WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE JOB, MINISTRY, OR COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY?

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE JOB, MINISTRY, OR COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY?

 

 

Once your heart has raced with excitement during a career assignment, church ministry activity, or community role, you will probably crave that exhilarating feeling again. What great memory comes to mind about a paid or volunteer position in which you had the time of your life? Did it make you smile and sigh and feel grateful to be involved? Do you feel that God’s hand was in that situation? Do you understand that he delights in giving you tasks he designed you to love?

 

 

DOES LIFE GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS?

 

 

What career delights your soul and allows you to be a witness for Jesus in the marketplace? Is it being a newspaper reporter, forensic scientist, mother, electrician, beautician, financial advisor, or flight attendant? Do you most enjoy consulting, entrepreneuring, or working at a public relations firm?

 

 

What church ministry do you look forward to on a regular basis? Is it being a church office volunteer, recycling cans to pay for Bibles, directing the choir, designing a ministry website, supervising lay counselors, or mentoring young girls? Is it being a greeter at worship services, teaching a Bible class, or doing telephone evangelism? What community volunteer task is invigorating for you and gives you a chance at friendship evangelism?

 

 

Do you love to organize the annual pancake breakfast for your local Kiwanis Club, work at a pet rescue clinic, care for elderly shut-ins, grocery shop for a women’s shelter, serve on a board of trustees, or be a Cub Scout master? It could be that nothing makes you happier than directing plays at your community theater, being on-call for the Red Cross disaster relief team, or being a fundraiser for the Leukemia Society. Barbara Smith, author of Cooking with Smitty’s Mom, has pinpointed her favorite service opportunities.

 

 

BARBARA SMITH HAS A SERVANT’S HEART

 

 

Barbara is the mother of recording artist Michael W. Smith. She was a church secretary for twenty-seven years and owned a catering business; now she enjoys occasional speaking engagements. She prays to become more Christ like in her actions toward others. She also prays often for wisdom, because she believes Proverbs 24:3: “By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established.”

 

 

Because Barbara’s childhood was difficult, she knows that her passion for making family a priority is her special gift from God. Barbara’s favorite job has always been as a mom. She loves to provide a God-centered, spiritual place where her family belongs. And, more recently, she has enjoyed encouraging young mothers within and outside her church. She coaches them to plan daily for quality, family time together and to prayerfully and constantly seek God’s counsel for the choices they make as a family. Barbara is a servant whenever God opens a door. She uses her love of food preparation as a ministry to sick and bereaved members of her church and neighborhood, and she thoroughly enjoys feeding the homeless through a program called Room at the Inn.

 

 

She comments: “It boggles my mind that the Creator of the universe would worry about details, like whether or not I enjoy my assignments from him. Frankly, though, I love this feeling of being spoiled by my heavenly Father to the point of being allowed to serve in my element! He may soon need me to serve elsewhere, outside my area of passion, but for now, I certainly consider it a treat to be doing what I love doing.”

 

 

What Has Been Your Favorite Job, Ministry, or Community Volunteer Opportunity?

Deborah Had a Favorite Job

 

 

Deborah, the only known female judge of Israel, sang the celebratory Song of Deborah recorded in Judges 5:1–31. That festivity had to be a career highlight for her because, along with Barak and his army, she was able to stop the king of Canaan’s twenty-year reign of terror on their land. Read her story in Judges 4:1–23. Who do you know who has had the opportunity, like Deborah, to do something heart-pounding or life-giving at home, work, church, or in his or her community? What was it?

 

 

SCRIPTURE TO PONDER

 

 

LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen

for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. (Psalm 16:5–6)

 

 

SUGGESTED PRAYER

 

 

Dear Lord, you have assigned me, _________, my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. Today I thank you for the rich and fulfilling experiences you have given me or have reserved especially for me in the future. Whether in a paid career, an unsalaried household management position, a church ministry position, or a community volunteer opportunity, I want to follow in your footsteps, representing your goodness to others. I pray for a willingness to serve humbly, not wanting to draw attention to myself. Let me be useful to you.

 

 

So . . . What Insight, Prayer, or Action Step Has God Laid on Your Heart Today?