iShineInMinistry

James 4:17 (NKJV)

Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

I consider myself to be pretty in shape, even though my physical appearance would not immediately lead you to believe such. I work out multiple times a week, have a very active lifestyle and love to run and find other fun ways to burn calories. While my constant state of movement is a great attribute for staying healthy, I must admit…I HATE strength training. Until about three weeks ago, I had not done any strength training in over three years! I would work out up to six days a week, having a grand old doing cardio workouts and breeze by the weights, machines and other equipment. I figured, how bad could that be?

Fast forward a to few weeks ago with me trying to do bicep curls and planks…and struggling BADLY. I used to be able to do a 5-minute plank with no problem; now one minute is actually difficult for me. All the cardio workouts I completed led me to believe that I would probably still balance out health-wise since I was not doing the other needed exercise; that theory did not work! Now, I might as well be back at square one, trying to get back to a place where my friends can once again call me “workout Barbie”!

The funny thing about coming to terms with my out of shape-ness was what God showed me spiritually speaking. We can go to church, serve in ministry and think that our relationship with the Lord will just “balance out” even though we stop reading our bibles and praying. Or we can pray and listen to Christian music all the time and think that balances out the fact that we haven’t attended church in five years! Can I just tell all of us…it will never balance out!

In the same way that I need to do all parts of my workout to stay healthy, we need to apply all parts of ourselves to worshipping the Lord. We can’t tithe and think it will balance out the habitual/life-dominating sin we commit. We can’t overdo something to make up for what we don’t do; it just does not work that way. The scripture above even tells us that if we know what we should do and don’t do it, we are sinning! That is not a place any of us want to be in. So, let’s all ask God to show us those places we are neglecting or trying to balance out with something else and surrender it to Him - letting Him do a work in our hearts and minds as we grow in our faith. We will be glad that we did, even though the first few weeks may not feel so great (just like my bicep curls), but in time, we will be blessed and filled with Him!!

James 1:4 (NET)

And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything.

Are you trying to balance out an area of your relationship with God? If so, ask Him to help you fully commit to doing His will, no matter what the cost. Have someone hold you accountable if need be, you will be glad you did!!

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,