“10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. ” NIV

10‘’God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.’’ (New Living Translation).

Just a further word on this passage. I was reminded of something I read recently in ‘The Care of Souls’ by Harold L. Senkbeil:

‘I can guarantee you’ll be strung out, tapped out, and burned out in the ministry very quickly if you don’t grasp this one central truth: By your own strength or power you can do absolutely nothing as a servant of Christ and steward of his mysteries. I’ve seen it over and over again: A bright, gifted young pastor is driven to despair and the brink of emotional and spiritual collapse simply because he set out to do ministry relying on his own ingenuity and internal resources. Please get this straight: It’s not that you do part of the work and God does the rest; it’s not that you do a little bit and God does a whole lot. Rather, in Christ’s church the Holy Spirit does everything…from beginning to end, the life of the Christian is a gift of God’s Spirit.’

He wasn’t meaning that there is nothing for us to do. But he was underlining our total dependence on God’s Spirit.

I read an article the other day by Lee Eclov. In it he wrote about the importance of ‘Wordwork’ for pastors. He described how in his previous church he had set up a group simply to pray for his ministry of preaching. That’s how important he deemed it.

We must have God’s power in our ministries, whatever they may be, otherwise all we do will amount to nothing.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, please show us how to use the gifts you have given us in your strength, for your glory, and for the good of others.