Am I Called to Ministry?

Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.-Romans 16:3-4, NIV

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.-1 Peter 4:10-11, ESV

 Many people strive to do for God.  They never think that they are good enough with the resources that they already have.  They think that the only way to please God is to go into full-time ministry.  Numerous people believe that, in order for someone to truly surrender to God, one must become a pastor or a missionary.  In order to be a true Christian, one must sell all his possessions to the poor and live a life totally dependent on God. 

There is nothing wrong with being a pastor or a missionary.  As a matter of fact, I want to be a missionary and I completely respect everyone who does.  It does take a lot of faith to go overseas and serve or stand in front of hundreds of people on a Sunday morning.  But what do we do with the fact that in a congregation of people on fire for God, the majority of people live lives or will live lives as accountants, teachers, doctors, and other “secular” careers?

When people think of a ministry, they typically think of Mother Theresa, a missionary nun who served in Calcutta, or Billy Graham, an evangelist whose words and humility allowed millions of people to find Christ through his television program.  But did you ever think of the waitress who spends hours working so that she can support her daughter and raise her in the Lord?  Did you ever think of the therapist who listens to his clients talk all day and then goes home and prays for every one of them? 

Being involved in ministry simply implies fulfilling the Great Commission, in which Jesus calls us to make disciples of all nations.  Priscilla and Aquila were two people who used the gifts that God gave them in order to further the kingdom of God.  They were not disciples like Peter and Paul were.  As a matter of fact, they made tents for a living.  The tents they made were sturdier and more significant than the tents that we have now, but it was not like they were in any type of full-time ministry.  They were Jews whom Claudius had kicked out of Italy.  When Paul met them, they were living in Corinth.

Paul was what we would call a missionary, but he was also a tentmaker.  His main focus was to preach the gospel, but he had a job in order to reach more people.  His job as a tentmaker serves as an example for missionaries today.  Numerous missionaries become English teachers, nurses, or entrepreneurs overseas so that it would be easier for them to acquire a visa and live in another country.  Because Paul shared this common trade with Priscilla and Aquila, they allowed Paul to work with them.

While Paul was preaching the gospel in Corinth, Priscilla and Aquila were allowing Paul to stay in their home.  The Bible says that Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half!  Priscilla and Aquila were able to help Paul in his ministry.  Because of their obedience to God, Priscilla and Aquila were able to use their home to aid others as well.  While Paul was still in Corinth, a man named Apollos came from Ephesus.  Priscilla and Aquila invited him into their home and explained God to him.  After hearing Paul minister to the Corinthians in their home, Priscilla and Aquila learned about God and were able to teach what they learned to others.  Even after Paul left, they were still using their home to glorify the Lord.  As a matter of fact, in 1 Corinthians 16:19, Paul wrote that they were using their house as a place of worship and fellowship for the believers in Corinth.

God has blessed everyone with gifts, talents, and resources that he can use for His glory.  God has given me the gift of writing and the ability to relate to people.  I just started working at my college’s writing center, and I realized how much I love helping people learn how to write.  I especially love working with international students who did not learn English until they came here in the beginning of the school year.  Because of these gifts and these skills that I have, I am studying TESOL, and I plan to teach English overseas. 

I realize that I am writing to an audience of people who may not know what their gifts or talents are.  I have a few friends that love God and are doing “all the right things,” but they have no idea what they want to do with their lives.  It really hurts not knowing where God is calling you to be.  You may be attentive to God’s voice, but maybe He is not saying anything yet.  God has His timing and His reasons for everything, but it is important that you begin to serve God in the little things.  Maybe God has not called you to be a worship pastor at your local church, but He has called you to take care of your sister or donate money to a non-profit organization.  Maybe you are not ready to hop on a plane and go to Africa, but you can spend a few hours listening to your friend talk about how he struggles with temptation and how it is eating him alive.  Just like Priscilla and Aquila, you can serve God by simply surrendering the little things that you have.

