When you’re not in full time ministry, you may not think of yourself as a minister. You may not have gone to seminary or work at the church, but that doesn’t change the fact that you carry the presence of God with you. You may not get up and speak from a pulpit on Sunday, but your life preaches a sermon to the people around you each day. Each of us that bear the name “Christian” are minister and have been called to go and preach the Good News to everyone. When you think of what you do and how you treat people as your ministry, things change.
I love the story of Tabitha in Acts 9. I grew up knowing of her by her Greek name Dorcus. Verse 36 says that she was always doing kind things for others and helping the poor. She didn’t have a position in the church, nut recognized her abilities could help her minister to those in need. When she got gravely ill, her friends called for Peter to come pray for her. They showed him clothes and coats that she had made for those who couldn’t afford them. Then Peter knelt down and prayed. He then told her to get up and she did. She was completely well. News of her healing spread and brought more people to faith in God.
1 Corinthians 3:7 says, “It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow” (NLT). God will use whomever is available to plant seeds, to water seeds and to harvest them. It doesn’t matter what title you carry because He is the one who makes them grow. He’s just looking for people who are willing to be used in whatever place they live or work to be His hands and feet. He’s looking for those who will let their lives preach the Gospel to the people around them. He can take whatever seeds you’re scattering through your life dedicated to Him and grow them until they come to know Him. God is looking for anyone who will scatter seeds and live their faith out loud. Use whatever gifts, talents or abilities you have and serve Him with them. To me, that’s no pressure planting because He does the work.
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 