Perhaps no one is better equated with self-less ministry to the poor than Mother Teresa. Yet she struggled with one consistent fear, even as she worked for decades in the darkest slums of Calcutta. She said, “Pray for me that I not loosen my grip on the hands of Jesus even under the guise of ministering to the poor.” There is the tension, loving God, loving His people, and not allowing one to displace the other.
Jesus says in Matthew 10:38, “He who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.” There is the pursuit of Jesus, but there is also the cross of ministry to and suffering for others. “Today, may I seek Your heart and Your face by serving the hearts and faces of those around me.”
Remember what we are doing.
- time in the Word. Everyday this week we read Psalm 25. Read Proverbs 23 today. Ask God to reveal some word of wisdom just for you today. And, read Matthew 10:16-42 today.
- time in His Presence. Spend 12 minutes today in prayer. Use the Lord’s Prayer as an outline. 6 parts, 2 minutes each, 12 minutes. We will expand on that in next week.
- time FOR His people. Do something small, and perhaps anonymous, for one person today. Send an encouraging text, pay for a cup of coffee, hold open a door. I’m going to mention that in a minute.
- Start thinking about a small project you could do for your church over the next 6 weeks. God loves His Church. And a small project for the environment, like pick up trash at the local park. God loves His creation. We have time to think about that.
Here’s an idea. Post on FaceBook one of the things that God is saying to you in our 40 Day adventure. Use the hashtag #takeaminutemakeadifference.