“Your
attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature
God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made
himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human
likeness and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became
obedient to death, even death on a cross.” ~ Phil. 2:5-9
Dear Friends,
Volunteering has fallen on hard times. Jesus volunteered, no one made Him jump over
heaven’s walls. No one bribed Him to
leave His comfort zone and ask for trouble.
No one hired Him. He didn’t have
to ask what the benefits of the job were: would He have healthcare, be able to
have vacations, be allowed to go and see His family during the summer and at
Christmas?
The Father didn’t say, “How much do I have to pay you to go
down there and sort out this unbelievable mess?” No one twisted His heavenly arm. He came. He volunteered. I can do that! We can all do it!
I have chosen to live the life of a layperson in the
church. When we came to our church in
1970, I volunteered. As a pastor’s wife
for thirty years, until my husband Stuart stepped down from his senior pastor
role, I put in as many or more hours as a paid member of the church staff. As a volunteer, I built and led a women’s
ministry that affected hundreds of women and developed into a worldwide
ministry.
At not a few points along the way, I was offered a paid
position. There was not a right or wrong
way to respond to this. There was only
“His way” for me! As I prayed about it,
I was clearly led to do the job offered, but to do it as a volunteer. It has been a great journey of faith for me. And one thing has happened as a result. I found it has inspired and challenged
thousands of men and women to do the same! To volunteer.
All of us can volunteer to serve Jesus full-time!
There are obviously times to accept a “professional” post in
ministry if the opportunity is presented. But there are more often times when it does
not harm to ask God if He wants you to be a volunteer with no comeback at the
end of the day, but the joy knowing that you have done His will!
When I would ask Him about the opportunities that would come
my way, He told me, “Do it this time as a member of the Body of Christ for Me,
without remuneration.” These were my
instructions. No one else’s, just mine. I obeyed. No one bribed me, no one twisted my arm; I
doubt anyone knew about it. I
volunteered. And God provided all that I
have needed and more.
You can do that too. Let
God give you your assignment for Him whether it is a remunerated position or
not. Whether there is anything in it for
you or not. Let God give you your unique
task. It has been such an adventure for
me, I would not have missed it for the world!
This mode of ministry means you depend on Him for direction,
protection, and affection! You are
accountable to Him for the precious hours in the days He lends you, and you
have to spend a lot of time with Jesus alone to get your marching orders
straight on a daily basis. No one is going
to give you a “to-do” list. You get that
from your heavenly Father every morning of your life in “the deep place where
nobody goes,” as you sit on the steps of your soul and talk to Him firsthand. That’s what Jesus did when He was a volunteer.
Can you imagine anything more thrilling
and fulfilling? What a joy and
privilege. So my dear volunteers for Jesus,
let us press on following the example of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
Serving God together,
Jill
Briscoe
Executive
Editor
Just Between Us Magazine
Again, thank you for your continuing encouragement, Jill.
ReplyDeleteAs we prepare for our mission trip, this is so wonderful to read, thank you Jill!
ReplyDeleteThat was such a good reminder ...thank you!!!
ReplyDeleteOh the reference for the passage is Phil 2:5-9? It says Phil 1:5-9...