Ministry by Mercy

Key Text: 2 Corinthians 4:1
“Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.”

Paul is the ultimate example of God using the least, the last, and the lost to bring about His purpose and plan. Before meeting Jesus, Paul was violently opposed to Christianity, persecuting followers of “the Way” wherever he could find them.

Why does this matter for you?
Because God uses broken people in His perfect plan.

Paul has recently written that he is completely insufficient for the work he has been called to do, and here in chapter 4 he makes it clear: I have this ministry opportunity only by the mercy of God.

Do you ever feel like you are not good enough for God?
Many of us do not even feel worthy to be loved by God, much less used by God to help others know and follow Him.

Yet God loves you and likes you…even with your inconsistent prayer life, the dust collecting on your Bible, your selfish choices, and your sinful actions.

Do you believe that?
Do you believe that God desires you?
Do you believe that God sought and bought you?

The same God who can change you from sinner to son and rebel to redeemed is the same God who wants to work in, through, and around you to make Jesus known. You probably are not called to vocational ministry, but you are called to live as the aroma of Christ, impacting every environment you enter.

You have been given a ministry—to your family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors—solely by the mercy of God, not the merit of your actions.

So today, stop disqualifying yourself from what God may want to do through you. Ask Him to use your ordinary life to make Jesus known.