PathFinder Ministries

Sharing Your Purpose by Serving Others

A - "If you aren't serving, you're just existing - because life is meant for ministry." ~Rick Warren

S - Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does.... ~Ephesians 6:7-8

A - Ok, I think we can agree that serving others is important and is a big part of God's plan. Remember, real significance comes from serving others! " ...let us not love with words or tongue but with action.... " (I John 3: 18)

Who are you serving or not serving today? What is your attitude and motive for serving or not serving? Have you used the excuse(s) - "It's not my gift." "There are plenty of people who already serve in that ministry." "I don' t have anything to offer." "Those people make me uncomfortable." How do you know what God wants you to be doing to share your purposes by serving others? By being willing to share - your time, your money, your talents, your gifts, your abilities, your listening ear, your able body, your keen mind, your compassionate heart...

God doesn't expect you to do it ALL! He wants you to go with Him and join Him where the work needs to be done. When we're trying to do "great things for God," what we're really doing is pursuing our own agenda and our own vision of what should be done, all the while forgetting that God has an eternal agenda. In short, we leave God behind rather than going with Him.

How do we identify the work of God around us? People are in need everywhere we look. Certainly, He must expect us to help everyone. Think about Jesus...did He heal every invalid? Did He raise all the dead back to life? Did He spend 24/7 ministering to the poor and needy, the demon oppressed and the pride posessed? No. He took time out to pray and seek His Father's will. He was watching to see where God wanted Him to serve next. (John 5: 17-19)

Don't be discouraged if you haven't found your niche yet. God is working around you and He invites you to join Him. You just need to be able to recognize His specific activity. In doing so, you are allowing Him to work through you to minister to others. From the Bible study, Experiencing God, two factors are needed for you to see God at work: 1) You must be living in an intimate love relationship with Him (so that you recognize Him when He speaks, leads, etc) and 2) God must take the initiative to open your spiritual eyes so you can see what He is doing.

P - Ask God to search your heart's attitude about serving and show you where He's at work and how He wants you to follow His path for serving others. Ask Him to open your spiritual eyes so you can see people who need your time, your money, your talents, your gifts, your abilities, your listening ear, your able body, your keen mind, your compassionate heart....

Next Time.....Joining Others