Yes, You Can Ministry

When I hear this verse my mind begins to wander. Jesus had made such a difference in the lives of these men that people marveled at them. They were astonished that “dumb fishermen” could be so bold as to speak as these men were. It’s always like that when we get a glimpse of God. When we are renewed by His Spirit we have a boldness to share His name. (II Timothy 1:7) We are changed, and other people notice the difference in our lives. If no one has ever seen a difference in your life then you have a problem. I’m not saying you’re not saved, but I am saying that there is something in your life that is blocking the Glory of God to shine through, and whatever that may be needs to be removed.

Go back with me to the time of Moses. We read in Exodus 34:30, “So when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, behold the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.” This was when Moses came from Mt. Sinai after spending forty days and nights in God’s presence. There was a physical, obvious change in Moses. The verses go on to say that Moses put a veil over his face because the others could not see it because it was so bright. The sun that we see now is of no comparison to the Son that we will one day see.

Not only will people notice the physical changes in our lives after we see God, but they will also recognize a Spiritual difference in us, as the Lord comes into us and commands our lives. “Now Saul was afraid of David for the Lord was with him, but had departed from Saul.” I Samuel 18:12 People should not be “afraid” of us in the same way that word is used today, but they should have an “awe” for us because they see God in us. It’s similar to the saying you may have heard about the President of the U.S, “They may not respect the man, but they must respect the office.” When people see us they should be clearly aware that there is a difference about us. Like with the example of Moses; we may not shine, but people should see the difference in our countenance because God can be seen through our actions.

We are mere human beings, and are not worthy of any praise from men; or as David wrote in Psalm 22:6, “But I am a worm…” that is how we must see ourselves in comparison to God. I think I am a pretty good guy, but when I stand before God I am nothing more than a slug; but when His glory shines on me then I sparkle. Have you ever noticed that when the sun shines on the trail left by a slug that it would almost be pretty if we didn’t know what creature left the trail. So it is, when the Son shines on us our “slug trails” look pretty.

Isaiah 64:6-7 reminds us of how bad off we are, and no matter how hard we try on our own we cannot reach the bar that has been set for us; but we read in I John 2:1-2 (and countless other verses) that Jesus Christ covers our unrighteousness and because of the payment that He made for us we are made clean before God.

We live in an “I did it my way” world, well our way is opposite from God’s way. The human manifesto says do what you need to do to look out for Numero Uno. Whereas the Godly way says, “… not to think more highly of himself than he ought…” (Romans 12:3) The Godly way is foreign to us as humans, but God has promised us if we change our desires and do things His way that He will take care of us. (Matthew 6:33)

As this week goes on, look for ways that you can shine for God and give Him the glory!

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Father God, I thank You for showing Yourself in my life, and being the difference between a life that is wasted and one full of meaning. In Jesus name, Amen
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