14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.
We are to be about the Father's business -- every day -- throughout the day! That's our assignment -- to allow God empower us to work in and through us!
9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. Read the bold words again. So, what is Christianity? Our devotion today said that it "is not a set of regulations and instructions but a life-giving relationship with the person by whom and for whom we were created." Let's live each day to the fullest -- open to what God has in store for us in His kingdom work. Are you ready? God, my prayer today and every day is that you will empower me to be the person I am meant to be, every day, every moment as I live for you. YESTERDAY'S SONIC WINNER IS: CARLYN MARIE SOREY Congrats! Thanks for sharing from your heart -- it has enriched my spirit every time that you have opened up on the blog! (You may have to share your card with your mom in recognition for her continuos writing in the blog.) Thank you to each of the students who shared yesterday -- I was blessed by hearing your stories of opportunities that you have had to share Jesus with others! TODAY'S SONIC QUESTION IS: As today's devotion discussed that God has from the very beginning selected and empowered His people to minister to those around them, tell me a special time that you were able to minister to someone. Empowered by the Spirit, Ken1 John 4:9 (New International Version)
A few years ago, I was on a trip to Australia with P2P and I had the opportunity to meet a very strange boy. Everyone made fun of him because he liked to wear skirts and wore an agnostic symbol necklace. Throughout the trip, I got the opportunity to talk with him about the Bible. He was very curious about everything it involved and couldn't get enough of stories about Jesus and his love. It was so awesome, because at the end of the trip, he left his agnostic symbol necklace in a trash can. This was the first time I had ever actually shared my faith with someone I barely knew and it was so awesome to see how God had given me the words to say.
Hannah Johnson
Hey yal,
I actually helped at the hospital today to get her caught up with her infectious diease work. I love working for Mrs. Sharon because she is so sweet and she tells me what is going on in her life and we talk about absolutley everything.
The Hamster
This past year and especially this semester i have gotten to know Chelsea Perryman. From the first day i met her in math class i knew she was a very special person....but i just couldnt help thinking how much much more she would shine if she had Christ. From that day on i prayed for her and i also prayed that i would have the courage to talk to her about Christ and even to become her friend. The good Lord being that miraculous God he is seated her right behind me in my art class. We we got to talking and i could see how desperately her heart ached for christs love and it wasent two weeks later that she came back into that same classroom a different person. . . . a person filled with the fire of Christ. Me and Chelsea are now best friends and i can see her daily growing in Christ.I know that the God Lord placed Chelsea in my life for a reason and i am very very thankful for that:D
Emily Kay Tschirhart
The last time I shared my testimony,and ministered to someone was very recently right here in our home. We had the opportunity to love on my step-son while he stopped for a pit stop in his life. It is not difficult for me to minister with someone who is different from me because I was always the "different one". I did not fit in no matter how hard I tried and even today do not feel like I fit into a lil simple square box nice and neat like others seem to fit. You know that is the neat thing about our Great God...He does not intend on us all being the same that is why He created the rainbow of colors, shape, sizes, different level of intellect, various interest. He knew us and all about us according to Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart...I appointed you as a prophet to the nations". No matter what we look like to others (different or whatever) who but God created us ....set us apart the person He created us to be and guess what we all matter because I can only minister to those He allows to cross my path, but there will be those that will only cross your paths. Take your commissions and yes go out into the highways and byways doing what God has created YOU to do, and put a smile on your face while you are doing it there is JOY in the work of the LORD!!!!!
I went on the Cleveland mission trip two years ago and I had the opportunity to lead a little girl named Indie to the Lord. She is the sweetest little girl I have ever met and she was so shy. She had come to the soccor camp and she was younger than everyone else. She was placed in my group. She didn't really like playing soccor; she just wanted someone to pay attention to her. I took her away from the group and we went and played on the swing set, where she asked Christ into her heart. She is such a special little girl.
Well, I wrote like a novel here last night and lost it! My suggestion is to write your blog in a Word document and then paste it here on the blog comment section - just an FYI!
I am reminded that "to minister" means to serve or to help. We all have opportunities to minister to others every single day - like a gazillion opportunities! Someone drops a book and you are walking by - pick it up for them! Someone needs help opening a door - open it for them! All the seats are filled and someone walks into the room - get up and give them your seat! Wow! Seems simple - well, it is! We pray for God to open doors - but how many times do we miss those opportunities when the door is swung WIDE open for us to minister! Lord, may I always have my eyes open and my ears attuned to see and hear the ministering opportunities you have for me - right here in Bentonville, as well as, wherever I go!