joy.

We get the added bonus of being able to serve in full-time ministry during this amazing time of year...do not take this fabulous blessing for granted! Have a wonderful Sunday and be blessed as you walk in His plans for your life as you faithfully serve Him. Happy Resurrection Day!!

Listen to this fantastic song and be blessed by the goodness of our Savior!

http://youtu.be/-79joJJOdQs

Hearts and Hugs,

Jacquelynn Marie��

Proverbs 16:3 (NET)

Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

I love making to-do lists – on my iPhone notes app, on cute stationary, on fun notepads and pretty much anything that is nice looking with a pink pen! I especially enjoy putting a check next to the things that I have finished. Right now, however, I find myself being so busy that my list cannot dwindle down my list before I have to add five more additional tasks. I feel like my life is becoming one endless litany of duties to accomplish and this feels like a bottomless pit, not like a lot of fun. Usually in particularly busy times of life I am able to find a bright side to all the mayhem, taking place in my life. Today, all I want is to take a nap and put on frumpy clothes. Of course what I want to do will not allow me to cross anything off of the list, so I feel like it is not really an option for me.

When we have overly busy moments of life we need to get on our knees before the Lord and place everything before Him. He will direct us and help our hearts to know what things are truly the most important and how to proceed with every duty staring us in the face. He will show us how to prioritize, delegate and hold off on certain things so that all we do is pleasing to Him.

Let us make sure that all we do is pleasing to the Lord and that we let Him establish the things He truly called us to do in this life of ministry.

Colossians 3:17 (HCSB)

And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Psalm 5:11

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;

Let them ever shout for joy…

Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You.

This week completely filled me with joy and anticipation as I listened to Christmas music, decorated my apartment, did a little shopping and attended Christmas festivities. Of course everything culminated with Christmas day, which was also my first Christmas in New York. The lights in the city were beautiful and I enjoyed afternoon tea at a nice hotel by Central Park. Then I watched Christmas movies for the duration of the evening. Now Christmas is over and I still want to watch movies, listen to the music of the season and not let go of all the wonderful things that make Christmas feel enchanted. The one thing that does remain after the Christmas tree comes down and the presents have all been unwrapped is the fact that Jesus is still with us and will always be with us!

We do not have to limit our excitement about Christmas to December. We should celebrate the blessing that is our Lord and Savior every single day of the year. We should sing praises, bless others, have abundant joy flowing out of us and live each and every day as if it is December 25th! How much more exciting would our lives be if this was our mindset every moment? How much more fruitful would our ministries be if we truly lived every day like it was Christmas Day? What if we were always filled with joy, anticipating amazing things from the Lord and always had the desire to bless those we come in contact with? How joyful and amazing our lives would be.

Maybe you don’t need to keep the lights up, listen to Christmas music or buy more gifts; nevertheless, you can still have that unexplainable joy that comes with this time of year. I hope we can all keep the light shining in everything we do even though December 25th has come and gone. Let us ask God to keep refilling us with His Spirit, gladness and delight even when it is no longer the most wonderful time of year!

Are you having post-Christmas blues now that December 25th is over? Keep the joy of the season all year long and ask God to show you how to bless those around you after Christmas is over.