Leading by Example

Committing to serve in the junior high ministry again, after a "prodigal child" hiatus, I knew that the Lord had His work stored up for me. It was just my choice to accept or look past what He had in store. After much pleading, discussing, clarifying through prayer, fasting, the word, I decided to commit of myself wholly to the Lord for His work to be used in and through me. This happened back in July of this year, mind you. So a little background of my ministry days: after I graduated high school in the year of 2003 (sounds a bit ancient now) I had a very legalistic viewpoint of Christianity, the kind that made me rationalize my works/deeds to symbolize my faith. That if I do all the right christian acts, say all the right christian words and preach the right christian terms then I'm a good Christian. This religiousness took over me eventually leading to BURN out because it wasn't from the purity of the overflow of my heart. It was all by my own strength, not walking by faith but merely by sight (2nd Cor 5:7). A lot of us fall into this trap, that everything we do is manageable by our own doing because we know we're capable of it but my prayer for you is to go beyond what you're capable of to the things that go beyond your comfort zones. To reach out and minister to the poor, the needy and the abandoned. To love when you don't feel like loving, to give when you selfishly want to hoard for yourself, to go beyond yourself and look in the eyes of the one who is hurting, agonizing, in need of a desperate encounter with Love Himself, Jesus Christ. When you look at the life of Jesus, he was always overflowing out of the love being filled into His heart through his Oneness with God the Father. Silence/Solitude with God was definitely evidenced through His times when he would retreat away to pray and how he always had his mind fixed on things above (Col 3:1) not on earthly things, bringing about an authority over demonic strongholds, casting out demonic spirits and claiming His authority by the One who is greater than he that is in this world (1Jn 4:4). So, coming into ministry this time around has been a whole new journey in and of itself, and I'm loving every minute of it! The Lord really is expanding the capacity of my heart through His unconditional love being bestowed graciously upon me, allowing me to Love beyond measure for my girls- all 13 of them. It's been a greater blessing on me to be able to give so wholly and freely from what the Lord has first given me. To overflow in that Love is so beautiful. Coming in I was so adamant about being comfortable teaching the younger girls because they're more moldable. But when I got put with the older girls in the ministry I was at first dis-heartened because I knew I wasn't able to do it on my own. But this challenged me in greater measure to fully surrender my will and my ways for His will and His ways, it showed me that I couldn't do it on my own. As I fully surrender to God, He leads the way! How Wonderful He is! And the more I get to know Him, the more I want His love in even greater lengths, widths, heights, depths, for you and for me! This truly is the prayer of my heart for us:

Your love is like fire, that burns for all to see.

My [our] only desire, to worship at Your feet.
So let this fire consume my [our] life [lives]!

RT @RickWarren:

If you are not leading by example,

you simply aren't leading.

-Live Productively