What better kind of procrastination is there than prayer? I'm supposed to be working on my new romance novel right now, but before I got started, I decided to journal. And for me, journaling often leads to prayer. Today's topics? Marriage and ministry. These are the two topics I pray about often because I'm passionate about preparing for both. I want God to lead me in both areas. But today I wondered, have I actually asked God how He wants to use me for His kingdom? I know what my gifts are: writing, speaking, singing, authenticity that helps me connect with people, cooking and baking, hosting, and loving. And I've dreamed up many micro-ministries over the last few months that employ these gifts, like baking for friends and neighbors as an act of love and hosting a ladies prayer group. These are small additions to the larger ministry I feel God calling me to which is using my gift of writing to spread truth, hope, and love. And I can see doors that those written words will open--speaking opportunities, expanded platforms that help me reach more people on behalf of the kingdom. But... As my brain is sorting through all the options and trying to connect the dots--from personal to professional ministry--I was reminded of a verse I read just yesterday. "You are the light of the world...let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14+16 And that's when it hit me. Your ministry is bigger than what you accomplish. Before we go any further, let's dissect the word ministry. Many people associate this term only with organized churches, but the actual definition of the word is "an act of service or a specific area in religion or government." Every believer has the call to ministry, because every believer has the call to serve the kingdom. And every believer is equipped in specific and unique ways to do just that. "O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures." Psalm 104:24 The Lord has crafted each of us and given each of us unique personalities and gifts that allow us to step into different dark corners of the world and be the light in each one. Our gifts may point us in a particular ministry direction whether that is speaking, writing, creating music, crafting works with our hands, teaching, coaching, being in healthcare or law enforcement. But, despite where our gifts lead us, our greatest ministry will always be in being the light of the world, in being the smile or hug or prayer that person needed. Jobs, even careers and passions, have a clock. We clock-in and we clock-out. But we never clock-out of kingdom work. We never clock-out of being the light. It's the little things we do each day, the little acts of love we offer to all who we encounter that is our greatest ministry. And so, I encourage you and myself to focus not only on what we can accomplish for the kingdom but who we are as we accomplish.

"Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." Colossians 4:6 This morning, my devotional pulled from Colossians in a week-long study on grace. The topic today was grace in relationships. The English teacher in me went on a deep-dive of context clues. Graceful speech is seasoned with salt. But what is the salt the scripture is referring to? In Matthew 5:13, Jesus says, "You are the salt of the earth," when referring to His followers. This was part of His Sermon On The Mount. He said: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Salt and Light 13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Salt is godly wisdom and understanding that comes from seeking the Lord and His truth. We see certain phrases and descriptions used in Matthew 5 before Jesus ever says, "YOU are the salt of the earth." those who hunger and thirst for righteousness those who are merciful those who are pure in heart those who are the peacemakers Believers know we are incapable of being any of these things without Jesus and His Holy Spirit. When we seek His Word, hungering and thirsting for righteousness and truth, His Word becomes the soil our heart is planted in. And what is planted, grows. We are indwelled with His Holy Spirit and we begin to demonstrate the fruit of the spirit. We become more gracious, merciful, pure, and choose peace over chaos. We become the salt of the earth. When you understand the usefulness of salt, the metaphor becomes even more revealing. Salt is used in flavoring, preservation, baking and curing, first aid, cleaning, gardening, and even in chemical production, de-icing, and water softening. There are many ways salt can be used that all lead to the preservation of the body and of the home. We are most familiar with the use of salt in the kitchen. Salt preserves, inhibits spoilage. Salt preserves what would otherwise decay. Godly wisdom likewise preserves mankind in a corrupted world. Referring back to Colossians: When we understand the Word of God, we preserve our saltiness, and our ability to preserve mankind by answering every person with truth. When we know the truth, we are able to spread the truth. When we lose sight of the truth or no longer seek the truth--we lose our saltiness or effectiveness. And Jesus says, once salt has lost its flavor, it is no longer good for anything. Obviously, we know we can return to the source of the salt. We can return to Jesus and He will renew us. He will make us effective again, because He was the One who did it in the first place. But the metaphor still rings true, that without Jesus, we lose our effectiveness to spread the gospel, to speak truth, to be the salt of the earth. There