Romans 15:16 (NKJV)
“that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God…”
More important than what I minister to people is whose minister I am. I am not a minister of the people. I am also not first of all a minister to the people. I am a minister of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the One who defines who I am, what I do and where I go. He is the Master and I am His servant. NLT says, “I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus.” That’s who Paul identified Himself as, that’s who I am and that’s how Christ sees me; “a special messenger.”
Focusing on the second part of “ministering the gospel” is wrong; ministry should be secondary. When we focus on the ministry before and above who we are in Christ, we can lose sight of the One who sends us to minister. Our flurry of ministry activities may attempt to satisfy us for a while but deep within, they cannot. Our deepest satisfaction lies in our connection with the One who sends us. We are not called first of all to minister. We are called to abide, to remain, to remember where we come from and to Whom we belong. May the eyes of our understanding be enlightened to see the world of difference between focusing on the ministry and focusing on Christ. Christ is a reality worthy of being sought after for Who He is, for His merit and His Person. We cannot afford to mix both, even if both are in the same bible verse. We are servants and messengers of Jesus Christ. That is our first calling and life priority.
“Lord Jesus, I have often mixed both and whenever I am busy for You, I had thought that was all You wanted. But I am reminded again, that I need to focus on You, on belonging to You before I can serve people in Your name. Thank You for this reminder. Amen.”
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