Ruth 1-4

Luke 8:1-25

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation”        —2 Corinthians 5:18

Some of us get the impression that ministry is for people who are working in the church or for those who are sent across the ocean. But ministry is for every follower of Jesus. Would it make sense that God would send His only Son to give His life and save us so that we could be bystanders to those who “actually” get to engage in ministry?

When Jesus called Matthew, who was a tax collector, to be His disciple, He went up to Him and said, “Follow Me” (Matthew 9:9), and immediately, Matthew got up and followed Him. In another instance recorded in Luke 19:1-10, a chief tax collector, Zacchaeus, wanted to see Jesus but he was too short, so he climbed a tree. When Jesus saw Zacchaeus, He told him to come down because He is going to his home that day. Although Jesus did not tell Zacchaeus to follow Him, like Matthew, Zacchaeus became an honest, excellent and upright tax collector because of his encounter with Jesus.  

For fishermen Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John, Jesus said to them, “Come, follow Me and I will send you out to fish for people” (Matthew 4:19), and immediately, they left their boats, their nets and, for James and John, their father, to follow Jesus. On another occasion, when Jesus was in Gerasenes, He encountered a man possessed by many demonic spirits. After Jesus casted the demons out of the man and the man was in his right mind, the man begged to go with Jesus, but Jesus did not let him. Instead, Jesus told him, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you” (Mark 5:19). 

Some of us may feel like we are only doing ministry when we are at church or overseas, but from the above examples in Scripture of different people that Jesus encountered, some became part of the twelve disciples that were close to Jesus’s earthly ministry while others were sent back to their homes and areas of employment to be Jesus’s witnesses. 

Whoever we are, wherever we are and whatever we do, we can all make a difference in the world for Jesus. God created us, wove us together in our mother’s womb and poured into us gifts for a very specific reason—He has a plan and a purpose for every one of us. We all have a role in helping others experience the love of Jesus. May we take a moment and reflect on where God has placed us and the ministry opportunities that we have to draw others to Him.

Dear Jesus, there is a reason and a purpose for where You have placed me. I pray that You open my eyes to see whom I could minister to today. Thank You, Lord.