We give thanks to God for enabling us to see another year. Our Lord, the Good Shepherd, in His infinite mercy and grace alone, has enabled us to get here. May He establish all of us, show us His favor, and may we find joy and peace as we serve Him this year in Jesus name!
All of us have either experienced or witnessed a series of different events last year, some good, some challenging, and others just unfortunate. Upon reflection over all these events, I am reminded that we really don’t know how much time we have on this earth (Jam.4:14). This year, I encourage you to take a moment for internal reflection. We should ask ourselves some serious, thought provoking questions, such as:
• Am I redeeming the time (Eph. 5:16) while I still have it?
• Am I using the talents and gifts that God has given me in the best way possible (Matt. 25:14-30)?
• What legacy will I leave behind?
As a Woman in Leadership the time is here and the time is now to make a difference.
There are three pivotal elements I believe we must consider in order for us to make impact in our time.
1. We must accept our Assignment
God put us on this earth to make a contribution. This is ultimately what is important and of eternal value. This is our true purpose for existence on this earth. It is not about you. It is all about God.
Ephesians 2:10 (LB) “It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others.”
We were created, and called to serve Him and Him alone. Regardless of your secular job or career, you are called to full-time Christian service. We must learn to love and serve others, otherwise we should question whether Christ is really in our lives. 2 Timothy1:9 (NIV), “He saved and called us to be His own people, not because of what we have done, but because of his own purpose.”
2. We must use what God has given us
There is a Danish proverb that says:
“What you are is God’s gift to you; what you do with yourself is your gift to God.”
God wants your best! He expects you to make the most of what you have been given. Please, do not covet the abilities that someone else has instead, focus on the gifts and talents he has given to you. If you try to do what someone else is gifted at, you will only be frustrated, stressed, and it will seriously limit your abilities to do your best for God. You must run your own race!
Romans 12:5 “Since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ Body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be.”
If you are still trying to figure out what your gifts and abilities are, act with a sense of urgency. Don’t let another day go by! What should you do? Come up with a list of things you are good at, ask others for their honest opinions. Others always confirm spiritual gifts and abilities, as an example. Challenge yourself! Try something new. You may surprise yourself and discover hidden abilities gifts you never knew you had. A woman, now in her nineties runs and wins 10K races, didn’t discover she enjoyed running until she was seventy-eight! What else can you look at? Examine your personality type and also look at all your life experiences. All of these will help narrow down what gifting and abilities God has given you.
3. We must know our Mission
What is your mission? To clarify; Your Ministry is your service to believers, and your Mission is your service to unbelievers.
John 17:18 (MSG), “The same way that you gave me a mission in the world, I gave them a mission in the world.”
So what does this mean? The word mission comes from the Latin word for “sending” So, our mission as a Christian is to be sent out into the world as a representative of Jesus Christ. The mission Jesus Christ had on earth is now our mission, and that mission is introducing people to God.
Matthew 28-19-20 (LB) says “Go to the people of all the nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you.”
This mission is mandatory and not optional. You are the only Christian some people will ever know, and your mission is to share Jesus with them. How? You can start right at home with your children! Then reach out to your neighbors and the larger community. The consequences of your mission is that this is only thing that is of eternal value. Nothing else you do will ever matter as much as helping people establish an eternal relationship with God.
Want to make impact? I want to encourage you to prayerfully establish your life message, and when you do, be sure to concentrate on these three things, your assignment, gifts/talents, and your mission. Give it your best, and be passionate about it. Having done these things we can be sure that we are not only making an impact, but also leaving a lasting legacy to people around us. May God surely help us all as we strive to do all three this year and now henceforth. May we all receive that crown of glory in heaven one day!
Remain Blessed!
Pastor (Dr.) Mrs. Manita Fadel
Director RCCGNA PWF, and Children’s Ministry
January, 2015