What have you "paid" to minister for Jesus?

[Mrs D]

There's a trade-off for everything. We cannot do all that we do & add more, something's gotta' give (or else diminish our usefulness to our own families, our own necessary care & the ministry). What have you given up to participate in ministry?

There's always a pay-off too tho'! How has the Lord "repaid" you?

[mamas4bears]

Sometimes ministering takes money, unfortunately, such as gas, food, etc... Even if it's been short and have chosen to continue with my commitment (after doubting), God has always replaced the money needed to do it! If I have to take time off (to go to TEC, etc) it's always been replenished or have received more! But, the money isn't the part that is important to me...it's seeing the changes in people as they get to know how much God loves them and the sacrifice He has given us through Jesus! Nothing will ever repay God for that, so I just do the best I can to try!

[Cindy M.]

You know I never know how to answer this sort of question. Perhaps you go first LOL? Our work for the Lord should take some sacrifice I admit. Sacrifice should hurt. On the other hand I don't support "sharing" the sacrifices too much. I mentioned this passage the other day on a thread about fasting. We are told to wash our faces and not show the world we are fasting. We fast to God. I guess I see it the same with my sacrifices to God. I see them as between me and God. Maybe I am misunderstanding or misapplying scripture. Like I said, if you answer your own question maybe I will see what you are going for .. :)

[Mrs D]

Good point, my dear sister. Good on you for being cautious.

All I'm looking for are testimonies of God's goodness. Like the response already offered by Mamas4bears. Looking more toward the graciousness of God than our "light & momentary troubles".

Care to go a bit deeper into my mind? If so, you're a gutsy one. :biglaugh: Seriously, this topic has been on my mind lately b/c I've recently discovered that there are those in ministry who do not recognize the necessity of the "trade-off" (they view "kingdom work" as an add-on to their lifestyle) & those who do not realize that God will provide all He asks from us. It would give me a boost to hear from those who do realize the price required & praise the One who ultimately foots the bill. Perhaps it would help some here who are in the former condition too; give them a boost to give all knowing God will take care of us.

[sharonka]

To start...I started a ministry in 1999, and have been working Sunday afternoons, because it is the only time the church is empty and there is enough room for 40-70 kids to dance, sing, act, do whatever ministry they need. I now have some faithful volunteers, gosh, i would be lost without Ben, Jean and Jeff, and now Kylie...we put on some amzing recitals that benefit the local community...and every time somone asks us how we do it, i say:



We pray.

[shybhan]

I've been thinking about this a lot. What have I paid? We left a home that had been in my husbands great grandfathers. We left friends, family, a profitable business and all the "american dream" type things that everyone looks for. I don't know if that is paying Him at all, but that is what we gave up to go on the mission field. What was the pay-off? The satisfaction that we are doing exactly what God wants us to. We couldn't imagine doing anything different. We love the Mexican people, we want to see orphan kids have families. We want to continue spreading God's love for orphan kids to the church in America and abroad. How did we get paid? I don't even think that we have tapped into all that He has for us. We've counted the cost, and it was expensive, but worth more than we could ever imagine!!

[citylights]

What have I "paid" to minister for Jesus?

To be honest I don't know that I've ever been asked this question. My off the cuff answer is *time.* I don't necessarily view it in light of "having given something up" tho, bc my heart is so for Jesus that I count it a tremendous privilege knowing that he has called me for the areas that he has me involved in. And that is what I want to do most.

I see that my involvement in ministry requires a time commitment from me ... time that I could spend elsewhere doing whatever. Someone else mentioned financials .... sure, it costs extra gas, sometimes cash depending on what I'm doing. Actually cash, is another that is a price that is paid. Ministry takes money. We support not just our local church but other ministries as well ... which too, also involve time/transportation. Thinking on this I'm reminded that God doesn't live by the clock. I have so many hrs. each day. The p.t. job that I work is all that I can handle. I've had opportunities come up for f.t. work but I always decline bc I know to pursue that would take me away from what I love the most .... not just my family, but serving in Christ's universal church.

