2 Timothy  4:5  As for you, be calm and cool and steady, accept and suffer unflinchingly every hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fully perform all the duties of your ministry.

 I visited with a couple of folks a few days ago who are both in the ministry…how about you?

 The first was a man who I hadn’t seen for almost 30 years, an evangelist/teacher who has spent those years traveling around week in and week out going to schools and face to face talking to kids about our Lord Jesus Christ.  I had heard he was in town and was speaking so I just slipped in and watched as he opened his soul and with humor and love gave a clear gospel presentation as well as some powerful truths for living to a group of kids that desperately needed to hear it.

 Later as we caught up over breakfast what struck me was that even though 30 years…literally 30 years had passed since I had seen him face to face here he was still doing what he firmly believed is his ministry and still getting it done.

 The second was one of my high school friends’ dad who is battling cancer and is restarting chemo this morning.  Yesterday as well as when he and I first talked about his illness over a year ago what we talked about was “his ministry” opportunity.  My prayer for him for the last year has been that every time he walks into a doctors office that every doctor, nurse and especially patient there will see in him his hope and confidence in the “Ultimate Physician, Jesus Christ” and his absolute confidence in the coming healing and resurrection of the entire body of Christ.  Yesterday nor at any time in the past year that I have seen him have I heard “woe is me” from him but only hope in the future and not because of Dr. Smith but because of his relationship with Jesus Christ.

 Both men are in the ministry…full time… as are you and I. 

 Today you will minister for something or someone…your spouse, your boss, your friends or your favorite sports team but please, please don’t waste another day not realizing your number one ministry is for our Lord Jesus Christ.  I have said this before and will say it many more times again, as believers in Jesus Christ for salvation we are all in FULLTIME MINISTRY to a lost, hurting and dying world around us who desperately need to see in us joy, power and a hope in the future because of that relationship with Jesus Christ.

 Over lunch today don’t spend all your time talking about the junk at work or what was on Law and Order on TV last night…ask about the persons battles and what can you be praying for them and with them about.  Ask about their kids, their marriage, their pain, and their fears.  Don’t just skip along the surface but let them know you care and want to help and not because of you and what you can do but because of Jesus Christ and what HE has already done for you and them.

People, ministry is about relationships.  It is not telling people what they should and should not do in their lives but instead it is living your life with joy and power every moment of every day because of what Jesus Christ has done.  Your life and the choices you make in the big things and the little things are what people see and respond to… and as a believer in Jesus Christ you will either be tearing down walls allowing them to see Jesus Christ more clearly or building walls higher and higher by your failures spiritually making it harder and harder for them to see HIM at all.

   Make this a blessed day by choosing to do so.