Friday #3 devotion

I Timothy 4:5 (Amplified)--Practice and cultivate and meditate
upon these duties; throw yourself wholly into them (as your
ministry), so that your progress may be evident to everybody.

I may never be a missionary sent to preach the Gospel to the children of Asia. I
may never be a mighty evangelist whose messages cause millions to turn their
hearts to Christ. I may never sing a hymn that provokes worship to our Father.
But I am minister nonetheless. The field of ministry for me is my home.

Jesus told us in John 4:35 to, "Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they
are white already to harvest." My home and the occupants of it are my ground
to be tended and cultivated. Every time I instruct my children in righteousness
or help them steer clear of evil, I am tending to the garden of their hearts. I am
pruning their consciences to grow fruitful in good deeds, good choices, and a good life.

My home is my ministry. I need to treat it as such. When my feet hit the ground in
the morning, it is my first opportunity to shine the light of the Gospel in my home.
When I am standing at the coffee maker waiting for my first cup, it is a chance for
my children to witness the love of God in my life. When I am tired and wanting to
be weary, it is a great occasion for my family to watch me rely on the strength of God
to diffuse my weaknesses.

I don't need to take this position lightly. I am a gift to my family and I need to act like
such. There are things in a home that only a Mommy can do and I need to be aware of
what they are and walk full in them. In each home, the "things" are different and will
depend upon the roles that everyone else plays in the family.

That is why I must practice, cultivate, and meditate upon my duties. I must tune my ears
to the voice of God in my life to guide and direct me to the proper course of ministry for
my family. Then, once I learn what I am needed to do, I must throw myself fully into it.
Then, my progress, and the progress of my home and family, will be evident to everybody.
That's my white fields of harvest!

Confession: I am a minister of the Gospel in my home. My life can and will
be a living demonstration of the life that God has in store for me. As I walk
in fellowship with God, I will throw myself in the ministry of my home. He
will show me what to do and when to do it.