Taking the first step

By Bishop Jonathan Holston

Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? And I said, Here am I, send me! ”Isaiah 6:8

Musicians say the hardest part of practicing is taking the instrument out of the case. To begin is to be half done! That is what we need to do with our God-sized dreams.

By taking action, it separates the winners from the whiners and the ideas from the I did its. Action gets things done.

Recently, I attended a meeting, where folks had become frustrated with their church and said they ve done all they could. I was reminded of a reprint of a poem titled, Is it a Ministry or Just a Job. Consider these words, namely:

If you are doing it because no one else will, it s a job.
If you are doing it to serve the Lord, it s a ministry.

If you are doing it just well enough to get by, it s a job.
If you are doing it to the best of your ability, it s a ministry.

If you will do only as long as it doesn t interfere with other activities, it s a job.
If you are committed to staying with it, even when it means letting go of other things, it s a ministry.

If you quit because no one praised you or thanked you, it was a job.
If you stay with it even when no one seems to notice, it s a ministry.

If you do it because someone else said it needs to be done, it s a job.
If you do it because you are convinced it needs to be done, it s a ministry ¦.

An average church is filled with people doing jobs.
A great church is filled with people excited and involved in ministry.

Friends, having a passion for your God-sized dreams creates a sense of mission that comes from the heart, which gives us the energy, drive and enthusiasm to take action quickly. Joe and Keiko Stroud, missionaries in Matsuyama, Japan, share these words about mission, saying, Each and everyone of us is given a place of service and mission. Mission is not defined by place or occupation. It is simply living out our ˜yes to Jesus call wherever we happen to be.

Bishop J. Lloyd Knox replied when asked about mission by stating, We would all do well to develop a missional spirit that causes us to be on the cutting edge of ministry ”taking a risk for the cause of Christ.

I believe we have not done all we can do, and there are plenty of God-sized dreams to discover. The question is simply in finding that place of ministry in which to live out our yes to Jesus call.

Maybe, after all is said and done, the musicians really got it right.