Sunday, February 3, 2013

Ministry


In just the last few days I have been experiencing the richness of God’s love through other people. I am incredibly thankful for those people in my life that have devoted their lives to ministry and missions.

I believe that whether in formal ministry or not, we all are participating in missions every single day if we choose to follow Jesus. With that being said, recently I have just felt so encouraged by those that have given up so many other things in order to commit themselves to full time ministry.

I am incredibly blessed by the Staff of Cincy Metro Cru. These individuals have invested so much into college ministry, and have chosen to spend their time and energy sharing Jesus with college students. It is immeasurable just how much they do for God’s kingdom, and my life is a clear reflection of that. I would not know the Lord as well as I do today, and I would not care so much for other people if it weren’t for them.

I have also recently been trying to get more plugged into my church in Cincinnati.  It’s been hard to get involved in my church when during this season of my life I’m so invested in campus ministry. But this past week I did get the opportunity to talk with the youth pastor, and a few other church members about my heart for missions. Campus ministry has been such a blessing in my life, but it was really neat to experience that same Christ-centeredness in my church family. It is an incredible feeling when you experience a multi generational church whose hearts are just as excited and passionate about ministry and missions as those of college students!

One thing that I’ve definitely learned over the past year or so is that the Christian church isn’t perfect. We are imperfect people trying to love a perfect God and that means we are going to disappoint people sometimes. I’m not saying that my campus ministry and that my church are perfect, but what I am trying to communicate is that both of these things are bringing light and encouragement to people’s lives because of the very people who invest in them.

This brings me to another group of people that constantly encourage me because of their faithfulness in ministry-- my friends. I have an incredible roommate who loves her friends unconditionally and is showing them the life that Jesus can offer them. I know that God is going to use her in big ways as she continues to be obedient to Him. I also have a few close friends who build me up and who point me to Christ every single day. I am in awe of the way that they love me and love God, and I am so thankful for them. 

God is so much bigger than we sometimes think. He doesn’t need people like my pastor, my discipler, or my friends to draw people into His Kingdom, but He is so pleased when these people choose to do so.

Today, I am committing my life to whatever God may have planned for me. The workplace, ministry, missions, whatever. I want to show Christ’s love to people, just like so many people have done for me.