Fulfill your ministry

I've been reading through the New Testament in succession for some time now, and recently finished 2 Timothy. I love the practical insights and strong charges Paul lays out for his younger mentor Timothy. One phrase caught my eye when I was reading a little while back. In 2 Timothy 4:5 Paul tells Timothy, "As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

While much could be said about each of these phrases, the last one caught my eye.
It's easy for me to feel that I need to do so much more than I may really be called to do. The point of me working in a church right now, which I see as being obedient to God's call on my life, is not to do all the work in that church. The point is for me to do MY ministry and call others to step up and fulfill theirs. To be sure, ministry is not confined to walls of a church building or limited to just the people who do "full-time ministry". We are each given ministry by God to do. Sure Timothy was a pastor who needs to fulfill the ministry God's given him in his local context, but I think it's no stretch to see this as being for all Christians. Each of us is gifted differently, with different passions and burdens placed on us by God for the sake of doing ministry wherever we are at.

Simply put, what is your ministry right now? What has God called you to do and who has he called you to be? If you can answer those questions with confidence, I think you'll know what your ministry is. Whatever it may be - parenting, coaching, teaching, encouraging, the possibilities are endless - do your part well. Do it with your whole heart, leaning wholly on God for wisdom, strength, and perseverance. And then go to bed each night, thanking God for one more day of ministry and resting up for another.

Soli Deo Gloria

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