A ministry mentality sees a need or sees lack and moves upon what is seen. Notice that I did not say act upon. You see some of us are acting and performing ministry while all the time we are tasking. Again….Only you, God and the people you complain to knows whether you are ministering or tasking.
Often times when the word ministry presents itself people will immediately think of church and of course being in a pulpit behind a podium. What is it about a pulpit that excites us so? Some of us will never make it to the pulpit because of a tasking mentality. Some of us are limited in pulpit ministry as well because of a tasking mentality. For those of us who are in the pulpit and our hearts are far from a ministry mentality we will not have to worry about pulpit action for long. God knows the heart.
A ministry mentality should be wherever the believer is work, rest or play. Many of our marriages are experiencing turbulence because of a tasking mentality. The spouses are not ministering to one another. Work in the home and deeds done for each other are a task because of the mentality under which we operate. A tasking mentality kills the joy and love in marriage and robs both husband and wife of the splendor God intended. Children are not taught to minister at home. They should be taught that taking out the garbage is not a task but a ministry that is profitable for the whole house. Teaching children to minister is most beneficial for them: it keeps mom and dad off their backsides. A ministry mentality changes attitudes in everything.
Ministry gives way to a continual flow of blessings physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally as well as financially. A tasking mentality as we have seen brings on stress, hatred, laziness and will also cause us to miss out on some great benefits.
A ministry mentality will cause us to ask a very pertinent question. “Can I help you or how can I help you. Not many months after starting Wal-Mart years ago a gentlemen came into my department. I asked the how can I help you question. Accepting my offer, the gentlemen and I found everything that he needed and some things that he needed took me out of my department. Before leaving the gentlemen said, “I have been in this store numerous times and never has anyone offered to help me.” The man was pleased so much so that he became a regular in my department.
Sometimes people will think we’re putting on when we are walking in a ministry mentality. “Surely no one is that kind or helpful all the time. No one is this happy and smiley” they will think. Once you put into practice the ministry mentality it becomes a part of you. Your actions will not be forced actions but simply a way of life as a believer.
There are times in the ministry mentality walk where it will seem as if people are taking advantage of you. They’ll slack off or shrink back from duties because they know you will pick up the slack. This kind of thing will take place at home, church and work. A tasking mentality will tell you to slow your role or neglect it all together because you are being despitefully used. The bible says to pray for those who despitefully use you. I encourage you today to keep walking in the ministry mentality even in these times. Your reward will be great.
Nearing the close of this post I would love for us to take one more look at the sisters. According to manners and customs of the bible edited by J. I. Packer and M. C. Tenney, the Jews ate two meals a day: breakfast and supper. The morning meal was usually eaten sometime between 9 o’clock and noon. The meal consisted of bread, fruits and cheese. Supper which was the principal meal of the day was eaten in the evening. It consisted of meat, vegetables, butter and wine.
With this information in mind followers, tell me why Martha was cumbered. If Jesus arrived at her house between 9 and 12 what was so hard about making some bread, grabbing some fruit and cutting a hunk of cheese. If he arrived in the evening what was the hardship in baking a chicken, opening a can of beans, grabbing a skin of wine and slapping some butter on the table?
Remembering that one of the characteristics of a ministry mentality is asking how you can assist, I feel safe in saying that Martha brought on her own frustrations. Had she asked Jesus if He was hungry or wanted a drink she may would have heard, “Martha a slice of bread and a glass of wine is sufficient.” Had she asked she may have heard, “Maybe I’ll take something later Martha. Come, let’s fellowship for a while.”
Jesus let Martha know that she had wasted some valuable time. Let’s look at verse 42. “But one thing is needful” Jesus said. Let’s speculatively pull apart “but one thing.”
I believe the one thing that was needful was submission. Not submission to the custom but submission to the Master. Martha went about trying to please the master her way. She sought to please him physically and with physical things that will perish.
“But Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away.”
Mary pressed through custom, tradition, religious barriers and sought for that which would never be taken away. She knew that if the Master wanted anything he would ask. She gave of herself to the master attentively. Mary ministered through availability. She gave of herself from the heart. Mark 14:3-9 tells us that two days before the feast of the Passover and unleavened bread the chief priest and scribes sought an occasion to craftily take Jesus and put him to death. Jesus was again in Bethany in the home of one Simon the leper. A woman came in with an expensive bottle of perfume in an alabaster box. This woman opened this perfume and poured it on the head of Jesus. The guest around the table were hot because they viewed the woman as being wasteful. They felt the perfume should have been sold and the money given to the poor. This woman was Mary who again pressed through customs, traditions and the expectation of man to do the Lord Jesus a service. She had a ministry mentality. The ministry mentality led Mary to be recognized wherever the gospel was preached. To this very day Mary is spoken of.
Martha’s need to serve Jesus physically and not spiritually was a distraction that caused her to miss out on something special with the Lord. When the Lord is present everything else is secondary. Some of us don’t give the Lord a chance to present himself because of our many distractions. Our first ministry must be to the Lord. Many things are tasks for us because we’ve neglected to minister to the Lord with our availability so that He can minister to us. In the presence of the Lord there is the fullness of joy.
A ministry mentality is obtained only by hanging out with the Lord in Word reading, prayer, meditation and sweet communion with the Holy Spirit. I challenge each of you today to look over your deeds, your work in the church, home and job to see whether you are ministering or tasking. If you find that you are tasking, the resolution is in the presence of the Lord. If you find that you are ministering, I encourage you to be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. I Corinthians 15:58 Selah.
Flip the Scripts Admin