Question: Do you think we have to be all cleaned up before we “do” ministry?

I know– It’s not Halloween yet! And I am not a BIG Halloween fan anyway…but I like the picture. It reminds me of the pumpkin that a neighbor put out a while ago and is already rotten (sad to say). It had brought me joy walking by it daily.

Fall is a nice season. The air is crisp, and the temps are good for light sweaters. Just a slight breeze on the face. It is my second favorite season– right behind Spring. Both are beautiful.

Today I got out only for 20 minutes. Just long enough to walk up a couple blocks and use my gift card to get 2 coffee drinks at the local coffee house. My son went with me. The drinks were a nice treat…very yummy. The sky was beautiful, and clear, with barely a wisp of cloud anywhere. The temp was 55 degrees–very nice indeed.

Around noon, I settled in with my laptop to watch a webinar. It was about online ministry.

I felt shamed.

I know that is not what they were trying to do. In fact, no matter how low a person rated (on their scale for different areas of Christian practices) this leader promised to “raise you up” to the highest level and take you further.

Maybe it is because I believe my ministry calling is to people torn down by life, I just can’t imagine putting such high standards on people’s daily spiritual life as a proof and requirement of God to be called to operate in ministering to anyone. (Hint: look at the disciples and apostles).

A year ago I was having lunch with a couple I know. They are faithful/faith-filled believers in their 70’s. I made the comment (at that time)that I thought pastors should pray a certain amount of time each day. They gently shared with me that I was making that up arbitrarily and legalistically. And I was.

This was not like that but it was based on a self-evaluated scoring of how well a person viewed themselves as operating in Christian practices. Okay, you may be wondering “what are you talking about anyway Kate?” Example: With regards to prayer. We were to rate ourselves as being able to obtain solutions immediately. Ummm…. Even Dr. Charles Stanley (whom I have the UTMOST respect for) has prayed and fasted and cried out for weeks and months to get an answer or insight into something. That is not immediate.

I don’t know. I was just disappointed. It put me in a funk all day and night so far.

We are all called to reach different people– because there are all kinds of different people to reach and nurture in the Lord.

I need to shake off this feeling of being disheartened. Just because I don’t measure up to her standards doesn’t mean I don’t measure up with God. And that is the message I want to share with others– those who have fallen away and those who have never heard. It is God’s opinion that matters– and He loves us. He is not up in the sky rating us on a scale. Instead, He has given us the gifting of the Holy Spirit to mold us over time into the image of Christ. I recall “The Woman at the Well”. She had been divorced several times and was living with someone. Yet she was the first evangelist to the Samaritans. We don’t have to be all cleaned up before God will use us.

If you are a believer– you have a gospel to share.

Get out there and share it your way, in your time, with your calling, to your peeps.

Remember, you work as if unto the Lord– not to man.

Until Next Time~
Blessings, Kate

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