Do you ooze ministry?
I’ve heard my Sr. Pastor say ministry happens when one person overflows into the next person. That’s a significant illustration, perhaps evening surprising. We often think of ministry as being poured out or being spent, and certainly sacrifice plays a crucial role in ministering to others. But the motivation, the attitude and desire must come from the overflow of our hearts.
Peter writes, “shepherd the flock of God…not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:2-3). We must willingly, eagerly act as examples for the flock. We must ooze ministry.
That means being a good church leader (or parent or mentor or teacher) starts with being a good Christian. Modeling a life of prayer may prove more crucial than teaching about prayer.
Practicing passion for Jesus will ring more true than preaching passion for Jesus. Think about it. When we look up to someone, we say, “I want to be like him/her.” We don’t say, “I want to remember everything he said” or even “I want to do all the things he said to do.” No. What made the biggest impression was that person’s example in our life. It’s the example, the overflow, the genuineness that left an indelible mark.
And thus I pray, may your cup overflow!
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I like how you mentioned the way we look to people we respect, how we don't just want to remember their words but we want to be like them. That required the mentor to like you say, live a life dedicated to pursuing Christ. So many times we tend to try and focus so much of our attentions to formal teaching and the head knowledge that comes with it and we forget that we have to spend time walking it out, living out what we talk about and what we hear. So many of us can claim to know all these truths but living them out in our lives is an entirely different thing.