Greetings to you in the name of our Almighty Lord, Jesus Christ. I cannot praise the Good Lord enough. I have seen Him working in my life so clearly lately through many different opportunities. He is teaching the ministry of just being available to people. The past couple weeks I have found myself in multiple situations where simply because of my position in the church and being available for anyone to walk up to and talk to, I have the opportunity to talk with people about their faith. I have had a couple different people simply walk into the church seeking a pastor. Some times those type of opportunities scare me simply because you know nothing about the person's background, faith, or what type of struggles they are going through. However, the last couple have been very positive. Our church does Ruby's Pantry which is a food distribution. It is open for anyone to come partake, but you can tell a majority of the people who come are struggling. It is an awesome chance to give people about hundred bucks worth of food for twenty dollars. I have jumped in and added it to part of my job description. Part of what I do is a prayer with the volunteers and then a devotion with the people who are there to receive food. I have done this the last two months, and both months after my devotions I simply stayed up front to be accessible. I was surprised when both months people would come up and talk to me, ask me questions about the church, and take advantage of me being there. Then this last month, I simply announced that if anyone needs to talk or some special prayers to come see me, and I had a young lady come tell me her story. She was in tears, but it was a chance for me to reaffirm what little faith she had. I also am helping one of the residents of my building who is struggling with some personal issues and needed a favor. The Lord has been opening all kinds of doors for me to use for witnessing opportunity. This has been really good for me, because one of the biggest reasons I wanted to get into the ministry was simply to help people. Whether they are members or not, I have always just wanted to help everyone. Some times, I get so bogged down in my office doing work, I feel like I have no connection to the community or anyone besides the people I see in church on Sunday. However, more and more the Lord has been giving me those opportunities both in and out of church and reassuring me this is exactly what I want to do with the rest of my life.
The other reason I have to give Him so many praises and thanks, is that everything I do, I can see He blesses. I hope that doesn't sound egotistical, because it is supposed to be the exact opposite. I get worried about what I am doing too much. I stress about am I doing enough, am I doing the right things in the right ways. However, He has reminded me time and time again, it isn't about me. And no matter what I do or try, the fact that He is at work through me proves to make it a success. I tried a completely different style of sermon this week. I had a think tank with the people and it was entirely interactive, with the people throwing out suggestions and participating. I was so scared it would be a flop and I would look like an idiot for trying something so stupid. However, it went awesome! All three services got involved and participated. I got a lot of compliments for trying something new and something that got the people so directly involved with it. I know it wasn't me, because I was scared to even try it. God was working through me to doing something different, grab the people's attention, and let His Word be heard and so enthusiastically received by them. I have tried a few other things that some people might have reservations about (including myself), and yet every time He blesses them and works through them. I am humbled and inspired at the same time. So I just want to say thank you Lord. Thank you for giving me so many opportunities to serve, love, and witness to those around me. Thank you for giving me the words to speak in those opportunities. Thank you for working through me, giving me the courage to try new things, and blessing those things. Thank you so much that you are such an awesome God, You can work wonders and the love of Your Son even through such a simple man like me. You are good all the time!!! I love you Lord and thank you. May God bless you and give you opportunities as well. Amen.
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