Every Christian a Minister -- Why we have our Motivational Gifts

Every Christian a Minister…

Just for fun, see if you can determine how each gift would react or handle the situation oulined below.

An illness keeps a woman bedridden for a month. If each of her seven immediate neighbors has a different motivational gift, how will each one express love to her? Fill in the blanks.

__________ will take over meals, offer to do housework, run errands, mow the lawn.


____________ __________ will ask how she feels, empathize, hug, weep, stay by her bedside.


___________ will find it hard to relate to her, but will take a good book and tapes.

____________ will go right over and encourage her, share uplifting Scripture.

_______________ will find out what she needs and organize the neighborhood to meet the needs.

________________ will bring food and other gifts, spend time talking and listening.

________________ will pray with her and privately for her healing, strength and endurance.


Do not think that your Gift is an excuse for not diving into a specific ministry. "Oh, that isn't my gift! I can't do that!" Not true. God gives each of us an added dash of other gifts so we can "fill in" for those who are walking in the flesh or are not working their ministry that God prepared for them to do way back at the foundation of the world.

However... filling in is totally different than continuing and/or taking over!

Four years ago, my Dad died. There were so many financial gifts given to the church in memory of him. The Stewardship Committee and the Deacons asked Mom what she thought Dad would have liked done with all that money. After she prayed it through, she felt that God was leading towards a children's ministry outreach through God's Mission Center. It was an ambitious, but great idea. All the workers just volunteered. My Mom looked at me expecting me to fall into this ministry with heart, soul and body just like it was my own God-ordained ministry.

I told her I'd help out for a few days, but it was absolutely not my calling or my ministry. I told her that if I stepped in, that I'd be taking someone else's place and that wasn't what God wanted. Four years later I was still doing Sonshine Kids every Saturday morning.

After the first year, it was still fun so I didn't have a problem. During the second year, I began dreading Saturdays so I prayed that if God wanted and needed me there to please change my attitude. He did. The third year another lady came in to help who relieved me greatly so I didn't have to do everything (when I say I was doing everything -- I mean on Saturday mornings. I did not have to prepared the lessons or gather materials). So, I could miss a Saturday or two when I had college tests or to study. Not quite so bad.

The fourth year (this past fall), I was in complete dread. I was angry. I resented my Mom and the kids and most especially the ministry. When working in a ministry and it becomes a Two-ton-Tilly that you are dragging up a mountain trail... be advised that you are not operating within God's will.

STOP

Don't think that you can use your feelings as an excuse. You must make sure that you have no unconfessed sin or that you are walking in the flesh because that can cause the same kind of reaction.

Be very sure before you quit the ministry that it is what God wants you to do, otherwise you'll never be at peace until you get everything straight with Him.