So, what do you have to give to God?  Do you have a love for sports?  Do you have a well-paying job that allows you to live in a big house?  Do you have compassion, patience, or a willingness to listen?  If you have anything to give to God, then God is calling you into His ministry.  He is calling you to further the kingdom of God with the gifts and talents that you already have.  Through your acts of surrender—saying “yes” to God everyday—God is growing your skills and talents and allowing you to discover more of how God can use you full-time. 

I’m sure all of you read this post thinking “Am I called to ministry?”  The answer is yes.  You may not be called to be a pastor or a missionary, but you are called to help in making disciples.  It is your job to share your testimony with the world, to be a listening ear, and to serve people who are hurting.  Eventually, you may end up as a missionary or a pastor, or you may end up as a sales associate or a social worker.  Continue to trust God and say “yes” to Him; when you look back, you will know that you made a difference through your ministry.

Leadership and Integrity

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. -Acts 20:28, ESV

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you."
-Hebrews 13:17, HCSB

Before learning about the U. S. Constitution in History class, my teacher would always ask me: "Why do we need rules to run a country?"  I would hear different answers, both sarcastic and genuine.  Although we live in a free country where we can essentially do whatever we want, our Founding Fathers established rules so that the country will have guidelines to follow.  If people have guidelines to follow, there will be less chaos and more time for improvement and success.
Leaders are ordained by God to establish rules and encourage others to follow them.  Since before the flood, God has picked leaders to tell others what to do.  He told Noah to build an ark and get his family on the boat so that they would be safe from the flood.  He commanded Moses to lead the entire nation of Israel out of Egypt, and then asked Joshua to lead Israel into the Promised Land.  God anointed judges to lead the people of Israel once they were established in Canaan.  God knows that without leadership, we are doomed to fail.
Leaders are meant to lead with integrity and boldness.  Integrity simply means to be whole and complete in one's actions and character (a paraphrased version of the dictionary.com definition).  I feel like the term "boldness" is a lot harder to explain.  In today's world, boldness could be translated as obnoxious, cocky, or overly confident.  To be honest, I thought this way for a long time.  Any leader who talked too much or who acted in a way to get attention was labeled "obnoxious" in my mind. 
In my devotional time this week, God showed me that Paul had boldness in his ministry.  Paul was clearly a man who followed the teachings of Jesus and submitted to the will of the Holy Spirit.  Everything he did, he did with godly wisdom.  God had surely ordained Paul to be a leader in preaching the gospel and setting an example for other disciples to follow.  In Acts 27, Paul tried to consult his group while he was on a ship.  Although his specialty as a leader was in preaching the gospel, he wanted to use his godly wisdom and love as a leader to warn the crew that destruction was going to come on them and the cargo.  But the people on the ship wanted to listen to the pilot of the ship, because he actually knew more about ships than Paul did (vv 11-12).  Later in the story, however, they discovered that Paul was right; a storm came and damaged their possessions.
At first glance, it seemed like Paul was just trying to boast in his own strength.  I'm sure the people on the boat were rolling their eyes at him and questioning his authority.  Why did he have to know everything?  Can he just be quiet for once?  There is probably a "Paul" in all of our lives: that one guy who knows everything about anything.  I have a few friends that, when they talk, I find myself rolling my eyes.  They just know everything. 

Unfortunately, this is how society views people who are called to be leaders.  They think: "Why do you always have to be right?" or "Why are you always telling me what to do?"  Sure, there are definitely ways to say things without offending others, but the bold attitude that Paul had was the type of attitude that all leaders should have.  Paul may have appeared obnoxious, but he was just using his boldness and authority as a leader to lovingly help people.  Think about what would have happened if Paul did not have the boldness that he had.  He would not have been able to prepare the people on the boat; with his help, everyone got off the boat safely (Acts 27:44).

