A Letter To Those In Ministry
First, thank you for your heart to serve the Lord and your obedience toward Him. I don’t know where your journey has taken you or how you found your way here, but I am praying for God to encourage you as you walk out your calling. For those in the beginning stages of ministry to those who have been around for years and years – Take Heart! Jesus is for you and He’s sees you. He sees the time and effort that you are putting in for the glorification of His holy name. Jesus also sees the enemy who comes against you to discourage you from walking out the plan and calling that He has for your life. He desires that you will hold on to the the truth of His word, dressing yourself in the armor He has given you (Ephesians 6:10-18) and remembering that He who is in YOU is greater than he that is in the world. (I Jn :4)
God has called you into ministry for a specific purpose. He called you, specifically, to your calling, no one else. He has task for you in this world that are unique and personal to the talents and abilities which He has woven into the fabric of your being. He will take all that you have experienced and your situations and He will use them for His kingdom work. Serving the Lord is the highest privilege and honor, we must look at it as such. We must cherish our calling in this world, knowing that we serve a God who is doing far more than we can ask or imagine! So often I am undone by the grace of God to call me into ministry, and I am equally undone by the way He sustains me, guides me, and equips me. When was the last time you just reflected on the great things the Lord has done for you? How He has carried you through challenges in your ministry, how He has has empowered you through your personal relationship with Him. This process of reflecting on God’s provision and care in our lives is so critical to fueling our faith. 1 Samuel 12:24 is a great verse to add to our memory bank:
“Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart.
For consider what great things he has done for you.”
1 Samuel 12:24
We are not called to serve flatly but to serve Him faithfully, worship Him with reverence, and love Him with all of our heart. It is when our deepest desire is aligned to do the will of God that our cups will run over with joy. If you are on fire for the Lord – fan those flames, don’t let the fire go out. Blaze a beautiful trail for those coming behind you and listen with an eager ear to the wisdom that has gone before you.
If you are in a difficult season, either struggling personally or in your ministry role I want to encourage you to remember your first love, the Lord, and be encouraged by this word from Him, “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9) Do not grow weary in your calling friend, just give your burden to the Lord and let Him lighten your load. Keep sowing seeds to the Spirit and not to the flesh. Do not loose faith in God’s plan or His ability to use you right were your at. You have no idea how God will use your faithfulness to Him. Unfortunately, and far too often, we try to make up God’s mind for Him as if we are the ones that are all knowing. The Jews of Haggai’s day faced this struggle. They were not inspired to build the temple. They were too focused on the the glory of the previous temple to even consider how God might use the one they were commissioned to build after exile. What they couldn’t see was that the temple God called them to build would be the very temple where the Messiah would teach and heal people. If only the people of Haggai’s day realized what they were truly building the temple for perhaps they would have been more encouraged to get the work done. The point is don’t put limitations on what God can do with your service when you are faithful to Him.
Trust Him more than ever, depend on Him every day, seek Him for each decision, and love Him with your whole self. The Lord is doing great things!