A friend of twenty plus years caught me going out of church and said, "are you ready to go into the ministry yet?" Because this is not the first time, and probably won't be the last time he asks me, I said, "NO!" He is talking about going to seminary and preaching and I am not. In 1996 I felt called into the ministry and prayed and discerned for quite a while. I never had a desire to be a pastor but I was struggling with this nudge from God. Then God spoke to me and I knew what I was to do. He reminded me that you do not have to go to seminary to be in the ministry. He had lots for me to do right then. From then on I was at peace with it.
I thought about if someone else would have asked me, "are you ready to go in the ministry yet?" what would I have said. Probably, "what?! I am in the ministry!" We are all called to be in ministry for God. Romans 12: 4-6, "For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us." Ministry which means serving is what all Christians are called to do.
Recently when I was waiting for a pathology report, what gave me the most peace, was knowing that God had told me something I am to do for Him. He has not brought it to me yet so I held on to that. I cannot die until He is done with my work. That may sound crazy to you but I firmly believe it. Then I found this verse, today, and it spoke to me in a whole new way. Acts 20: 24, "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace." As my pastor says, "if you ain't dead, you ain't done." Or maybe it is if God isn't done with me, I cannot die.
So I ask you, are you ready to go into the ministry?
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