Top 10 places to find your ministry

You don’t want to hear this. You want an answer – you want to find your ministry – but you don’t want to hear this answer.

Many Christians try to feel contented in the subtle serving they do. They dust or sweep or something. But in their gut, they want more. They want to find their true calling. They want to know their life purpose. They want to get into the real ministry.

Is that you? It’s me for sure.

We’re concerned about where our calling is. If we don’t feel involved in an astounding project for the Lord, we wonder if God’s in it. Even if we are involved in a ministry, you and I often doubt God’s guidance. Did He really call me here? Did He really have this planned? Or did God move on?

I’m in that position all the time. Especially when times are tough, I wonder where my real ministry is. I want to serve the world, but I don’t know where to start. Most importantly, I want to get past this trivial slave stuff and dive into the mounting moving.

Are you there too?

Here’s where the difficult answer comes in. Are you ready for it?

“But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings…” -2 Corinthians 6:4-5

Eeeek! Doesn’t sound like fun.

The places where God wants us to minister are the places we want to avoid.

Look for them:

1. “In much patience”: When do you find you need the most patience?

2. “In tribulations”: Where are you most oppressed?

3. “In needs”: When are you in the most need?

4. “In distresses”: When do you feel most distressed?

5. “In stripes”: Where are you beaten and punished?

6. “In imprisonments”: Where are you ostracized by others?

7. “In tumults”: Where is your life most chaotic?

8. “In labors”: Where do you have to work the hardest to survive?

9. “In sleeplessness”: When do you lose sleep?

10 “In fastings”: When do you have to go without?

I don’t think this is just saying we will have these difficulties in our ministries. I think it goes further than that. I think it’s saying we can find our ministries by actively pursuing these difficulties.

You and I find our ministries when we purposely move into the places where we experience the most pain, the most discomfort, and the most dependence.

This doesn’t mean we’re pain lovers. We’re not masochists. We find our ministries in the most difficult places because in those places we recognize our intense need for Christ.

Otherwise, we’re tempted to work alone. When we’re living easy, you and I think we have life in control. On the other hand, when you and I are out there dying, we’re not tempted to work alone. We can’t. We’re scraping for all the help we can find.

In dangerous places, we’re forced to depend on God. And that’s when God works through us.

You want to serve others? Find the place where it’s most difficult – start serving from there.

Serving Suggestions:

(1) Get out a piece of paper and list the areas of your life where you feel the most discomfort. Come up with at least 20 items. This won’t be easy. Some pain runs deep. Write it down anyway.

(2) Now review your list. I guarantee that at least one presents an opportunity for your ministry. What are you scared to do? That might be exactly where God wants you to work.

(3) If you run through this exercise and find you’re already in that difficult position, don’t automatically assume God’s left you. If you’re hurting, if you’re calling out to Jesus, you’re probably right where He wants you.