“God . . . has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others.” Ephesians 2:10 (TLB)
God did not put you on earth just to live for yourself. He wants you to make the world a better place!
Ephesians 2:10 says, “God. . . has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others” (TLB).
There’s a word for this kind of living: ministry. Every Christian is a minister. Not every Christian is a pastor, but every Christian is a minister. When you minister, you use your talents and gifts to make a contribution in life—you’re a giver, not a taker.
The Bible teaches us to love one another. Care for one another. Pray for one another. Encourage one another. Help one another. Counsel one another. Support one another. And on and on. It is the mutual ministry of every believer in the family of God to every other believer in the family of God. That’s the way God meant for it to be.
The truth is, serving God by serving others is not always easy. Sometimes you’ll get discouraged. So what do you do when you start to get discouraged? Remember two things.
First, remember the reward you’ll receive that will go on for eternity. The Bible says that God “will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers” (Hebrews 6:10 NLT).He will reward you in eternity.
The second thing to remember is that God uses every little thing that happens in your life. Nothing is insignificant when you serve God. None of it is in vain. “Keep busy always in your work for the Lord, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord’s service is ever useless” (1 Corinthians 15:58 GNT).
No matter who you are or where you live, if you’re a follower of Jesus, you’re a minister. As you walk through your day today, look for ways you can serve God by serving someone else.
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Your Gift Brings Hope to the World
Let God’s Word Guide Your Relationships
God created us for connection, and the Bible has so much wisdom to offer about our relationships.
That’s why Pastor Rick created the Relationship Scripture cards. This collection of 52 full-color Bible verses is designed to encourage you and guide your relationships every day. Each card is easy to carry in your purse or pocket and simple to memorize, so God’s Word is always close when you need it most.
You can request your set of Relationship Scripture cards with your gift to Daily Hope. Thank you for helping share the hope of Jesus and strengthen relationships around the world.
*The USA IRS code permits you to deduct the amount of your financial gift to Daily Hope that exceeds the fair market value of “current offer” materials you received from Daily Hope.
