Called… Prepared… Ready to Go…
We are called…
Matthew 25:35-40 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
Our definition of encouragement may need to be tweaked like mine did, but God does call us to minister encouragement to those He shows us who are in need of our unique touch… By the way… He calls ALL OF US to this ministry!
But consider your calling…
Isaiah 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
When I was called to the ministry of encouragement, my skill set for this ministry (or any ministry) was minuscule at best… I had nothing to offer… no college degree for wise words to coach a life in trouble, no stunning personality to be the cheerleader in an uphill battle to victory, and no magic words or magicians wand to change suffering into a grand party. But God…
We are prepared…
Philippians 2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
1 Corinthians 2:2-5 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
Wherever we go, we represent Jesus. We don’t have the power to change things, He does. We don’t have the power to heal or even truly comfort, but He does. What we do have the power to do is let the light of Jesus shine and show what He has done in our lives. In fact… We are our first fruits of our ministry … practice encouraging yourself!
We are not only prepared…
We are prayed for… by Jesus…
John 17:22-23 The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
We are ready to go…
Colossians 3:12-17 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible”