CO to KS to MO to IL
It was a full two weeks. Full of miles; full of old and new friends; full of catching up over good food; full of ministry; full of thankfulness; full of joy.
And full of opportunities to trust and live the truths God has been speaking to me through the years ~ same truths, new circumstances.
Last week, toward the end of our trip, sitting in a new-to-me coffee shop (I’ll be back), I was overwhelmed with all the fulls. My pen was having a hard time keeping up with my memories.
When I turned to my leather journal, God offered perspective. These two reminders were timely.
1. Ministry is abiding, not activity. John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” Psalm 138:8, “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.”
As I thought about the different friends I would be with, or what words I would share in my presentations, I heard God whisper, Sue, you need to abide. You, Sue, need to remember it is me (God) who fulfills my purposes for you and my purposes are wrapped in my love for you.
Sometimes in a few (very few) quiet moments at the beginning of the day or in our car as we traveled to our next appointment, I reminded myself of these truths. And I silently reviewed some of my favorite scriptures on God’s love for me.
Mark & Jenny
2. Ministry is who God created me to be. More than the presentations I was giving or the words I said, ministry happened. It showed up in living rooms, at dining room tables, over cups of coffee, in shared hugs after church, in enjoying the pictures that caught us up on each other’s lives, in all that friendship means. “God not only loves you very much … he has his hand on you for something special … something happened in you … your life if echoing the master’s words” from I Thes 1:4-9, The Message.
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay …” II Corinthians 4:7.
Ministry for me is being a friend.
The joy of being with our friends flowed from the quiet moments with God.
“All you people will be righteous. They will possess
their land forever, for I will plant them there with my own hands
in order to bring myself glory.”
Isaiah 60:21 (bolding mine)
I love the challenge to abide. Less stressful and more enjoyable.
Thanks, Sue
Hi Pat,
What does abiding look like for you?
I usually set Thursdays apart for my Sabbath day. But abiding didn’t happen for me this morning. It was frustrating as I knew my desire and my desire was not matching my reality. Needing to connect with 3 different people started my morning and consequently it was harder for me to be still and enjoy abiding in and receiving God’s love for me after those connections were made.
What is most helpful for me is the spiritual discipline of “sitting and staring”, my words. Knowing that I did practice that this morning … it just took longer … and the early distractions were hard to overcome.
Any thoughts?