iShineInMinistry

Psalm 48:3 God is in her palaces;

He is known as her refuge.

Psalm 46:5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved...

Before you say, "Oh my gosh, she is totally using these scriptures out of context!" please note that I do know that "her" is referring to Israel. These scriptures also need to refer to us and how people see us as FGGs (Fabulous Girls of God). Don't you want to be known as the girl that loves The Lord by everyone who knows you? Or even by a stranger that you randomly encounter?

When people come to your office for ministry reasons or even just meet you at a cafe for tea, what impression do you want them to have? Is your heart's desire to hear someone say, "she is just full of the joy of The Lord! What faith she has!" Or is the lasting impression you want someone to have more like, "dude, she has expensive taste!"

What do you fill your heart and mind with? These are the things that will come out of your mouth the most. This is why we guard our hearts and also fill our minds with things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report and are full of virtue and praiseworthy. If these are what we focus on- the things of God, this is what we will be known for, by believers and nonbelievers alike!

I love the scriptures above because they remind me that God is everywhere I am...my home, my workplace and the ministries I oversee, my situation (whether good or not so pleasant)... Those passages also remind me to have unshakable faith and be a woman that can't be moved or tossed to and fro by every wave of doctrine. I want God's love to overflow out of me so that others will want to have that joy and ask where it comes from. I want my unsaved friends to say, "oh my gosh, that's the perfect place for you," when I tell them I work at a church and help people every day. I want God to be evident in my life.

Let's delight ourselves in the Lord each day and let Him be in our palaces (or apartments)! Let's be known as ladies that love Jesus, that are always ready to pray and that want lives that praise the Lord and serve Him with gladness.

What lasting impression do you want people to have when they encounter you? What is in the midst of your heart? Your thoughts?

Philippians 2:14-15 KJV

Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

There are seven things coming at you all at once- a ministry outreach, a mission trip, retreat planning, a memorial service, a meeting in five minutes, someone giving you a task to complete and someone just got transferred to your phone line because they are in need of prayer for their struggling marriage! There is never a dull moment in full-time ministry, someone or something is always placed before you. In all of these occurrences, you somehow need to find time to tend to your personal devotional time and possibly even eat lunch during the day...it all seems so difficult to take in. But be joyful in the fact that God has counted you faithful to be in this calling, no matter how incredibly hectic it can feel.

Talking to that same person for the sixth time in a week about the same struggle can get discouraging. Forgetting to put the handouts on the tables for the morning Bible study can temporarily frustrate you. Leaving your passport on the kitchen counter and realizing it after you have already reached the airport for your mission trip may be an aggravating moment, but don't lose heart. Do the things God called you to with a happy and content heart, so that the vision to reach a lost and dying world is always what directs your heart and in turn allows you to shine bright for Jesus in each situation that comes upon you.

When you are at a loss, take a moment, stop and pray. Don't complain, get annoyed or blame-shift in these moments. Tame your tongue and keep your flesh out of the mix of your ministering. Get your eyes on things above. Don't allow all the things that are going on to get your heart hardened or turn your attitude south. Remember that you are called for such a time as this to be that humble, ready vessel that gives glory to God. Let these frustrations be another opportunity to show your character, one that is pleasing to God, has the fruit of the spirit of self-control and stays the course as you cling to God.

Galatians 6:9 KJV

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Are you getting tired and frustrated? Are you losing hope because you feel like there is too much to do? Are you starting to complain or get flustered with others? How do you guard against these things when ministry gets too fast and busy?

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9

Life in full-time ministry brings with it a whole new understanding of clinging to Jesus at all times. When you constantly have the opportunity to pour into the lives of people around you, counsel, pray, help and reach out to a lost and dying world, you have to make sure you are full of Jesus; otherwise you run the risk of giving people more of you rather than more of the Savior.

Learning and growing with Jesus allows Him to stir up spiritual gifts and give you an opportunity to be used in ways you never thought possible. Yet it always seems as though your world flips upside down as soon as you feel comfortable with the calling that God has placed on your life for full-time ministry. Thus, the cycle begins again as you step into a new aspect of ministry, where you cling desperately to the Lord, hoping that He gets you through each moment and you in turn bless any and everyone you meet.

I think it’s funny that our natural reaction to a new season, new position or a new opportunity seems to be fear. We get nervous, anxious and scared about what could potentially be in store for us and then doubt the God who has called us for such a time as this. The best and most effective way to ever tackle anything ministry throws our way is…prayer!

Mathew 7:7-8

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

We need to ask and allow God to give us wisdom and understanding. We need to seek the Lord and all of His ways so that we know what path to take and how to glorify Him in everything that we do. We have to knock until that open door of ministry is open and a divine appointment is right there waiting for us! The best and first place to always start is with our Lord and Savior. How else can we do what He has asked us unless He guides the way?

