For most of my adult life, I have served as a church pastor while also working a full-time job. Seven years ago, I retired from my job. Coming up to the time of my retirement, I became aware of how intimidating that time in one’s life can be for so many people.
I discussed my excitement about retiring with some of my colleagues who were more than eligible to retire also. Some of them shared with me why they were not willing to retire. They said they didn’t know what they would do with all the time on their hand. At the same time, several of these same people commented that I didn’t have that problem because I had the ministry to occupy my time.
They were so right! I thank God for the job I had, but I have not missed work. Being a minister of the gospel, I am doing what I love doing. I find it most fulfilling that I get to stand before God’s people each week to share the Word with them. I have been afforded the priceless opportunity to help people live more effectively for God and thereby increase their quality of life.
The only reason I can do this is because God has called, anointed and equipped me for this very cause. The point is that God has created us to share our life with others. Our life is most fulfilled when we do that.
Serve God by Serving Others
Regardless of the spiritual or ministry gift God has blessed you with, it is not for you to keep to yourself. Rather, it is for you to use to serve God. And the way you serve God is by serving His people and others with the abilities and resources He has blessed you with. It is from this standpoint that I say God has created us to share our life with others.
Some people live in a real tiny world. It revolves around only “me, myself, and I.” That may sound like a good way to live because you get to spend all of your time pleasing yourself. But with time, you will experience a strong sense of something missing in your life. In the very beginning God said, “It is not good that man should be alone” (Gen. 2:18, KJV). That’s because He made us that way.
The most vibrant, rewarding, and fulfilling life is realized by sharing our life with others and not by keeping it all for ourselves. Yes, it costs us some things (time, money, physical wear, etc.) to invest in the lives of others. But at the same time we are supernaturally resourced for the same. “Though our outward man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16, NASB).
God has committed Kingdom resources into your hands. The question is, what are you doing with them? Are you using them to bear fruit for the Kingdom? Or will you be like the lazy servant Jesus spoke about who did nothing but hid his Lord’s money in the ground (see Matthew 25:24-27)? God wants us to bear much fruit for the Kingdom. To do that, we must be willing to share our life with others.
Copyright © 2023 by Frank King. All rights reserved.