Does your ministry bring you joy? Your ministry may be in your local church, community, or your place of work. You may teach a class or sing in the choir. Perhaps you help families in need or serve meals at a homeless shelter. We are all hopefully ministering in one way or another.
Many years ago a Bible teacher shared a lesson with our class that I will always remember. He based his teaching on John 15:8-11. He told us that if we are living for the Lord and serving where He has truly called us, we will bring God glory, bear fruit, and be full of joy.
I taught middle and high school math at the time and decided to pray about this and seek direction from the Lord. Although I believed teaching was the ministry God called me to, it was possibly time to leave and serve Him in a new capacity. Hopefully, I still bore fruit and glorified the Lord, but I no longer had any joy in doing it. After I prayed and sought counsel, I decided it would be my final year to teach.
To serve the Lord in my local church has been a blessing for me. In the past, I’ve taught classes, been a part of the choir and worship team, and written for our church blog. These ministries allowed me to share my love for the Lord.
Currently, I facilitate a Bible study at work and am in training to co-facilitate a class at my church. In writing, I share the hope I’ve found in Christ. I desire to encourage personal growth in others as they seek to strengthen their relationship with the Lord. I also long to glorify God in all I do—to reveal the Lord through my life and ministry.
Where are you currently serving the Lord? If you are not glorifying the Lord by bearing fruit, or if you are not experiencing joy in your serving, maybe it’s time to pray and ask the Lord for a new area of service. Look around. Opportunities abound. Ministry should impact those you serve and be rewarding for you as well.
“This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:8-11 NIV).