No matter the time or the money, I count living "in Jesus name" a privilege and I don't see it as costing me anything. This is the path Jesus has laid before me ... meant to be.

As dh ponders his decision for ministry one of the questions is, do we sell our home and go, or can we keep it and still do this? That causes me to feel shaky sometimes, but no doubt I know that God has his plan and when it comes up I remind myself to resist Satan's temptation to "hang on" to that which isn't eternal.

How 'bout you, Becky? What's shakin' your way? What have you given up?

[cshoremom]

*Time
*Money
*My own comfort zone.......sometimes I'd rather NOT step out of taht zone.... but I do, and I see the blessings!!!

[DDofEve]

these kinds of posts are hard to answer. In some ways, they could be misconstrued as a "one-up-manship", kwim? On the other hand, they are just plain HARD! Hard in that I don't always LIKE to look at what its cost me, kwim? (God can ALWAYS "one-up" me by talking about how His Son gave his life...) I don't like to think about what I am going without or my kids are going without. Plus, its an "if" question and they are usually hypothetical, right? Hypothetical never gets me anywhere....you are now sorry you asked...:biglaugh:

Trying to "count the cost":

my parents that raised me(my aunt and uncle-they never liked my dh as he was a pastor and made them feel guilty for being who and what they are personally although they claim Christ as Savior...now that's a head-scratcher for sure...)

a REALLY deep and intimate relationship with my mom. She will never really "get" me until she comes to that same Savior-knowledge.

sundry minor conveniences like time and $-our steps are ordered so I really have no worries...and that really just sums it up for me.

Time, resources and relationships.

Small price to pay for the reward of the LORD saying, "Well done thou good and faithful servant!" :D

[Mrs D]

It is of the utmost importance to point out that anything we've given up has been "laid on the altar" only b/c of the grace of God. For one thing, it's all His anyway. But, for another, He's given us the direction & the guts to follow-to trust Him. We're not great people, we simply have a great God.

We've traded the comforts of home to learn that we can feel "at home" wherever we are w/ God. We've traded the satisfaction of food, clothes, $$ & the like to learn that God alone can truly satisfy. We've given up time & energy b/c we discovered that we have eternity & the limitless power of the Holy Spirit. We've given up luxuries like new clothes, TV, vacations, reliable cars, air conditioning, a furnace, etc. to learn to be content in whatever our circumstance.

Every time we've "sacrificed", God's given back spiritual gifts. Plus, very often He's given material gifts too, & some "bonus" even. For example, when we moved to the mission field the shack we had to live in was w/o appliances. God not only gave us great appliances (a luxury material gift), but He made sure that altho' they were coming from different sources they all matched perfectly (bonus). I could've been content (I would've been *thrilled*) to have working fridge & stove, but He gave fridge, stove, chest freezer, microwave, clothes washer & dryer all the same color & a color that matched the coming-along decor of the kitchen.

Besides dumping our entire savings into the mission (our med emergency funds b/c we have no health insurance & our "retirement" funds & our "just in case" funds), we sold my car to pay for moving expenses. God orchestrated the most beautiful thing! Get a load of this: A couple in one state, gave their car to someone in another state, who donated the car to a third party in a third state to use or sell for their ministry, who sold the car to us. Hold on, there's more to the story. Not only did the car have to pass thru' all these hands, but it had to come to us at just the right time b/c as it turns out the $$ we paid for the car just so happened to be the exact amount of $$ needed for a ministry project that was to be presented two days *after* we bought the car. Pluuuus, it's a station wagon. What's that got to do w/ anything, you ask? Since I rode in my cousin's station wagon as a small child I've thought wagons were the coolest cars around. Never had one b/c I didn't need one-single girl to married girl to mom of one. Nonetheless, my God gave me not only my dream car, but my favorite make-Buick. We could've stayed here & I'd still be driving my uncomfortably small Neon unaware of God's awesome ability to bless beyond belief several people w/ a single station wagon.