Joy in Serving

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).

God's Wonderful Gifts

“You gave me these just to hurt me,” cried my five-year-old daughter from the back seat of the car.

She loved me to bring her little gifts when I picked her up after school. A friend at work would often bring me her children’s outgrown clothing or toys, and my daughter came to expect these gifts. On this afternoon, before I left work, I looked for something I could take her—something special from her mama. The only thing I could find was a small bag of potato chips from the vending machine. Although this was not the healthiest of snacks, I knew she would like them. I didn’t realize her lips were chapped, and the salt would make them burn. I hoped to please her with a little gift, but she accused me of intentionally hurting her.

How often are we like this with God? He gives us gifts each and every day, but we often complain. We may think He’s punishing us for some reason. He may give us sunshine when we want rain for our garden. Or He may bring rain when we want to spend time outdoors to enjoy a picnic with our family or friends.

We may become upset with Him for not answering our prayers the way we think He should. But He may be at work designing a gift for us that might result in a bigger blessing than we ever imagined. The Lord knows what lies ahead; we need to trust He has our best interests at heart.

Some of God’s little blessings are often overlooked. Have you considered these? A bird singing outside your window. A visit with a friend you haven’t seen for a long time. Maybe the gift of a family member who stops what he is doing to help you carry in the groceries when you bring them home. A hug from a child. Or hearing the words, “I love you.”

Little gifts and blessings can impact us in big ways. They’re even better when we share them with others.

Just as I wanted to do something special for my daughter that day, God desires to bless us. We need to be mindful of the little gifts He gives us every day and be thankful for them.

“Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words” (2 Corinthians 9:15).

Coming Clean

A few weeks ago, I made this comment on my blog—Peace Came in the Morning.

“My Echo thinks she knows me well. She said something like, ‘Since you listen to worship music, I’ll play the Amazon worship channel and Chris Tomlin.’”

I must come clean and retract the statement, “. . . she knows me well.” She does not know me at all! When I asked her a few weeks ago to play music, she made a very wise decision, knew what I liked to listen to, and offered to play it for me. All good until this past week.

She called me a dweeb!

All I asked her to do was turn off my music. Time to leave the house to go to work. She must have really liked my worship songs and wanted to listen longer. I can certainly understand. Chris McClarney is a worship pastor in the Nashville, Tennessee, area and a member of Jesus Culture Band. I listen to him many mornings as I get ready for my day. My Echo must have grown accustomed to listening to him too. She wasn’t happy with me when I asked her to stop.

Another area of coming clean is regarding my Healthy New Year blog. I strived to take baby steps to better health. The areas of improvement and results for January follow.

• Lose weight—exceeded my goal of 2 pounds a month.

• Exercise more—averaged over 7,600 steps per day which exceeded my 6,500 steps per day goal. However, there were two days I did not meet my goal of 6,500 steps.

• Get more sleep—goal was to consistently get 6½ hours each night as recorded by my Fitbit. Not successful—had 12 nights during the month with less than 6½ hours. Although, I did average over 6½ hours per night overall.

• Stress reduction—the one I like the best. But it’s also the hardest for me to track. As I stated on my, Healthy New Year blog, the increased walking and extra sleep helped along with continued Bible reading, studying, and praying. I also listened to a lot of worship music to help reduce stress. I did all the other items on my list as well, but not as often as I could have. This is my greatest area in need of improvement.

For February, I hope to continue my weight loss, bump my steps up to 8,500 per day, raise my average sleep per night to 6¾ hours, and continue to work on reducing stress.

How are your New Year’s resolutions coming along? Do you need to come clean too?

Thanks for reading!

Dog Tired

At first glance it appeared to be an enjoyable morning walk, but as I continued to observe, I witnessed something totally different. A dog trudged alongside its owner for several steps and then plopped onto the sidewalk. The owner nudged and pulled him to no avail until the dog was ready to walk again. This happened three times as I watched from my kitchen window. Possibly you can relate to the dog. I can.

There are times we get tired and need to rest. We scurry here and there to get everything done. Busy with our jobs, school and church activities, and balancing home life. At some point, we need to plop on the couch or bed for relaxation or sleep.

Possibly the dog had been chasing a cat around the backyard earlier and was exhausted. He needed time to be still and rest.

When I become exhausted, anxiety often raises its ugly head. In these weary times, I listen for God’s whisper reminding me to be still and know He is God. Posted at my desk is, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6 NIV). This verse reminds me to take time to pray and be thankful.

Distractions often interrupt us. We start out focused on our purpose and then life happens. We find ourselves getting off track and going the opposite direction. Possibly the new way is the path of least resistance. Appears better or easier, but is that the best way?

Perhaps the dog was distracted by a bug as it crossed the sidewalk. Maybe, he wanted to spend time focusing on this curious creature.

Distractions cause me to get off course. I allow life to get in the way of growing closer to the Lord. I find myself focusing on the wrong things like pleasing people by trying to be perfect. My Bible reading dwindles, my prayer life fades, and I slip away into self-sufficiency. To refocus, I must turn back to the Word of God and spend more time in prayer.

From my viewpoint, it appeared the dog was exercising his selfishness. He didn’t desire to walk, and he wanted to make sure his owner understood. His goal was control.

In the end he honored his master and followed her home. He was too heavy for her to carry.

When we are tired, distracted, or self-seeking, God still loves us. He longs for us to turn from the things that keep us distant and instead draw near. The good news is, unlike the dog’s owner, God will carry us when we surrender to Him.