God

Serving God: Contentment With Basic Needs
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Serving God: Contentment With Basic Needs

It is my prayer that every Christian recognizes the importance of serving God through the way we serve others.  There are few things, if any, that are as emotionally exhilarating, and draining, as the task of serving others.  Having worked in a variety of ministry settings, including various roles within Christian camp ministry, I understand the excitement that often comes with the beginning of a new ministry or ministry season.  I also understand the weariness than can develop when our focus begins to drift away from the ministry of serving and onto ourselves.

This is day six in the second week of devotions from the book, “Serving God: Devotions for Active Worship”.  This devotional book is laid out in thirteen weeks of daily devotions with each week wrapped around an aspect of how we can serve others.  Each of these devotions are designed to help a person spend time with God to see how serving others is an act of worship.

Serving God:
Contentment With Basic Needs

“But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.  People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.“
1 Timothy 6:8-10 (NIV)

What do you need?  What do you act like you need?  Would the lists of the answers to those two questions be different?  Why?  How difficult do you think it would be to actually be content if all you had was food and clothing?  What makes our “stuff” so hard to give up?  How might a lack of contentment with basic needs keep us from serving others as we should?  Do you think the people you serve need the same things you do?  Do you act like they need what you have?

Our culture has become very good at convincing us that most of the things we want are actually things that we need.  It hasn’t really been a hard sell because we tend to go out of our way to justify obtaining anything and everything that we think will make our life complete.  When called upon to serve, many people feel they can’t because they are enslaved to the payments required for all the things they simply can’t live without.  Yet when it comes to serving those who have less than us, how often do we refuse to share because “they don’t need all of those things”?  As you pray, ask God to help you learn contentment with less.  Pray that you would be more willing to serve as you learn the true needs that everyone has. 

In prayer,

Tom

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Encouragement and Prayer (01/20/21)

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This is the audio from the January 20, 2021 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

In prayer,
Tom

Serving God: Contentment With Godliness
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Serving God: Contentment With Godliness

It is my prayer that every Christian recognizes the importance of serving God through the way we serve others.  There are few things, if any, that are as emotionally exhilarating, and draining, as the task of serving others.  Having worked in a variety of ministry settings, including various roles within Christian camp ministry, I understand the excitement that often comes with the beginning of a new ministry or ministry season.  I also understand the weariness than can develop when our focus begins to drift away from the ministry of serving and onto ourselves.

This is day five in the second week of devotions from the book, “Serving God: Devotions for Active Worship”.  This devotional book is laid out in thirteen weeks of daily devotions with each week wrapped around an aspect of how we can serve others.  Each of these devotions are designed to help a person spend time with God to see how serving others is an act of worship.

Serving God:
Contentment With Godliness

“But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.  But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.“
1 Timothy 6:6-8 (NIV)

Would you say you make every effort to live a godly life?  Why would you give the answer you did?  What do you hope to gain from a godly life?  How would you respond to someone who believes their godliness should result in immediate material gain?  What should be the purpose of living a godly life?  How does contentment reflect that purpose?  How are godliness and contentment related?  What examples can you give?  Would godliness without contentment be of any value?  Is it even possible?  Explain.

If you’ve lived very long you probably know someone who does their best to live by all the “godly rules”, yet is bitter about “having” to do so.  There are people who believe they have made all of the correct life choices yet have somehow missed out on the best parts of life.  Without the contentment that comes from a complete trust and surrender to God, being a legalistic follower of the rules will often lead to regret rather than relationship.  As you pray, ask God to fill you with a desire to pursue both godliness and contentment.  Pray that your life would be a reflection of both the godliness and contentment displayed in the life of Jesus.