are many references of salt in the Bible, but I want to close with one from 2 Kings 2:19-22. Elisha throws salt into a bad spring, and God heals the water so that it no longer causes death or bareness. "Thus says the Lord, I have healed the water." We still use salt today to kill bacteria and soothe a sore throat. Gargling salt water is often recommended to prevent illness and is an effective, budget-friendly way to thin or clear mucus, prevent infection, reduce inflammation, etc. Salt is healing, just like the Word of God is. When Jesus calls His followers the salt of the earth, He is essentially saying you now--through Me--have the wisdom and understanding to heal the world. Sometimes, like salt in an open wound, healing speech stings. Proverbs 27:6 reveals, "Faithful are the wounds of a friend." Proverbs 12:18 says, "There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." Being the salt of the earth isn't just about having godly wisdom and understanding. It's about being gracious in your delivery of wisdom that your words may heal rather than condemn. And that is where I leave you. Go be the salt of the earth. Go speak healing truth with grace. Go be the light in the world that draws others to the Father. 🤍

"Perfect love drives out fear." 1 John 4:18 The pursuit of perfection is an ideology as old as time, no doubt born from the enemy and his lies. Until we know the truth, we all fall for the lie in one area or another. In biblical times, we see the perversion of God's word by the pharisees. They were so concerned with following the Law, that they missed the heart of the Law--the purpose of the Law. Therefore, they did not know how to apply it with grace. Their ego was stroked by their own ability to follow the Law perfectly (even though they were not) and their authority to condemn those who broke the Law. The Law of the Lord--our first understanding of perfection--was created with two purposes. To guide a people toward righteousness, civility, honor, and prosperity. To reveal our human imperfection and our need for a Savior. The Law was never meant to condemn, but to reveal. When Jesus came, He freed us from the curse of the Law or rather the curse of the pursuit of perfection. "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." Galatians 3:13-14 And yet, feeling the need to be perfect persists. It persists in singleness and dating, in the workplace, and even in the church. The enemy still wants us to believe we're not good enough to receive love--the love of others and the love of God. As a woman, I've struggled to believe anyone would love me, choose me, unless I was perfect. But perfect is a moving goal post, an ever-changing criteria. And when you're in a race with no true finish line, the pursuit never ends until your body says "no more." Growing up in the church, I felt the same way. Teachings led me to believe that I would never be good enough for God, so why even try? This ideology is still turning people away from God before they even know Him, just as it did me. But the truth is, we weren't created to be good enough, perfect, or even righteous on our own. We were created to have relationship with the Lord, and it's through that relationship that He works in us to make us holy. Holy, not because we're perfect and we never sin, but because of our adoption into His kingdom--into His family. When Satan makes us believe we're not good enough to even seek a relationship--whether it's with the Lord or with someone else--we miss out on the love we were created to receive and to give. Love is the foundation of the world, of our faith, of our salvation, of our existence. Love inspired God to create the world and all who inhabit it. Love inspired God to save the world. The Love of God is what the Law and Jesus came to reveal. Love is what God offers each day, regardless of our failures the night before. You don't have to be perfect to receive what you were created to receive. When we understand the love of God, we are freed from the curse Jesus abolished centuries ago. We no longer chase validation, even when insecurities arise. We bring our insecurities and negative thoughts to the Lord and He reminds us of the truth. He reminds us of our worth and our purpose. And when we fail in our faith walk, we do not hide from the Lord in shame like Adam and Eve. We remember that "Perfect love drives out fear." 1 John 4:18 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails..." 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 God is not waiting to say, "I told you so." He is not waiting with a belt to punish or even a harsh word. His word says, He is not easily angered and He keeps no record of wrongs. He rejoices with the truth. He wants you to bring everything to Him. Yes, even your failures. His arms are open to give you a comforting hug and it is that love that inspires us to walk in obedience once again. God's love is perfect and therefore, we have nothing to fear in seeking His love even when we are not perfect. The world preaches perfection. Even some misguided churches preach performance-based salvation, like the pharisees. But Jesus preaches surrender, grace, redemption, freedom, and love. Jesus is the one that breaks every curse, including the curse of the pursuit of perfection. So, if you're struggling with the need to be perfect, with feeling unworthy of love, with feeling unworthy of even seeking the Lord, call on Him. He will answer, because this relationship never required you to be perfect. It only requires you to seek Him.