24/7/365

Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil (I Thessalonians 5:16-22) 

Minister:

A member of the clergy, especially in Protestant churches

(in certain countries) a head of a government department

(archaic) a person or thing use to achieve or convey something

          Who is your minister? Who are your ministers? How many of them do you have? Are they all professionals? When you hear the word, do you think in terms of members of the clergy or heads of government departments, or do you think in the archaic sense: a person who serves you and helps you to achieve or convey something? Or, are the perhaps the buddy who makes you laugh and feel good about yourself once a week?

          What does your minister have to do with today’s passage?  These are just a brief list of things we’re supposed to be doing:

Rejoicing always (24/7/365)

Praying without ceasing (24/7/365)

Giving thanks in everything (24/7/365)

Not quenching the Spirit (24/7/365)

Not despising prophetic utterances, but examining everything carefully and holding on to what is good (24/7/365)

Abstaining from every form of evil (24/7/365)

          These are all things that we tend to expect from our ministers. They’re supposed to spend all their time doing these things plus studying Scripture, preparing sermons, counseling just about everyone, visiting patients in hospitals and nursing homes, evangelizing every home in a hundred-mile radius, leading the church….  That’s the hygienic system that lets us separate from the action: clean, neat, distant, convenient. But it’s not what Scripture tells us to do. We’re supposed to be doing those things ourselves, being helped to do those things by others, and helping others do those things. We are ministers to everyone around us. They are ministers to us. I’m not suggesting that we get rid of paid ministers, just that we don’t delegate our responsibilities to them.

         Two winters ago, God suggested to me that it wasn’t really right to just pray for someone to be blessed when I had the means of blessing them at my fingertips. Yesterday, as I made myself a little more at home at the Y, I discovered a notebook of prayer requests. I thought about adding “wisdom, direction and attitude” to the list, but didn’t. Instead, I took the four that were listed yesterday to the throne of grace – even the one I really couldn’t read. It only took a moment, but it could it, by grace, count toward their 24/7/365? I like to think so.

          We are all ministers to God and to one another. The ministry of prayer is not just a responsibility, it’s also an honor. Prayer is more than just giving God a to do list. It’s an act of loving service and a duty. How is your ministry today?