Aside from this incident, Paul also used his boldness to help people throughout his ministry.  While in Damascus, Paul spoke boldly in the name of the Lord (Acts 9:28).  With his authority in the Holy Spirit, Paul rebuked the magician who opposed them in Salamis; as a result, the proconsul that was accompanying him believed in the Lord Jesus (Acts 13:8-12).  In Antioch of Pisidia, Paul did not compromise the truth that he had come to know; because of his boldness, many Jews became Christians that very day (Acts 13:16-41).  Imagine if Paul had arrived at the Gentile countries and simply said: "I don't want to bother you, so...here's my story. Take it or leave it. I have to get going now. Good luck running your churches."  Did you know that Paul spent years planting churches and encouraging them to grow?  After he left the churches, he would travel around and then come visit them again when he had time.  I am confident that, if Paul did not use his boldness and confidence as a leader, the churches we have today probably would not be as effective.  Paul not only encouraged the churches to grow; he also set a precedent for churches today.
People today are called to be leaders just like Paul.  Husbands are called to lead their families by making decisions based on what God speaks through him.  Teachers are called to guide students to learn and live the life that God has planned for them.  Presidents and other political leaders are called to protect the country with a prayerful heart.  Bosses are called to make rules and guidelines for everyone to follow so that the company does not end in chaos.

Sometimes we are not satisfied with the leaders in our lives.  I hear people everyday criticizing the President for another mistake that he made.  People post on Facebook about how they hate their job and how their bosses do not know what they are doing.  Wives gossip about their husbands when they are out with their friends.  As a result of this complaining and lack of respect, nothing gets better.  As a matter of fact, insulting the leaders in our lives actually makes things worse.

It is very important to remember that every boss that you have comes from God. Ultimately, your job is to serve God and submit to everything that He says.  However, He puts bosses in our lives to give us direction on how to do that.  As Hebrews 13:17 says, leaders "keep watch over your souls." Clearly, God has given leaders the ability to handle keeping watch over your soul. 

One of the leader's job is to encourage.  However, if no one is encouraging him, he will eventually drain out and become weak.  Our job as the followers is to encourage.  Sometimes, all it takes is just a "thank you" or "you really helped me."  Just make sure that it is genuine. 

It is so easy to encourage leaders that are actually doing a good job.  Like I mentioned before, the President makes mistakes everyday.  Fathers walk away from homes.  Bosses do things that do not line up with the Word of God.  However, God still calls us to submit.  First Peter 2:18 says to submit to those in authority with all respect, whether they are good and gentle or they are unreasonable.  You do this not just to receive guidance, but also to glorify God.  Ultimately, your work is for the Lord, no matter whom you serve (Colossians 3:23).

If you yourself are a leader, walk in integrity and boldness.  God has given you the authority; now use it!  Remember, however, that your strength and authority comes from God.  This means that God is YOUR leader.  The centurion in Capernaum shows this example when he asks Jesus to heal his servant.  When Jesus agreed to go to the centurion's house, the centurion replied: "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me.  And I say to one, 'Go' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it" (Matthew 8:9, ESV).  Although you may have the authority to tell people what to do, you need to understand that you fit into a ranking system, just like the whole world does. 

If you are a leader in some way, thank you for all the hard work that you do!  Continually pray to God for wisdom and guidance.  Think of this picture: when you are leading, one arm should be extended up, so that you can receive guidance from the Father, and the other arm should be extended downward, so that you can give the guidance that you have received to those who are looking to you for help.  Once you receive God's message for you, be confident in your leadership and authority!  The best kind of leader is one that is bold.  If there was chaos around me, I would want someone who knows what he/she is doing to lead me. 

If you are not called to professional leadership (such as being the CEO of a company or the principal of a school), you are still called to be a leader in this world.  In everything you do, live by the Holy Spirit.  Submit to God as your leader.  Then use the boldness that He has given you to be a light to the rest of the world.  Regarding the leaders that God has given you, leaders receive their strength from God, but they also need encouragement.  Think about the leaders in your life.  Do you attend a small group with facilitators guiding the conversation?  Do you belong to a worship team with a person that organizes all of the songs for you to sing?  Do you live in a country with a political leader who takes care of you?  Do you have a parent or a guardian that loves you and makes sure you are safe?  Do you have a professor that spends hours preparing lectures for you to learn every week?  Instead of bashing them behind their back, thank them.  Take time out of your day to pray for them, and if you see them, tell them how much you appreciate their efforts.  If you feel led, you can tell them specifically how they have helped you. 

