Protect and Serve

January 27, 2010 at 4:49 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
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To Protect and Serve

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.”(1 Corinthians 16:13-14)

Being involved in ministry and leadership will be difficult. We need to get over that so I will say it again. Being involved in ministry and leadership will be difficult. There is no getting around it. But the Church needs us to faithfully stand in the gap. The world may not know it, but it needs us to faithfully proclaim the Gospel and make disciples.

We have to be on our guard because there are wolves that seek to harm the sheep. The wolves are clever, cruel and relentless. It seems they never rest. They change their plan of attack and they try to catch us off guard. Those of us in ministry and leadership have been given the responsibility of protecting the sheep. Believe it or not, sometimes the sheep do not appreciate the shepherds’ service. But good shepherds (ministers and leaders) protect and serve anyway.

It’s the middle of the week.  We may be tired. Protect and serve anyway. We may feel overwhelmed by our duties. Protect and serve anyway. We may feel underappreciated. Protect and serve anyway. Stand in the gap and pray, preach/teach, lead by example, care, visit and love the sheep. Our heavenly Father expects no less from His men that serve Him and His Church. He will help us protect and serve. We can accomplish the ministry He gives us because He will help us.

When we are tempted to whine or complain about our sheep or our circumstances I think we should stop and pray and give thanks to God for His patience toward us. We know our failings better than anyone else does. We know our weaknesses and the struggles both in our thoughts and lives. And God in His great mercy still gives us the opportunity to protect and serve.

Rise Up, O Men of God

By William P Merrill

1. Rise up, O men of God! Have done with lesser things;

Give heart and soul and mind and strength To serve the King of kings.

2. Rise up, O men of God! His kingdom tarries long;

Bring in the day of brotherhood And end the night of wrong.

3. Rise up, O men of God! The church for you doth wait,

Her strength unequal to her task; Rise up and make her great!

4. Lift high the cross of Christ, Tread where His feet have trod;

As brothers of the Son of Man, Rise up, O men of God! Amen.

Your ministry is needed. God will help you.

Redeem the time,

Bill  (a fellow-laborer)

(Rom. 15:13)

P.S.

If you know a police officer or fire fighter, pray for them because they put their lives on the line everyday to protect and serve. They may not know you are praying for them, but they and their families will benefit from our intercessory prayers. Thank you.

It’s Time

January 11, 2010 at 11:24 am | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
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It is time for me to enter the blogosphere. I have put it off for quite some time. I think that my age and experiences give me something to say. More importantly I think my personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and what He has helped me through and taught me give me something to say. My hope and plan are to encourage my brothers in the ministry to stay strong, to be faithful, and to fight the good fight. Then I hope to encourage other male leaders within the body of Christ in a similar fashion. I also hope to encourage some men to quit making excuses and surrender completely to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and begin to serve in their local church. Finally, it would be a great joy if some men reading this blog came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

This blog will develop as I grow in both my ability to write (communicate) clearly what I want to say and my understanding of technology. My goal is to start writing weekly. I have been a collector of quotes for some time and will try to add to that page frequently. Since I read a lot I will post book reviews and encourage you to read and apply what you learn. There will also be a few links that I think are important. I’m thinking I may add a few other pages also.

I take full responsibility for what I put in this blog. To the best of my ability I will give proper credit and citation when I use someones work. Should you use something from this blog I ask that you cite me and give a link. As far as comments go, I will allow them, but reserve the right to delete any comments for any reason when I want to. I also reserve the right to block or not allow comments at any time for any reason. My personal material will be copyrighted.

 I truly hope that this blog will encourage you to press on with faith, hope and love; to faithfully do the work of the ministry to which you were called; and to be glad with the joy of God’s presence. Ministry is not easy and it is not for the faint-hearted. I hope this blog is a ministry to my fellow laborers. Take courage (heart)! God is with you and He will help you through each and every storm.

I truly hope that Almighty God gets glory from this blog and my life. I am still so grateful for my salvation. I am glad to live in such a time as this when opportunities for ministry abound. Redeem the time brothers, for the Lord’s return is closer than when we first believed. Let’s encourage one another to be found faithful.

(LORD, You will establish peace for us, for You have also done all our works in us. – Is. 26:12 NKJV)

Be encouraged,

Bill  (Rom. 15:13)

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