Friday, April 17, 2009

Intentional Ministry

Holy Land Trip, Day 2 and 3: Intentional Ministry
It's been three weeks since my trip to Israel with our pastor. One of the things that has continued to reverberate in my mind is the distance between the stories we read in the Bible. Yes, I mean the physical, foot-to-the-path distance over rocky, uneven, ground that Jesus traveled. As our guide so eloquently described, it took Jesus 3-5 days of walking and riding on a donkey or camel to reach Caeserea/Philippi from Galilee. It would take 5-8 days to reach Jerusalem. So what did Jesus do while he was traveling from place to place? Through towns and villages, populated paths, and quiet places to rest and eat? He did ministry. 

Think about it. There is a lot of undocumented time during Jesus' life. Time he spent traveling, eating, resting, talking--and ministering to everyone in his path.

What about us? What do we do every day as we're traveling from place to place, from our lunch meeting to a school function to church? Are we doing ministry? So many times in our life we want to wait until we have enough time to do "ministry." One day we're going to volunteer with this organization or have time to join that ministry outreach. When the kids are grown or when life slows down or when we have more money to give. If you take this approach, you'll never have the opportunity to impact someone's life. Ministry isn't about a program or a planned event. It's about having an intentional, compassionate heart toward those God places in our path. We're called to do ministry as we go through each day of our lives.  

Do you have a friend or colleague who is hospitalized? Is there someone in your neighborhood who needs a helping hand? Could you encourage your child's teacher, your pharmacist, or your bank teller? 

The earthly ministry of Jesus lasted three short years. But think about all the people who were impacted by an encounter with him. Most of us will have much more than three years of opportunities on this earth. I pray you spend them engaged in ministry--wherever you go. Maybe you'll have the opportunity to share about the one that has given you HOPE and a future.  Slow down and look for those opportunities around you. Be intentional about it. 

"Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers."
Galatians 6:9-10





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