Love and Acceptance From my Heavenly Father

"But now thus says the LORD.
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
'Fear now, for I have redeemed you;
   I have called you by name, you are mine."-Isaiah 43:1 ♥

Happy Father's Day everyone!

Today also happens to be my birthday, which is pretty exciting :)

Did it ever occur to you that if you are a believer in the Lord, you are a child of God?  That means that God is your Father.  When Jesus taught us how to pray, He started the prayer with the words: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name" (Matthew 6:9).  In Ephesians 1:4&5, it says that we are holy and blameless, and that in love God predestined us to be adopted into His family through Jesus Christ.  Through God, we no longer live by a spirit of fear but of sonship, and we can call Him by the intimate name "Abba, Father!" (Romans 8:15).

Now, you may be tempted to compare God, the creator of Heaven and Earth, with your earthly father, a flawed human just like all of us on this planet.  God is a perfect being, a being that we cannot even begin to understand completely.  Some of our fathers could be following the example of Christ, but others (if not most) are too busy to come to your soccer games or dance recitals, or having affairs with the woman down the block, or even out of your life completely.  We were all created with a need to be loved and accepted.  Parents have the calling to love their children unconditionally so that they feel love and accepted.  Because the father is usually absent in most homes, many sons and daughters go through life looking for love and acceptance in other ways. 

I went through my entire life searching for love and acceptance.  I had a crush on a different guy almost every month, and those guys always ended up hurting me because they were not what I really needed.  I constantly found myself competing with people in academics, appearance, and talents.  I always had to get an A, especially if someone else was doing better than I in school.  If a girl got more attention from a boy than I did, I would do everything I could to get his attention.  I was one of those people who fished for compliments on a daily basis.  Of course, I never got acceptance from the things that I chased, but I fell for it every time.  Every time I needed love and acceptance, I chased more and more after the things that would make me even more weak and in need of love. 

Just recently, I have learned that I do not need anybody in order to feel loved and accepted.  Although my earthly father has fallen short, my Heavenly Father has helped me more than I could ever imagine. Who God is and who God has made me is enough for me.  As Isaiah prophecied, God calls us by name, and we are His.  In the Gospel of John, Jesus says that no one can snatch His sheep out of His Father's hands (v. 29).  We are safe in knowing that God will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).  I do not have to do cartwheels and circus acts in order for God to approve of me; because I have His Spirit living in me, God already loves me more than I can imagine!

So, today, no matter if you have the best dad in the world, or if you have no idea who your dad is, rest in the idea that God has adopted you as His son or daughter.  If your dad is an amazing godly dad who has made you feel so much love, remember that God supplied that love to you through your earthly father.  If you have resentment toward your dad, remember that God is still able to supply you love through His Spirit and through other relationships in your life.  The search is over: you can find love and acceptance through Jesus Christ, and through God your Heavenly Father!

God is Enough

When Jesus heard about it, He withdrew from there by boat to a remote place to be alone. When the crowds heard this, they followed Him on foot from the towns. As He stepped ashore, He saw a huge crowd, felt compassion for them, and healed their sick. When evening came, the disciples approached Him and said, “This place is a wilderness, and it is already late. Send the crowds away so they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” “They don’t need to go away,” Jesus told them. “You give them something to eat.” “But we only have five loaves and two fish here,” they said to Him. “Bring them here to Me,” He said. Then He commanded the crowds to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them. He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. Everyone ate and was filled. Then they picked up 12 baskets full of leftover pieces! -Matthew 14:13-20, HCSB
If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. - 1 Corinthians 12:26


God has been teaching me lately about how He is enough for me, and I am enough for Him. On Sunday, God brought to my attention the idea that He can make something out of what seems like nothing. I teach Sunday School to preschoolers. We play games and then we read a Bible story together. This week, we talked about the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. There were definitely more than 5,000 people with Jesus at the time. The census only counted men; there were also women and children in the crowd. That means that there could have been maybe 7,000, or even 10,000 in that crowd. Regardless of the exact number, it was still a LOT of people.

