Serving Him

God is doing something right here, right now, and anybody can be a part of it. All this week we talked about giving. In the How To Be Rich series, we explained that giving is not something we have to do, rather it is what we get to do. But we are also rich with gifts from God, and we are called to use those gifts to advance the Kingdom of God.

Some of us prefer to be hitchhikers. What do I mean? A hitchhiker wants the benefits of a car without the costs involved. The hitchhiker is basically saying to the owner of the car, “ I want you to sacrifice the cost of the car, the insurance, the gas, as well as having the ability to stay awake and driving safely. The hitchhiker just chills and enjoys the ride. He or she gets the benefits of the cars without any of the responsibilities of owning a car.

There are hitchhikers when it comes to giving and there are hitchhikers when it comes to serving. Our intentions are always honorable. We will give and we will serve: “When I’m rich, I’ll be more generous.” Or “When my profession matches my level of education, then I’ll start working for the Kingdom.” And finally, “Once I’m through this busy season of my life, then I’ll make more time to do what God wants from me.”

What if you believed that what you have right now, not tomorrow, next week or next year, but right now, that you already have what makes you rich? Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “The sin of respectable people is that they run away from responsibility.” As we have said many times in the series, we are rich, richer than most people in the world could imagine. The question is what are we going to do with our riches? Right here. Right now.

Let me get off topic for a second and suggest that one of the best ways for you to use your gifts is to serve. Our desire is to help those who are seeking God discover how He has uniquely wired them with gifts, talents and passions and then equips them to be a solution by serving in their church, city and world. Every believer has access to spiritual gifts, so each person can discover how God has gifted them. Some discover their gifts by stepping into service opportunities they are passionate about.  To help you in the process, Northstar has developed a 301 ministry class.  We want to help you realize what makes you so unique. This class will help you discover how your personality, gifts, passions, and life experiences work together to fulfill God’s plan for your life. Find out the class schedule by talking to your campus pastor or sign up on your connection card.

We pray that, in serving here, God would mature and strengthen all of our gifts and create in every person a servant’s heart that would bleed into all areas of our life.

Permit God to guide you to the ministry in which He has created and designed you to serve. Don’t be afraid to step out and try something new. He will always enable you to do what He calls you to do.

Questions:
1. Pray about and enroll in the 301 Class.
2. Am I willing to answer the call to ministry, even in the smallest of ways?
3. Am I using my time and talents to accomplish the ministry God has for me?
4. Am I living a life of gratitude by joyfully donating a portion of my time and talent back to God?