What kinds of things get in the way of you being involved in different ministries at your church? Is it work? Your family? Feeling inadequate in your knowledge or abilities? Being under the weather?
Life throws a lot at us. It moves at full speed, we have lots of responsibilities, and there are many things vying for our attention. And a lot of these things are really important, I am not saying they aren't. I am also not saying that we need to get everything right and be perfect in what we do. That way leads to a stress filled life dependent on our actions and words. That will never lead to perfection and the pursuit of that by our own strength will drive us crazy.
The key is to keep your eyes and ears open when the Lord is calling you to something. As I have said before, God is not going to place you in a situation where you will not be protected by his grace and mercy. There will be a way to get you through any situation life tends to throw at you.
I am not writing this stuff sitting in judgment. I write down stuff that I have experienced, all my highs and lows. I miss out on lots of opportunities. I have excuses for why I don't take time out to pray, or minister, or lend a helping hand. I don't give God the credit at times as well. I am a seriously flawed, sinful person. God shows me, corrects me in a loving way, and prepares me for the next opportunity. These opportunities to minister I have found help me just as much as the people I would minister to.
I say all this as I was reading about Good Friday in the bible. Jesus is being crucified, not a very pleasant way to die. You're hung on two wooden planks - constantly trying to lift your body to breathe. Eventually, your strength is spent and you suffocate. Couple that with being in the mid-day sun and having nails driven in his hands and feet. So, Jesus is in incredible pain, bleeding, burning in the sun, and struggling to breathe. These are the issues he is contending with. If ever there was a time one couldn't be faulted for thinking about themselves - this would be that time. Yet, even here in his dying moments Jesus takes time to minister those around him.
First off, if I am ever in that situation - I'm going to be pretty selfish. I don't think I would be concerned about anybody else's welfare. As I said earlier, I can find all sorts of excuses as to why not to minister. Luckily for us, Jesus was following his father's will - even to death on the cross. Jesus ministers in five ways while he is on the cross.
#1: His mother and the disciple he loved.
"When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby he said to her 'Woman, here is your son' and to the disciple 'Here is your mother' From that time on, this disciple took her into his home." John 19:26-27
I don't know if many of us can truly understand what Mary is going through as she watches her son die. The pain and helplessness she is facing and the prospect of being alone. There is no mention of her husband, Joseph, or of her other sons and daughters. In that society, Mary is facing the prospect of being put on the edges of society with no means of taking care of herself. She is on the verge of being an outcast and alone. Jesus takes care of this with what he says in the above passage.
#2: His enemies.
"Jesus said 'Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing'" Luke 23:34
In the presence of his enemies, Jesus asks the Father to forgive them. Maybe they were blessed by this, maybe some turned and repented - we are not told this. This provides us a template for what we need to do for our enemies. We are to pray for them. Maybe they will turn from their path. It also shows that we are to forgive even when they aren't asking for forgiveness. None of these people were telling Jesus they were sorry for this. Yet, Jesus still asked that they be forgiven.
#3: The other criminals. In Luke 23:39-43 we read the familiar story of the other two criminals on the crosses. One criminal insulted Jesus to save himself and them. The other criminal rebukes his fellow criminal and acknowledges their just punishment. He also sees Jesus for what he is.
He recognizes Jesus is being executed unjustly. He asks Jesus to remember him when he comes to his kingdom. Isn't that our prayer also? That Jesus would know us and remember us? Sometimes, we can feel adrift and losing our way in the world.
Jesus assures this criminal with the words "Truly I tell you , today you will be with me in paradise". I picture Jesus turning his head with a smile while he tells this to the criminal. What a sense of peace this criminal had. This is what we long to hear from Jesus when our time comes to an end.
#4: The centurions.
"When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed 'Surely he was the Son of God'" Matthew 27:54
Wow!!! I do not know what they did following this moment or the rest of their lives, but this surely shook up their outlook on life. The way Jesus died and acted had a profound effect on these men. I imagine this wasn't their first execution they witnessed, so for this reaction to occur they saw something in Jesus. It is the same reaction we have when we first truly meet Jesus.
#5: All of us.
This was the entire purpose of Jesus' ministry. To stand in our place for the punishment of our sin. The scene on the cross was Jesus taking what we justly deserved. This was God's plan to bring reconciliation between Himself and mankind. Without this and Jesus' resurrection, we would have no future and with it no hope. Our lives would be utterly meaningless without this selfless action.
This should inspire all of us and whatever ministries we are involved in. Jesus in all his suffering still reached out and touched lives. We can find all sorts of excuses to not get involved as I mentioned earlier. They seem so trivial compared to what Jesus went through - and he still didn't stop ministering. Yes, we are not Jesus and will fall short. But, that shouldn't stop us from striving to be like him. We need to look around us the same way Jesus looks at us. People in need of healing, love, grace, and mercy surround us. They may not be our friends, they may even resent what we stand for - but that shouldn't stop us from loving and praying for them. May we look at the example Jesus laid in his ministry all the way to his final moments on the cross. Can we do no less in our lives?
