This Season May Be About “Ministry”
Following God’s lead, looks like this for me for a few days (see photos). I’m here in Austin on a “ministry” call to see after my youngest grandson for a couple of days before his big brother gets home from camp up in Seattle, and then we’ll have Nana/Bryson/Brennan fun for a couple of days before their Mom and Dad get back home.
I don’t call it a “duty” call, because a “duty” call sounds like an obligation. A “ministry” call is an honor and an important mission to serve. I know that “ministry” typically has a vocational meaning (pastors, ministers, missionaries, priests, etc.). But out of all of our devotion to Christ and our love for others, He asked us to serve alongside Him. “Ministry” comes from the Greek word diakoneo, which means “to serve”. Jesus provided the pattern for Christian ministry—He came, not to receive service, but to give it. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45
We know, intuitively, that we are to love and serve. That’s what Mark 10:45 is all about. Jesus did not merely come as another prophet or teacher or philosopher. He came to do two things. One: to give His life as a ransom for many. And He came, secondly, to serve His disciples so that His disciples will serve others.
As a young Mom and wife, my early-on “ministry” was to tend to my family’s needs, raising them up in a Godly and loving home. My family was my first “ministry”. “Ministry” was my mission for many years as I was the caregiver for my precious mother. She lived with us for many years, and after that, she lived in a Senior Apartment Complex where I visited and/or called her daily, took care of her in sickness and in health, and helped her make life decisions. “Ministry” was my mission when my precious husband became seriously ill and I was his 24/7 nurse and caregiver. I never assumed those roles as obligations or duties – it was a season of “following God’s lead” and responding with “Here am I. Send me. Use me.”
This present season has afforded me the rich rewards of serving and praying for my family — supporting them and when asked, give my advice and wisdom. It’s also a season of loving and supporting my friends and others who need an encouraging word and even practical servitude. I find that Facebook is another area of “ministry” to be on the daily assignment of giving fresh words from God’s heart to mine, to yours. I don’t take my assignments or opportunities to serve, lightly. And, I don’t do what I do in my own strength because as I said yesterday and re-emphasize today….I’m following my LEADER. He leads. I follow. He serves. I serve. How about you?