Ministry to Ourselves

Loving Yourself

"Love the Lord your God with all, your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbour AS YOURSELF" Matthew 22:37-39 (see also Ephesians 5:29).

How we care for ourselves is how we should care for others. We are only able to minister to others to the degree that we ourselves have the mastery in our lives. For example: we can only impart faith if we have faith ourselves; we can only encourage someone else if we ourselves are feeling encouraged. Peter's words to the cripple at the temple gate are true also of us:

''What I HAVE I give you'' Acts 3:6.

For this reason, in order to have a ministry of blessing to other people, it is important that we first of all minister to ourselves. The Scripture tells us a number of ways that we are to do this:

1. Nurturing Ourselves

"Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good'' 1 Peter 2:2.

The Bible is like spiritual food. We grow in our spiritual life through the nourishment of God's Word. The Apostle Peter exhorts us to crave and consume it just as a baby does milk. As we grow spiritually, so will our appetite, and the Word will become like solid meat to us (see 1 Corinthians 3:1-2; Hebrews 5:12-14).

2. Reminding Ourselves

"Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits'' Psalm 103:2 (read also verses 1-13).

We are to continually remind ourselves of all that the Lord has done for us. This keeps us in the position of victory the Lord has given us in Christ over every circumstance and the forces of evil that would come against our lives (see Ephesians 6:10-18). This is one of the main purposes of the Communion Table. lt is a continual reminder of the complete victory that the Lord Jesus Christ won for us on the Cross.

3. Judging Ourselves

''But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment'' 1 Corinthians 11:31 (read also verses 23-32 and 2 Corinthians 13:5-6).

To judge yourself does not mean to condemn and punish yourself. lt simply means to recognise the sin for what it is, to be honest with yourself about it, to be truly sorry, and to take it immediately to the Lord for forgiveness and cleansing (see 1 John 1:9; 2:1; Psalm 32:1-5).

4. Encouraging Ourselves

"Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God" Psalm 42:5.

In the face of problems and difficulties we are to encourage ourselves in the fact that God is faithful in keeping his promises to help (Hebrews 10:23; Romans 4:18-21).

5. Singing To Ourselves

"Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ'' Ephesians 5:19-20 (see also Colossians 3:16).

Singing expresses praise and thankfulness to God and releases the joy that He has given us (see Isaiah 52:7-10).

6. Building Up Ourselves

"But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit'' Jude 20.

We become stronger in our experience in God through our faith in Him. The Christian life is a daily walk of faith. Each trial and difficulty we face becomes an opportunity to trust God (1 Peter 1:6-7) and, as we do so, more of the Lord is revealed to us (see Romans 1:17). Coupled with our faith is its expression to the Lord in prayer.

7. Keeping Ourselves

''Keep yourselves in the love of God . . . '' Jude 21 (KJV).

We are to keep, or confine ourselves, within God's love. In other words, we are to remain in close fellowship with Him, sharing our hearts continually with Him and knowing that the Spirit of His love fills us and surrounds us (see also Colossians 3:14).

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? . . . For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" Romans 8:35,38-39.

8. Focusing Ourselves

'' . . . Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life'' Jude 21 (KJV).

As we keep our eyes on God's eternal call and purpose for us, the fullness of which will be ushered in when Jesus returns, we will see this present life in the right perspective.

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory'' Colossians 3:1-4.

9. Opening Ourselves

"I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands . . . '' Psalm 119:131 (see also Acts 16:14).

In the closing verses of his letter, Jude declares that everything to do with our lives begins and ends in God (Jude 24-25). He is the One who is able to keep us from falling and present us faultless before His presence. The most important key in our ministry to ourselves is in opening our whole lives to Him and allowing HIM to minister to us.

'' . . . it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose'' Philippians 2:13.

"Now unto him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen" Jude 24-25 (KJV).

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