All the disciples had was five loaves of bread and two fish that a little boy decided to share (see John 6:9). In the beginning of this story, the disciples did not even think that the idea of feeding the people was possible. They told Jesus that the crowd was coming, so He had to drive them away so that the crowd could get food. (A side note here: who told the disciples that it was a good idea to tell JESUS what to do?). They did not realize that the food that they had was enough.

Jesus was the one who had to bring the idea to mind. "You give them something to eat," Jesus said. Jesus believed that they had the ability to feed all those people with the little that they had. He had compassion on the people and He thought it would be a great idea to include His disciples in His miracle. They offered to Jesus what they had. "We only have five loaves and two fish." Jesus' only command was "Bring them to me." If there is ever a situation where you feel like it is impossible, the best thing to do is give it over to God. Through the disciples' obedience and the little resources that they had, Jesus was able to feed 5,000 + people, and still have some left over! Think about the little resources (money, patience, faith) that you have, and how God could multiply that to take care of thousands of people!


It's also important to note that God can use people just as much as he could use resources. As it says in 1 Corinthians 12:26, if one member does something, the whole group is affected. This verse is not just talking about your church; it is talking about every single believer in the world! (I will explain more about that in another blog). Even though you may appear significant, your actions and your words can affect the whole world!

Think about the story of Gideon. I love this story because Gideon was the youngest son of the weakest family of the weakest tribe of Israel. He could not get a lower status even if he tried. But God approached him as a mighty warrior. Gideon reminded God that he was a weakling, a nobody, according to the world (as if God NEEDED a reminder). But God promised to be with Gideon; God's presence is enough.

For a long time, I have wrestled with the idea that I am enough for God. I have done a lot of bad things in my past, things that I do not want anyone ever knowing about me. I may appear like I have it all together, but God has definitely redeemed my broken past and made me a new creation in Christ.

There are a lot of times where I feel like God cannot use me. The hardest thing for me is that I feel the call to missions, but I will not even get on a plane. God might be calling me to Cambodia or some place in Asia, but I refuse to go because the flight to each country is about 15 hours (plus the layovers and stuff like that). I want to go to "safer" places, such as Central America, Latin America, or Canada. Regardless, if I believe that God is calling me to be a missionary, I have to get on a plane at some point in my life.

Often I feel like Gideon. I even feel like the five loaves of bread and the two fish. How could God use such a little sacrifice to make such a big difference? God approaches me and calls me "mighty warrior." I'm a mighty warrior? Do you even KNOW me, God? How can God use me to touch the whole world? God knows me better than I know myself, and He sees my true potential even though I appear weak.

Just as it says in 1 Corinthians, I am a part of the body of Christ. Without me, the body can function, but it just isn't the same. My actions and my words affect the whole body. God can use me, even in the smallest way, to edify others. My gift of encouragement can be as simple as complimenting someone's earrings one day, or as complex as writing a book dedicated to helping people reach their full potential as children of God. I am enough for God, and God is enough for me.

Be encouraged, mighty warrior! You might feel weak, but God sees your true potential. Just offer to Him what you have, and He will use it in ways you could have never imagined!

Introduction: About This Blog

"But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect."-1 Peter 3:15.


Hello everyone. Thank you very much for reading! 


I feel called by God to write this blog. At my church, we had a small group "blog" for the women in the congregation. I wrote on the blog because I enjoy participating in small groups and I enjoyed reading what others had to say about the book we were all reading together. Many of the women were older than me, but every week, someone came up to me and told me that I encouraged them through my words. I was not really trying to encourage others. I simply was responding to the book we had to read. 
I have learned that sometimes we do not need to use words to communicate encouragement and appreciation. Just being yourself and being content with life is a good way to encourage others. I feel like my experiences serve as a testimony to others. The ways in which God has brought me through the trials is something that I need to share.  God has given me the desire to write and to encourage.  It is my greatest desire to combine my love for writing and my call to encourage others.


As the Bible verse suggests, we must always be ready to share the hope that we have in Christ.  Why do I believe in God?  Why should I continue fighting when I feel like life is way too difficult for me?  I hope that through this blog I can answer these questions in light of what God has done in my life.


I am praying that this blog touches your heart. God bless you. ♥