In prayer,

Tom

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Encouragement and Prayer (01/19/21)

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This is the audio from the January 19, 2021 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

In prayer,
Tom

Serving God: Contentment In All Circumstances
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Serving God: Contentment In All Circumstances

It is my prayer that every Christian recognizes the importance of serving God through the way we serve others.  There are few things, if any, that are as emotionally exhilarating, and draining, as the task of serving others.  Having worked in a variety of ministry settings, including various roles within Christian camp ministry, I understand the excitement that often comes with the beginning of a new ministry or ministry season.  I also understand the weariness than can develop when our focus begins to drift away from the ministry of serving and onto ourselves.

This is day four in the second week of devotions from the book, “Serving God: Devotions for Active Worship”.  This devotional book is laid out in thirteen weeks of daily devotions with each week wrapped around an aspect of how we can serve others.  Each of these devotions are designed to help a person spend time with God to see how serving others is an act of worship.

Serving God:
Contentment In All Circumstances

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through him who gives me strength.“
Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV)

How often do you find your level of contentment fluctuating based on your circumstances?  Should it?  Does your contentment in serving change based on the circumstances of who you are serving or what you are asked to do?  Is it easier for you to serve someone who appears to need help or someone you think doesn’t need your help?  What do you think the secret of contentment is that Paul talks about in today’s verse (hint: read verse 13 also)?  How does knowing that God desires to give you the strength to do everything He calls you to do help you to serve with contentment?

Each of us have different things that bring us satisfaction and make contentment more likely in our lives.  For some it is financial or material reward.  For others it is being recognized or honored for what we do.  Still others have great contentment when they see the lives of people changed as a result of the effort they have given.  Whatever is our “reward” of choice, we will all have times when that reward doesn’t come and we must choose to be content in the circumstances we face.  As you pray, ask God to help you have contentment as you are faithful in all circumstances.  Pray that your serving of others would not be based on how you feel.

In prayer,

Tom

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Encouragement and Prayer (01/17/21)

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This is the audio from the January 17, 2021 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

In prayer,
Tom

Serving God: Contentment With Pay
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Serving God: Contentment With Pay

It is my prayer that every Christian recognizes the importance of serving God through the way we serve others.  There are few things, if any, that are as emotionally exhilarating, and draining, as the task of serving others.  Having worked in a variety of ministry settings, including various roles within Christian camp ministry, I understand the excitement that often comes with the beginning of a new ministry or ministry season.  I also understand the weariness than can develop when our focus begins to drift away from the ministry of serving and onto ourselves.

This is day three in the second week of devotions from the book, “Serving God: Devotions for Active Worship”.  This devotional book is laid out in thirteen weeks of daily devotions with each week wrapped around an aspect of how we can serve others.  Each of these devotions are designed to help a person spend time with God to see how serving others is an act of worship.

Serving God:
Contentment With Pay

“Tax collectors also came to be baptized. ‘Teacher,’ they asked, ‘what should we do?’  ‘Don’t collect any more than you are required to,’ he told them.  Then some soldiers asked him, ‘And what should we do?’  He replied, ‘Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely — be content with your pay.’“
Luke 3:12-14 (NIV)

How much do you get paid?  Is it enough?  Do you think those are appropriate questions?  What do you think leads to the discontentment that many have with their pay?  How does your contentment, or lack of contentment, with your pay affect the way you serve?  Why?  Have you ever done less than you know you could have because, “I don’t get paid to do that!”?    Does your level of contentment with your pay say more about those paying you or about you?  What does it say about your view of those you are serving?

In a culture that measures worth by financial accumulation, there are few things that get us riled up as quickly as feeling unappreciated, overworked, and underpaid.  I know, I’ve allowed my mind to entertain those thoughts at various times in my life.  Experience says that the thing that suffers the most when we are not content with our pay, is the level of service given to those we are called to serve.  As you pray, ask God to help you know how to be content with your income.  Pray that the people you serve would not be “short-changed” because of your dissatisfaction with your pay.  Pray that the people around you would know you as one who “works for the Lord”.

In prayer,

Tom

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Encouragement and Prayer (01/16/21)

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This is the audio from the January 16, 2021 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

In prayer,
Tom