The maker of the universe wants to be in the midst of every situation, every opportunity to share a testimony, every Bible study you teach, every retreat that you put on and every part of His working in and through our lives. With that truth in mind, what on earth could we possible be afraid of? If He is there, going before us, giving us instruction and telling us how to do the things that He has shown us to do, what do we really have to fear? He is there; He is everywhere. He will make a way in those times that look impossible. He will give the right answer in the middle of that counseling session. He will give that extra measure of strength when you are jet-lagged and depleted of energy on that mission trip.

Be courageous because of the fact that the Lord our God is with us, no matter what we face in ministry. Trust in Him always and see what a little faith can do as He works.

Are you facing a particularly difficult time in ministry? Are you nervous about some new things God has shown you to do? Are you feeling ill equipped? Pray and ask God to help you see clearly as He directs you in this time.

Philippians 1:6

being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

I love the joy of serving in full-time ministry at a church, being able to see, interact and intercede for the people of God all day, every day. I love talking to the youth and young women, I love reading Bible stories to toddlers or cuddling a teething baby...or sharing a scripture just when someone needs it. I also love that I don't have to be perfect to serve at the church...because I so am NOT perfect at all!

Sometimes it seems as if people want their church workers to be these prefect people that say the right thing, pray the perfect prayer and always look like nothing bad could possibly go wrong in their lives. This unrealistic expectation can cause two major issues- pressure to perform for the person working in full-time ministry as well as a person in ministry who seems like they can't relate to anyone that has real-life issues.

How can someone that never has trials meet you where you are in your situation? How can someone that is "perfect" all the time show compassion for the sin someone perpetually struggles with? A transparent ministry member that shows they depend on and rely on the same God as everyone else is the one that impacts more for Christ. That person is real, sincere and genuine; she (or he) is someone that you can tell is a work in progress, but one that also trusts in The Lord with all her (or his) heart.

As you continue in the work of the ministry and remember that God is still doing the work in you, encourage others with the fact that you aren't where you used to be, but still have a long way to go on your journey of faith just like they have a long way to go. Be that light that shines love and sincerity as you bless those God puts in your path and run this race with endurance. Be that source of encouragement as you also play the cheerleader in the lives of others seeking The Lord. It's okay that you are the imperfect hands and feet doing the will of God, we all are- otherwise we would not need a Savior. As you love the people of God, show who you really are and Christ continues the good work in your life, you will be that example of one that loves Jesus and serves with sincerity- a transparent person that wants more of God...who gets the blessing of working in full-time ministry. Let people know that you did not get there because you're perfect and you've earned that position, but that you are there because you also know how if feels as God is completing the work until the day of Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:9

not of works, lest anyone should boast.

You're not perfect, but you are in ministry...praise The Lord for His grace as you serve with gladness and do His will.

1 John 4:18

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear… 

This week during the ladies’ bible study that I attend, we talked about how God was willing to be vulnerable and come into the world humble and as a baby to save the world. We discussed His amazing love and what His love should reveal to us and provoke us to as followers of Jesus. I remember thinking in response to Christ’s love, we should love fully, freely, fearlessly, unconditionally and sincerely. God sent Jesus to save the world that He loved and He knew the following things even as His love compelled Him do to this:

1) Some would reject His love and say they did not want Him

2) Some would be completely flighty in their love and it would be conditional based on their present circumstance

3) We all would mess us up often, which would not reflect the same kind of perfect love He showed to us

I know that I get so upset and frustrated when I show someone love and they decide they want nothing to do with me. I wonder if I would still do kind actions even if I knew the outcome would be rejection, rather than appreciation or thankfulness. Sometimes, people do not show their love in a way that makes me feel like they truly love me. I know that my love language is ‘acts of service’. I think about the times people have shown me love through ‘words of encouragement’ and wonder if I was annoyed that their love was not shown in a way that I prefer…

When people wrong us, break promises, lie or do horrific things over and over again, do we still show that same love? This is the kind of love Jesus shows us…ALL THE TIME! When I get annoyed because I do not have a job yet, I am not showing Him love. When I decide I would rather online shop than read His word and I am flighty, He still loves me. When I say something snotty (again), He is still there with kind, loving arms, ready to redirect me to the place that I need to be spiritually. He never decides that He is just done with me because I am not worth it. His perfect love is not only based on if I am “being cooperative” or a “good girl”, He always loves, even when I do not show that love in a selfless way that does not have ulterior motives. I wonder how many times our unloving actions have trampled on the cross of Jesus’ perfect love. I wonder if we realize how incredibly perfect God’s love truly is; He takes us back every single time. I hope that our hearts will choose to love as fully as our Lord’s, even if it means being vulnerable, rejected or ignored sometimes.

Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.

I want to challenge all of us this week to try and love totally unconditionally, even if the love is rejected, we are treated unkindly or if someone continues to make the same mistake over and over again. Record how it makes you feel, then pray to the Lord for a heart that loves Him fully, completely and with total devotion.