God’s Mercy Frees Me to Serve

In 2 Corinthians 4:1 I read, “Since God in His mercy has given us this ministry, we do not lose heart.” (BSB)

I was created to make a contribution with my life, not to just exist and live only for myself. God shaped me to serve him, and it’s all because of his mercy.

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:1: “Since God in His mercy has given us this ministry, we do not lose heart” (BSB).

Some people think “ministry” is a churchy word. It’s something only ministers do. But anytime I use the talents, gifts, and abilities God has given me to help somebody else, I’m doing ministry. Even my job can be my ministry—no matter what I do!

When I understand that everything God does through me is because of his mercy, two things happen:

First, I don’t have to prove my worth. Am I trying to prove my worth through my work? Maybe I think that the more successful I am, the more valuable I’ll be. But my worth has nothing to do with my work. Instead, my worth is found in the fact that God made, loves, and sent Jesus to die for me. Understanding God’s mercy takes me off the performance track.

Second, I don’t have to wallow in my mistakes. We’ve all made mistakes. We’ve all sinned. But because of God’s mercy, I don’t have to dwell on my past. I can repent and turn away from my sin. My past doesn’t have to hold me back from doing the work God has given me to do.

In fact, God has never used a perfect person—because there aren’t any, except for Jesus Christ. When I look through the Bible, I find all kinds of people who God used despite their mistakes. Jacob was a chronic liar; Rahab was a prostitute; Jonah was fearful and reluctant; Martha worried a lot; the Samaritan woman had several failed marriages; Peter was impulsive; Moses, David, and Paul were all guilty of murder. Yet God used each person in incredible ways.

So there’s nothing that would prevent God from using me. Because of God’s great mercy, I can live out God’s purpose for my life.

In summary, I was created to make a contribution with my life, not to just exist and live only for myself. God shaped me to serve him, and it’s all because of his mercy. Ministry is anytime I use the talents, gifts, and abilities.  God has given me to help somebody else, Even my job can be my ministry. When I understand that everything God does through me is because of his mercy, two things happen: First, I don’t have to prove my worth. My worth has nothing to do with my work. Instead, my worth is found in the fact that God made, loves, and sent Jesus to die for me. Second, I don’t have to wallow in my mistakes. Because of God’s mercy, I don’t have to dwell on my past. I can repent and turn away from my sin. My past doesn’t have to hold me back from doing the work God has given me to do. It’s encouraging to know that God has never used a perfect person. So there’s nothing that would prevent God from using me. Because of God’s great mercy, I can live out God’s purpose for my life.

While I may be a treasure in a fragile jar of clay, God has been kind enough to trust me with his work, the telling of the Good News to others. That's why I should never give up.