Galatians 5:13
For you have been called to live in freedom---not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love.
The dreaded "M" word.
We use it when referencing a pastor or someone who holds a leadership position within the church.
We use when someone has initials and college degrees after their name.
The "M" word.
The scourge of the common, everyday, garden-variety believer. The Lay person who goes to church.
What is the "M" word?
MINISTER or MINISTRY.
Use of such words are reserved for those who have truly been called by God, right?
Nope.
Such words should fall into and become the backbone of every believer's daily speech.
We are called, by God, to minister.
Minster means to serve. Simple isn't it?
Serve someone.
It doesn't have to be a group thing, in fact, is shouldn't be a group thing that requires huge amounts of planning and money and time and effort and whew! I'm tired.
It should be as simple as seeing a need and then addressing it.
Your at Walmart (or the place of your choice) and you see someone struggling with their groceries...you go over and ask, "May I help you?" You have just ministered to someone.
Sometimes, ministry or serving takes on an unusual appearance.
We use to do what is referred to as Servant Evangelism. In other words, you looked for a way to fulfill a simple need that you could do for others for the simple reason to show then God's love. It was never about promoting your church or your ministry. It wasn't about getting publicity and your name out there so people would know. It was about performing a simple act of kindness and letting that person know that God loves them and so do you.
We would ice down soft drinks and then on the hottest days, go through the parking lot of the establishment we had chosen, and pass out free drinks to the people who came there to shop. We weren't soliciting anything or trying to get anyone to join anything. It was amazing the stories we heard as we spent a couple of hours passing out the drinks. People would ask for prayer, and we got an opportunity to pray over them and for them. People would want to donate money, which we lovingly turned down. Such a simple think as a free soft drink caused everyone who received to stop and think about what had just happened.
To minister is simply to serve in the name of the Lord.
To go and give away from you time, your talent and yes....even your money, to meet a need.
It is simply God loving us and, in turn, us loving those we come in contact with.
To demonstrate in a tangible form the love of God to those who may not have ever received it. How cool is that?
I think maybe God is stirring us to remember and return to that place of serving.
God on you....
mb
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