NO LEFTOVERS
What do the fifty people pictured above have in common?
We’ve all been called to ministry.
We’re all Standing Stone shepherds, committed to strengthening God’s church by caring for its leaders–pastors, missionaries, and parachurch workers.
We all worshiped, prayed, and grew together at the Western Shepherds’ Team Building.
And all fifty of us were challenged today by the quote on the screen behind us…
“When I stand before God at the end of my life,
I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left
and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.'”
Please pray for us, that we’d live a “no leftovers” life for God, guiding ministry leaders into healthy ministry for His glory.
Weekly Encouragement
At the end of our lives, I imagine that most of us would love to say, with the Apostle Paul,
“The time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith”
(2 Tim 4:6b-7)
For Paul, this didn’t happen on accident. He didn’t “happen” to finish well. He fought the good fight. He kept the faith. And there’s an essential (often neglected) step that preceded all of this. Paul lets us in on his secret in the first half of 2 Timothy 4, verse 6:
“I am already being poured out as a drink offering.”
Under the Old Testament covenant, an offering was not complete until the wine was poured out before the altar of God.
Paul’s willingness to be poured out, to leave nothing behind as He served the Lord, was precisely what enabled him to finish well.
Do you currently live a “no leftovers” life for God?
Or are there ways in which He might be calling you to a deeper level of surrender?
Dear friend, is anything holding you back from pouring out your time, resources, and talents for the One who saved you?
