Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 105; Genesis 12:1-8; John 3:1-17; Romans 4:1-17; Psalm 32
Early in my preparations for ministry, one of my mentors – Tom – shared with me one of his keys to a successful ministry. The key he shared surprised me greatly. Drawing upon a wonderful book by the title Christmas is for Celebrating, Tom said that the key to a successful ministry in not an individual’s ability to give; rather, the key is the individual’s ability to receive. What he meant by this is that a ministry should be rooted in our ability to receive things like God’s love, mercy, and grace. For that love, mercy, and grace will – in the long run – carry us further than our own resources would otherwise. The more of God’s grace we receive, the more we will be able to give. I had never thought about it like this. Of course Tom’s insight is reflected in the spirit of Paul’s words to Romans in today’s reading. For in the passage, Paul writes, “… if you see that the job is too big for you, that it’s something only God can do, and you trust God to do it – you could never do it for yourself no matter how hard and long you worked – well, that trusting-God-to-do-it is what gets you set right with God, by God” (Romans 4:5 – The Message). While Paul’s formula sounds easy at first (trusting God), letting go of your desire to give and opening yourself to simply receive can be more challenging that one would think. That’s because receiving means letting go of our control issues. Today I invite you to think about what is the foundation of your faith: giving or receiving? Til next time…
Early in my preparations for ministry, one of my mentors – Tom – shared with me one of his keys to a successful ministry. The key he shared surprised me greatly. Drawing upon a wonderful book by the title Christmas is for Celebrating, Tom said that the key to a successful ministry in not an individual’s ability to give; rather, the key is the individual’s ability to receive. What he meant by this is that a ministry should be rooted in our ability to receive things like God’s love, mercy, and grace. For that love, mercy, and grace will – in the long run – carry us further than our own resources would otherwise. The more of God’s grace we receive, the more we will be able to give. I had never thought about it like this. Of course Tom’s insight is reflected in the spirit of Paul’s words to Romans in today’s reading. For in the passage, Paul writes, “… if you see that the job is too big for you, that it’s something only God can do, and you trust God to do it – you could never do it for yourself no matter how hard and long you worked – well, that trusting-God-to-do-it is what gets you set right with God, by God” (Romans 4:5 – The Message). While Paul’s formula sounds easy at first (trusting God), letting go of your desire to give and opening yourself to simply receive can be more challenging that one would think. That’s because receiving means letting go of our control issues. Today I invite you to think about what is the foundation of your faith: giving or receiving? Til next time…
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