What is my purpose? Who me…in Ministry?

A challenge to finding your purpose and plan God has laid out for you…and maintaining it for His glory. 

 

 

First of all…how do you know “your calling”?  We use that phrase so freely in the Christian world…but how would you answer someone who asks,  “How am I supposed to know my calling from God?”  First of all the Bible tells us “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33 Okay…lets back up a bit and look at the title of Matthew Chapter 6 verses 25-34.  What is the title?  Go ahead and look it up for yourselves.  It says DO NOT WORRY.  Okay…if we are honest…how many of us women worry about everything?  We worry about gaining weight…what to wear…how my new hairdresser is going to cut my hair for the first time.  You name it…we worry. I smile when I read these verses …I can see God pulling in all the ladies and saying, “Girls…listen now…this is for you!”

 

I think being a woman in ministry…we especially are keen to worry about our calling …are we doing the right thing…did we hear God correctly?  Should we be doing something else for the Kingdom? We must be careful not to become so consumed with “doing God’s will in ministry” that we miss the entire point.  Listen carefully…IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU…it is ALL ABOUT HIM!  I speak to myself believe me.  I believe that if we are really following God’s will for our lives…that we become so consumed with God’s kingdom and righteousness that we don’t even “know” where we are being led.  And let me tell you…that really takes the pressure off.  To know that God does have a plan for our lives and we just need to take a chill pill and keep seeking HIM. 

 

Now what does it mean to seek His Kingdom and His righteousness?  We must be open vessels.  Now…a little about Mary…I remember when I first was led into ministry. I didn’t even know I was going into “ministry”.  I though I was just going for a job interview in which my skills would match.  You see, I had been working in the pharmaceutical industry as a program manager (event coordinator).  In that I had recently become a new believer in Christ…only for about 9 months when I started attending a local church and found out about a job opening in the ministry there.  I remember earnestly praying...“God what is your will for me?”  I look back now and love that “new beginning in my life” where I was so focused on Christ and nothing else seemed to matter. I was truly in my “Honeymoon stage”.  I had NO CLUE that He would choose to use my skills that He had been tweaking over the past several years and allow me to do the same thing in ministry that I had been doing in the secular world.  The key word is that I was “CLUELESS”.  And that is not a bad thing to be when you are seeking the Lord’s will or purpose for your life.  I think we as women can get so caught up in what “we” think is a good tract for our lives that we take God out of the equation and try to take control ourselves (remember the chapter of “getting out of control’ and go back and re read if you need to!).

 

A job opened at my wonderful home church, First Baptist Church Woodstock, for an event coordinator.  I thought…great…that fits my skills…let’s go for an interview and just see what happens.  Again…here goes Mary “La, La, La…having no idea what was about to unfold.  To make a long story short I did get the job…but not after a faith testing from the Lord.  I was the 4th person interviewed and everyone who applied was to be interviewed before a final decision was made (all 50 plus).  By the way…if you are interviewing for a job in the ministry…expect the decision to take a while.  Many people are involved usually…taking time to pray and seek God on the matter.  So don’t FREAK out…stay calm and make sure you are praying and seeking as well.

 

So after a couple of months I was called in for a second interview and just had a sense of peace of knowing…this is where God wanted me.   Another cool part of my faith testing during this time was that since it was taking so long to hear a word back from the church I took an opportunity to apply for a job in the Commercial Airline business as a flight attendant. Thought it would be fun to travel!  I was quickly called back time after time and easily gliding over all the hurdles that were in place. I thought for sure they would hire me because of all the positive response I was getting. I was even told by a Human Resource Manager that I would more than likely move onto the final part of the job interview…which was the actually training in flight…and then I would be official as a flight attendant.  Needless to say…God had other plans. 

 

Now let’s go back to the day of my second interview with the church.  Finally I was called back and as I said earlier… as I stepped in there…I felt this automatic calm come over me.  I just knew this was the right fit for me.  I was told at that time they would like me to come and join the staff as their new event coordinator.  I was so elated. I went straight home to tell my family and friends the good news.  Upon my arrival I saw I had a message waiting for me on the answering machine.  As I pressed play the voice said “Hi Mary, this is “such and such” from “such and such” airlines (shall remain anonymous).  We would like for you to give us a call back as soon as possible as this is an urgent matter”.  So I rang them back and listened as the lady on the line frantically informed me that there had been a mix up and all of my application and paperwork had been misplaced.  Her words were “you should have been with us weeks ago!”  I politely told her of my new job with the church and said my goodbyes. As I hung up I had huge tears in my eyes…because I really felt at that time the awesome wonder of God’s guiding us where He wants us…when He wants us there.  His timing is impeccable.  That Sunday I was sharing all this news with my Sunday school teacher who said the words I will never forget. She said, “Isn’t it amazing just how big and awesome God’s “Lost and Found” is?”  I can’t wait to get to Heaven and here some of these stories of how God worked out all these significant times in my lives.  He is so great!

 

So why do I tell you this story. I tell you this in hopes that you will see an example of How God can’t wait to use us in the ministry.  But we must first “seek His kingdom and His righteousness”.  We must be willing to get ourselves and our ideas of what is best for us out of the way.  We must also not go all crazy and think…if God is calling me into ministry…He is going to make it so different from what I am used to. Don’t be surprised if He uses the skills in which He has given you to do the same exact thing you did in the before.

