An Unusual Ministry

There are surely some among us who seem to have done, or are doing, extraordinary ministry for the Kingdom of God.  Their efforts for Christ appear to be a like a wave that ripples across a stream wider than the imagination.  Their influence goes on and on and on.  And then, there are folks like you and me who wonder if what we do for Christ moves away from us enough to get out of our shadow.  I suspect that the way we measure the Kingdom's work is far different from the way Christ sees it.  If He would applaud and lift up the widow who gave her mite, it is likely that what we do in the name of Christ is valued in ways that would be unbelievable.     

I learned about a simple woman who offered an extraordinary ministry for the Kingdom today when I attended her funeral.  She fought cancer for too many years and from the treatment rooms where chemo drips slowly into veins, she learned to give to others.  She gave away small wooden crosses made of olive wood from the Holy Land.  As her story was told, it was said that she bought and gave away over 1800 of those crosses to those she met on her journey.  The stories of her crosses reminded me of the stories Gideons tell about the Bibles they give away.  Blessing upon blessing she gave to so many by a very simple act.    

Christ does not require us to do what we might call exceptional acts.  He does not require us to do what someone else is doing.  Actually, He requires nothing from us other than what we choose to give.  What we are to do in ministry will come forth from within us as we seek to be useful in serving the Kingdom.  It is within that the Holy Spirit dwells.  The Spirit seeks to shape our heart after the heart of Christ.   If we listen to that inner prompting, we will know how it is that we can serve Him and His Kingdom in a way that will cause Him to say, "Well done."  (Matthew 25:21)