As a mom of two pre-schoolers with a never-ending flow of energy, I can tell you that I have very little time for myself. That became quite evident when my mother gave me a gift certificate to a nail salon and said, “You need some Kristyn time.” Until that moment, I hadn’t realized how involved my life has become around the needs of so many others – my family, work, friends. As a preacher’s wife, I know others are watching me and evaluating my life based on the fact that my husband has been called into the ministry so openly. Sometimes I feel like I am living in fish bowl…and my children are right there beside me.
What about you? Is your everyday life inclusive of other people? It should be…we are not here alone. We are supposed to be surrounded by our fellow believers and have a ministry in the lost and dying around us.
Each Christian has been called to a specific duty within the body of Christ and outside the body of Christ. We are all supposed to have an in-reach and an out-reach.
Why have an in-reach ministry? Being human has it’s limitations – we can only do so much ourselves. Our in-reach is supposed to support others in their out-reach…praying for them daily, giving money to a mission project or to support a missionary, training the children and teenagers to follow your example of out-reach…all of these are examples of in-reach. You are supporting the body of Christ.
Why have an out-reach ministry? Without Christians seeking to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the lost, how else will they hear and know that Jesus is Lord? Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” They will never know the truth without us sharing the truth.
As you can see, there is a lot to be done! Which brings me to today’s thought. Are you resting? Resting doesn’t mean sitting down and do nothing. Resting is reading your Bible, spending time with the Lord and getting refreshed. Indulge me for a moment…
When I first went to Word of Life Bible Institute, it was as a high school student in their Student Training Corps (STC). I was so excited to be there, but I was not thrilled at my summer assignment. My summer job was housekeeping in the conference center. I got to make beds, clean bathrooms, and do laundry all summer long. Nothing difficult, but it wasn’t very exciting – until I met Mrs. Phillips. She changed my viewpoint on my Christian life that summer.
She is a woman of great grace and integrity, a woman I have come to admire and remember quite often. She inspired me to rest while I was working. Cleaning takes no time to think, so rather than do mindless work all summer, use this time to spiritually rest and exercise my faith. I not only grew that summer, but I saw the lives of those other high school students around me change when we were able to minister to each other.
I love Michael W. Smith’s song called Give It Away. The point of the song is that love isn’t love until you give it away…our spiritual lives are the same way. In order to reach out to others and participate in in-reach and out-reach ministries effectively…we must rest, receive what He has to give, and then give it away. Only then are we truly participating!
Here’s food for thought at the end of the day: The Israelites were walking in the wilderness for forty years. During that time, the Lord sustained them on nothing more than manna. They could take only what they needed for that day. Anything they tried to store away for the next day would be molded and rotten the next morning (except Saturday they were allowed to collect what they needed for Sunday as well).
The Lord’s Prayer that Jesus outlined for us in Matthew 6 says, “Give us this day our daily bread.” It’s daily bread…not day’s worth of bread. Just as the Israelites gathered their bread in the morning, so are we supposed to gather ours in the morning. If you don’t, you have nothing to give that day.
Don’t waste another day. Set aside time to rest in Him – you’ll be more effective!
Pursuing 31 