Thrill

Dear sisters:
I am driving along to church this am and the question comes to me, "Marianne, why are you going to church?" " What are your expectations?" " What is your purpose? " (I hope I am not late to church, but a little early.) The thought comes to me, "When you, Marianne, worship and wave your arms and can't keep from tapping your feet, and your hips moving back and forth; is that for show to the people or truly to God?" "Hm,"I asked the Lord immediately, "Lord, what do you see me doing?" "I see your heart to praise me, but you really want others to catch your vibes too!" "Lord, all that matters is that I truly worship you in Spirit and in Truth and please give me a chance to minister in some way." It literally thrills me in my heart to know that God could use me to bless someone else. Soon after praying, these thoughts came to me. "Yes, that's it. I go to church to be a blessing! Wow!" "But Lord, you need to give me strength, the power to love someone and guide me." God said, " Don't worry, I will give you strength and opportunities.!"( 1 Cor. 15:58 - So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord's work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.") Alright! Here we go. "I am going to smile at everyone that even walks close to me." "Hmmmm. That feels good!" "They probably think I am a little daft, but, it costs me nothing, and Jesus would notice them passing by." Next, I walk down the aisle to find a seat. Someone sits alone behind me. I introduce myself. "Oh, you have only come to CHC for 3 weeks! Cool! My name is Marianne, what is yours?" We exchange a bit about why she started to come. After the service this person asked me to pray with her and said, "It is so good to be able to be prayed for." "Lord thank you for this privilege!" The sermon was about how God has prepared a place for us to be with Jesus. I wished my husband Al could have been there; he would be comforted. Oh, what lovely, ministering songs were led by the worship team! I focused on Jesus and worshiping him, praying for those around me. I love the greeting time that followed the worship. I give hugs easily because it says in the KJV of the Bible, "Greet one another with a holy (Gr. sacred) kiss!" (Rom.16:16; 1 Cor.16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12).
Aha! Marianne, you go to church, not only to worship or to minister to others, but allow others to minister to you through the greetings, worship, sermon, smiles, listening, praying together and definitely hugs. All this was a thrill to me. Thank you Jesus for these opportunities to minister, however small, and to be ministered to. I feel "filled up"in order to go home and minister to my husband who now needs me.
dancing girl