Good Morning Ministers of the Lord, Co-Laborers in Christ! That is you and we are united in Christ and gathered and then sent to minister together. We are all custom made for custom purposes which includes being unique ministers. Have you ever thought about that? We are gifted to spur each other on. That's ministry. We are created as prayer warriors and we all are called to pray. That's ministry. We are called to be givers--ministry. We are called to make disciples--ministry. We are called to lead, teach, sing, clean, mow--ministry. What's your ministry or ministries? We all have at least one we are gifted and empowered to do. And it's our role too in God's Good News Delivery Co. We all need each other! And we are all ministers. Check out the I to We devo about this. This is one of my big prayer requests--that we all discover and step into our roles, purposes and ministries and that we train others to take over for us someday as we make disciple making disciples of Jesus and as we become a House of Prayer for the Nations. Amen!
ODB discusses having a generous heart and doing good as we bless others. Hey, that's ministry! But I am going to include the Hebrews passage tied to it to contemplate prayerfully as well right here. Think about this passage because I do often. Your church leaders and pastors are going to be held accountable to a higher standard. That is part of what drives me to keep pushing to expand the kingdom, become a House of Prayer, become disciple makers and try new things. And we need your prayers and help to make our ministries a joy. Sometimes, especially when we are forging ahead or lagging behind or we are getting complaints and pressure, it's not always a joy. But for the most part, my call to pastor St. Matts and serving with you is a joy. Just realize that sometimes we push because of the higher accountability we will face. One of the most important questions I am facing and we all must is are we doing what we can with what we've been given? Our we stewarding our lives and God's blessings well? We need to do that before we move on to new things. I think many of us are and as a church as well. Let's keep at it--doing what we can with what we've been given. And remember we also do serve a miracle working God that provides as we go and grow. Amen! TWFYT has been discussing the crowns we can receive and
's ties to pastors and minister as well. What's God say into you as you engage with it? What might He want you to do about all of this? Pray and process with your teammates. God's got great custom plans just for you--minister! I'm praying for you and us! Join me!
One last thing to remember and embrace--abide before fruit and work from rest and this too...
Hebrews 13:15-21
15 Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. 16 And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.
17 Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.
18 Pray for us, for our conscience is clear and we want to live honorably in everything we do. 19 And especially pray that I will be able to come back to you soon.
20 Now may the God of peace—
who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus,
the great Shepherd of the sheep,
and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—
21 may he equip you with all you need
for doing his will.
May he produce in you,[a]
through the power of Jesus Christ,
every good thing that is pleasing to him.
All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.
I to We
ODB
A Generous Heart
Do not forget to do good and to share with others. Hebrews 13:16
When soccer star Sadio Mané from Senegal was playing for Liverpool in the English Premier League, he was one of the world’s highest-paid African players, making millions of dollars per year. Fans spotted a picture of Mané carrying an iPhone with a cracked screen and joked about him using the damaged device. His response was unflustered. "Why would I want ten Ferraris, twenty diamond watches, and two jet planes?” he asked. “I starved, I worked in the fields, played barefoot, and didn't go to school. Now I can help people. I prefer to build schools and give poor people food or clothing. . . . [Give] some of what life has given me."
Mané knew how selfish it would be to hoard all his prosperity when so many of his neighbors back home struggled under crushing conditions. Hebrews reminds us that this generous way of life is for all of us, not only for those who are wealthy. “Do not forget to do good and to share with others,” the writer says, “for with such sacrifices God is pleased” (13:16). Nurturing a generous heart isn’t only the right thing to do, but according to Scripture, generosity also makes God smile. Who doesn’t want to make God pleased?
Generosity isn’t defined simply by how much we give. Instead, generosity refers to the posture of our heart. One thing we can do that’s “pleasing to [God]” (v. 21) is to simply open our hands and share what we have.
By Winn Collier
REFLECT & PRAY
How have you shown generosity? What helps you cultivate a generous heart?
Dear God, thank You for the generous heart You’ve shown me. Please help me to be generous too.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
The letter to the Hebrews is anonymous. This, however, hasn’t prevented centuries of scholarly speculation as to the identity of the author, which includes Paul, Luke, Apollos, as well as Barnabas, Priscilla, Silas, and Philip the evangelist. While human authorship can be debated, the divine authorship of the Holy Spirit is unquestioned. The audience for the letter was Jewish believers who’d been through great hardship and were in danger of abandoning their faith in Jesus the Messiah due to their struggles. This letter encourages them to keep on believing and trusting in God, with a series of warnings to that effect (2:1-3; 3:7–4:11; 6:4-6; 12:25-26). To encourage them, the author sets out to show the superiority of Jesus over everything—angels, Moses, Joshua, the priesthood, the sacrificial system, and more. And not only is He superior; He’s also the model of true sacrifice and generosity. As we practice generosity, we reflect His heart.
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