Life throws a lot at us. It moves at full speed, we have lots of responsibilities, and there are many things vying for our attention. And a lot of these things are really important, I am not saying they aren't. I am also not saying that we need to get everything right and be perfect in what we do. That way leads to a stress filled life dependent on our actions and words. That will never lead to perfection and the pursuit of that by our own strength will drive us crazy.
The key is to keep your eyes and ears open when the Lord is calling you to something. As I have said before, God is not going to place you in a situation where you will not be protected by his grace and mercy. There will be a way to get you through any situation life tends to throw at you.
I am not writing this stuff sitting in judgment. I write down stuff that I have experienced, all my highs and lows. I miss out on lots of opportunities. I have excuses for why I don't take time out to pray, or minister, or lend a helping hand. I don't give God the credit at times as well. I am a seriously flawed, sinful person. God shows me, corrects me in a loving way, and prepares me for the next opportunity. These opportunities to minister I have found help me just as much as the people I would minister to.
I say all this as I was reading about Good Friday in the bible. Jesus is being crucified, not a very pleasant way to die. You're hung on two wooden planks - constantly trying to lift your body to breathe. Eventually, your strength is spent and you suffocate. Couple that with being in the mid-day sun and having nails driven in his hands and feet. So, Jesus is in incredible pain, bleeding, burning in the sun, and struggling to breathe. These are the issues he is contending with. If ever there was a time one couldn't be faulted for thinking about themselves - this would be that time. Yet, even here in his dying moments Jesus takes time to minister those around him.
First off, if I am ever in that situation - I'm going to be pretty selfish. I don't think I would be concerned about anybody else's welfare. As I said earlier, I can find all sorts of excuses as to why not to minister. Luckily for us, Jesus was following his father's will - even to death on the cross. Jesus ministers in five ways while he is on the cross.
#1: His mother and the disciple he loved.
"When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby he said to her 'Woman, here is your son' and to the disciple 'Here is your mother' From that time on, this disciple took her into his home." John 19:26-27
I don't know if many of us can truly understand what Mary is going through as she watches her son die. The pain and helplessness she is facing and the prospect of being alone. There is no mention of her husband, Joseph, or of her other sons and daughters. In that society, Mary is facing the prospect of being put on the edges of society with no means of taking care of herself. She is on the verge of being an outcast and alone. Jesus takes care of this with what he says in the above passage.
#2: His enemies.
"Jesus said 'Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing'" Luke 23:34
In the presence of his enemies, Jesus asks the Father to forgive them. Maybe they were blessed by this, maybe some turned and repented - we are not told this. This provides us a template for what we need to do for our enemies. We are to pray for them. Maybe they will turn from their path. It also shows that we are to forgive even when they aren't asking for forgiveness. None of these people were telling Jesus they were sorry for this. Yet, Jesus still asked that they be forgiven.
#3: The other criminals. In Luke 23:39-43 we read the familiar story of the other two criminals on the crosses. One criminal insulted Jesus to save himself and them. The other criminal rebukes his fellow criminal and acknowledges their just punishment. He also sees Jesus for what he is.
He recognizes Jesus is being executed unjustly. He asks Jesus to remember him when he comes to his kingdom. Isn't that our prayer also? That Jesus would know us and remember us? Sometimes, we can feel adrift and losing our way in the world.
Jesus assures this criminal with the words "Truly I tell you , today you will be with me in paradise". I picture Jesus turning his head with a smile while he tells this to the criminal. What a sense of peace this criminal had. This is what we long to hear from Jesus when our time comes to an end.
#4: The centurions.
"When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed 'Surely he was the Son of God'" Matthew 27:54
Wow!!! I do not know what they did following this moment or the rest of their lives, but this surely shook up their outlook on life. The way Jesus died and acted had a profound effect on these men. I imagine this wasn't their first execution they witnessed, so for this reaction to occur they saw something in Jesus. It is the same reaction we have when we first truly meet Jesus.
#5: All of us.
This was the entire purpose of Jesus' ministry. To stand in our place for the punishment of our sin. The scene on the cross was Jesus taking what we justly deserved. This was God's plan to bring reconciliation between Himself and mankind. Without this and Jesus' resurrection, we would have no future and with it no hope. Our lives would be utterly meaningless without this selfless action.
This should inspire all of us and whatever ministries we are involved in. Jesus in all his suffering still reached out and touched lives. We can find all sorts of excuses to not get involved as I mentioned earlier. They seem so trivial compared to what Jesus went through - and he still didn't stop ministering. Yes, we are not Jesus and will fall short. But, that shouldn't stop us from striving to be like him. We need to look around us the same way Jesus looks at us. People in need of healing, love, grace, and mercy surround us. They may not be our friends, they may even resent what we stand for - but that shouldn't stop us from loving and praying for them. May we look at the example Jesus laid in his ministry all the way to his final moments on the cross. Can we do no less in our lives?
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