Set Your Sights On Things Above
We so quickly get our eyes off God. Let's get back into
perspective.
perspective.
9/6/2013
Living To ServeFor years our family's service to God has been centered within the four walls of our local church. By that I mean teaching on Sundays, bus ministries on Saturdays and Sundays, outreach ministries like Reformers Unanimous meeting at our church on the weekends, and helping with the church's Christian day school during the week. But things have changed for us in the last few years, so that now, out of family necessity, I mainly minister from home. At first I felt terrible, not having as much to do on Sundays as I have in the past. This wasn't my choice, I didn't fall away from God or refuse to help out. However, I did realize that for years I had equated serving in the church with serving God. If I taught a Sunday school class, I was serving God. If I wasn't needed in the class any longer, then I wasn't serving God any more. If I worked in a bus ministry, I was serving God. If it wasn't my week on the bus, I wasn't serving God then. If I was a youth worker with the teens, then I was serving God. If we moved, and I wasn't a youth worker any longer, then I wasn't serving God at the new place. See a pattern? What does it mean to 'serve God', anyway? As the full-time caregiver for my husband's grandmother and the homeschooler of our six children, I'm kept busy right here within the four walls of our home. I've found though, that this constitutes ministry as well. By raising my children according to God's plan, I prayerfully am making disciples of God out of them. By caring for Granny, I'm ministering to her. Dusting, vacuuming, mopping, scrubbing, organizing, and even cooking - it's all ministry when it's being done for my family. Yes, I do bake at times, and yes this is bread I made - we even ate it. Awesome stuff! I am in no way advocating doing less for God. In fact, I'd argue that I'm saying do more for God. I need to think of everything I do in terms of a service to God.
Grocery store - maybe God wants me to buy some food for a needy family. What about the person helping you in the checkout line? They could use a tract, certainly a kind word and a smile would brighten anyone's day. Taking the bus to work - strike up a conversation with fellow passengers. Yes, it can be done, and it can be fruitful. I know a lovely, older couple who do just that. They take the bus everywhere around town, and wherever they go, they bring God into each conversation. The dentist's office - yes, really. Dentists need God, too, right? Leave a few tracts with the magazines. Talk about my church to the dental assistant and the dentist. Sweeping the floor of my living room - yes, cleaning house. Cleaning house enables me to invite people over, to have Christian hospitality opens the door to being a good testimony to them. How about just saying 'Hi' to a visitor at church? This is a biggie. We're serving God just by greeting a visitor, and getting to know them. Ask if they're from the area. Ask how they heard of the church. Tell them your name. Tell them a little about your family, or about where you're from. I'm still active in our local church, we are there whenever the doors are open, whenever we can be. We support and love our church family. I've just found that my 'official' ministry is centered more in my home right now. But it's made me realize that really, my ministry is whatever I am currently doing. My ministry is my life. My life is my ministry. |
AuthorI'm Sherry Chamblee, aspiring author of Christian fiction, mom of six, wife to a cool dude, and caregiver to his granny. Besides that, I am just little old me - it's just a phrase, I'm not really old, honest. Check out my new release!
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