“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another”. (I John 4:11)
Sound of Hope
On our way home from Portland, Laurie and I decided to do a little Christmas shopping. It was cold and snowing.
The memorable bell was faithfully ringing as we scurried past the red kettle out of the weather and into Walmart.
Acts of kindness are prolific during the Christmas holiday. This season of giving captures our hearts whether it’s Salvation Army donations or reaching out to the less fortunate in some other way.
Less Fortunate?
I must admit that most often I’ve viewed the recipients of benevolence as people whose lives will never change.
Transformation is not something I expect or envision for them. Love only goes surface deep.
My arrogance is guised in the feel good emotion that comes from helping others who are “less fortunate”.
Then it hit me, “Am I the only person that the love of God can change? Am I that special? Did Christ die only for me?”
Boy did I feel like a Ding-A-Ling.
In business we can look at people the same way. You sell a product or service to meet a felt need or fulfill a desire. How often do you see what you do through your work as potentially life changing for others?
After all, it’s just business. But what if it were more than that? It can be… if what you do is coming from your heart… if it’s an act of love mixed with faith.
Life is Ministry
Transitioning to a Marketplace Ministry mindset begins with recognizing that God can and does change other people’s lives.
Not just those who “go to church”, but those outside in the marketplace who come in contact with the Church through you. It’s called the 9-5 window.
The soul in dire need today is the same one God can use to change the world tomorrow. The proof is your own life.
If he did it for you, can He do it for someone else?
God uses willing vessels… those who will believe the best for the worst, who put their faith in the power of the resurrected Christ… to be His ambassadors in the earth. That’s you.
Prayer
God, forgive our lack of faith in your ability to change lives through us as we do business until you come. Give us vision for others as well as ourselves. Let us see our work as the primary ministry you intend to use to transform others.