 

 Also…when and if you are being called into ministry…expect “Faith tests” God is keen, in my life anyway, to make sure I really am getting all that He is trying to teach me.  For me going through this season of wondering if I will get the job…I had to learn to listen to Him and Him alone. It was during this time that I couldn’t get enough of my Bible.  That’s right…not self-help books or the latest book in the Christian Market…it was simply the Bible.  God chooses to speak through His precious Word…words penned for us.  What does scripture say about itself?  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)  There it is right there…”training in righteousness”. And going back to the beginning of this chapter…what were we supposed to do when we have questions according to Matthew 6:  33…we are to “seek His righteousness.  Keep reading your Bible and He will train you in His righteousness (if you seek it).    You can’t go wrong with God’s righteousness and He will answer you one way or another.  Keep seeking and have faith!

 

Now…for all of you ladies that are already in ministry and wondering “Lord is this where you really want me to be?’…here are some words of truth…not from me, but from the Bible.  The Bible tells us in 2 Peter 1:3-11 about how we are able to Make Sure of One’s Calling.  For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness, and to goodness, knowledge, and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.  For if you posses these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2^nd Peter 1: 5-8 Sometimes as women in ministry…we need a little reminder of what we were called to do.  No matter your position in ministry…God put you there…and He can take you out. I don’t tell you that to instill fear but speaking from personal experience, we can get so caught up in our own little pity parties that we tend to miss the bigger calling.  We can lose our goodness and it can be replaced with attitudes of a stinky heart.  (For our of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks) Matthew 12:34b.  How many of us can attest for times when we were holding onto things that maybe someone else in the ministry said about us or to us.  And that holding onto it brewed into something ugly and eventually it came out of your mouth…these horrible, non-glorifying God ...words?

 

If we are not careful our knowledge will slip away and the “voice of truth” will be replaced by the lies from the enemy.  Be careful ladies to keep in the Word!  The minute that you stop looking for truth in the Bible and going to friends instead…you are not listening to one TRUE person…God.  Don’t’ get me wrong…friends are vital to bounce things off…but instead of running to them first…try God! 

 

And also, if we are not careful we lose self-control.  How many times have we taken just a little step towards compromise? Maybe we read a gossip magazine we shouldn’t have and suddenly have this sense of “I don’t add up to the rest of the women in the world…look how skinny, fashionable, and beautiful she is. I will never be like that”.  Then we start to not like ourselves…the very person who was created in God’s image.  Take a minute if you need it and read chapter one (Is Beauty Only Skin Deep?). 

 

And what about some of the virtues that are talked about in 2 Peter 1:5-8? What about perseverance, Godliness, brotherly kindness?  Can you honestly say that in your position right now…in ministry…that you posses all three of these?  I can honestly say that I am not perfect and even though I daily strive to have these in my life…I often do not show these characteristics.  Why so?  Because laziness tends to replace perseverance; selfishness tends to replace Godliness; and envy tends to replace brotherly kindness. 

 

Look at the last virtue in 2 Peter 1:8.  It is LOVE.  Now how many of us can honestly know this love and be able to share it in our ministry lives?  Do I really show the Love of Christ to others?  The greatest commandment we have is “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the firs and greatest commandment” Matthew 22:37-39

 

The bottom line…as women in ministry we do have choices to make and we do have an exampled of virtues to be displayed.  If we keep to them, then we will be effective and productive.  We all mess up and will continue to mess up until we are in our home in Heaven.  But continue to seek and ask the Lord to help you in any of these areas that you may be lacking. 

 

To end…I want to encourage you with one of the greatest sermons I have heard preached. It was at a missions conference for teens and young adults who were seeking the Lord about going on the mission field.  Great pastors got up, one after the other, and even though the message was completely Biblical, the theme seemed to be the same “if you don’t do it who is?”  Then a relatively quite young pastor got up to challenge us for our day out doing evangelism on the streets of the local town.  The pastor said some radical words that shocked the congregation.  He said “I am sick and tired of listening to all these pastors get up here and tell you that If you don’t do it (become and missionary) then who will.  I am here to tell you that the kingdom is unstoppable.  Whether you say yes to wherever God may be leading you or you say no…the one key factor is that God is always in control and it is His purposes that will prevail. It is an unstoppable force.   But here is my question for you…why wouldn’t you want to be part of that?  Why wouldn’t you want to get in on what God is doing?  Instead of listening to others…listen to God.” 

 

I took those words to heart and have thought back several times to that sermon.  Especially when I am low (and yes this does come in play in ministry sometimes)…I read over my notes from that special message…and I become revived again of what I am doing this all for.  And more importantly…whom I am doing this for!  Jesus Christ …the darling from Heaven…God’s only son…came down from Heaven to earth…lived a sinless life…and died a horrific death on a cross for my sins so that through His blood I may have everlasting life.  For God gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 There is no greater love than that ladies!  And now we have an extra gift…the honor of working for Him!  So let go and let God work through you.  And remember the most important thing of working in ministry…IT’S ALL ABOUT HIM!

 

Father I pray that each lady, including myself, who has read this will be re energized and re focused on your call on our lives.  Lord, let us see you in a real and personal way right now. Remind us of the first time you showed yourself to us.  Father God, show us any areas where you would want us to improve for your Glory and our good.  We love you and want to show that love to others.  Thank you for being our guide and our teachers. Continue to work in our lives. In Jesus name, Amen.