“But to us there is but one GOD, the FATHER, of whom are all things, and we in HIM, and one LORD JESUS CHRIST, by whom are all things, and we by HIM.” (1 Corinthians 8:6)
So, yours truly is presently doing full-time ministry (by the blessed LORD GOD’s grace and extended tender mercies in CHRIST JESUS), and is engaged every day, every time I watch my contemporaries (people who are believers who are engaged in full-time ministries whom I know who went to school and attended the same church with me at the same place that I was [same time], and are now doing far better than yours truly [me]). I can still remember when I was attending school the one contemporary who was at the same dormitory, and the same room as me, who was my dorm hall monitor – who is now pastoring a great church. And the other contemporaries who attended the same church I did back then (in the days), and are now serving as pastor and wife in the Philippines [as missionaries who committed their lives to the full-time service of the LORD – and are being so blessed by the LORD with a flourishing church].
And here I am just barely starting.
It was two years ago that the blessed LORD GOD has placed HIS “fire in my bones” grace and tender mercies in the LORD JESUS that prompted me to surrender to full-time service of the LORD GOD, the LORD JESUS, SAVIOUR/KING/CREATOR. You see yours truly was working two jobs then just to make ends meet – Fed Ex as a package handler and Papa John as pizza delivery driver. Then that “fire in my bones” was placed in my heart and it kept burning ever so, until yours truly decided to go full-time. Mind you, I was putting gospel tracts in cars and wherever I can then while working secular jobs. Then I was thinking to myself – LORD, how can I do full-time when I am working two jobs? Then the answer came as a blessing in disguise – CHF (congestive heart failure)! I wasn’t taking care of myself as I should (eating junk foods), and I developed CHF [congestive heart failure]. And I called in at work to tell them that I was checking in at the hospital. So I went. I was hospitalized for a whole week, and then it struck me – this is it. I won’t be going back to secular work anymore. I am going full-time in the ministry.
And from there on, things started falling into place. I got disability by the skin of my teeth (all by the good LORD GOD’s grace in CHRIST JESUS); and am now getting my retirement benefits.
All well and good, except my contemporaries were doing much better than me. My two friends are now serving the LORD as pastor and wife in a growing ministry – the pastor engaged in pastor-teaching with a great church in the Philippines, and his wife running a thriving garden ministry. They were into the ministry from 2015-2016 (5 or so years already). And the other contemporary is now pastoring a large conservative church in Texas. He has a nice family, and is a pastor-teacher who has been in the ministry since he left school (same university I attended) since 1984 (if I am not mistaken). He was serving as assistant pastor in Dr. John MacArthur’s church for a few years (about 17 years) until he served in his own church now (from 2003 which totals 35 or so years).
And here I am just two years into the ministry, and these people were into it for so many years and looks illustrious/prominent – the LORD blessing them with so much. Yours truly has been going out handing out gospel tracts almost every day (not to boast because it is all GOD’s infinite grace in CHRIST JESUS – GOD’s faithfulness), and I have very little to show for it. But there is the one thing that sticks out in all these – and that is, the very LORD GOD they serve is the very same LORD GOD I serve. We all serve the same GOD. Their GOD is my GOD. Their LORD is my LORD. What the LORD GOD does for them HE can do for me!
GOD's Daily Grace 