Are You Doing Your Part?

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. - Ephesians 4:11-12

Without a doubt, God has given each person a specific job to do. For some, it is to teach. For some to pastor or preach. I believe my gift falls into the last phrase: edifying of the body of Christ. The word "edify" means to uplift or to encourage to make improvement. I feel that the purpose of my ministry lies with edification. Yes, I am still supposed to reach out to the lost, but I'm also supposed to lift up the Christian who feels too weary to go on. Encouragement -- yes, I believe that's my gift.

You have a gift too. Did you know that? Maybe you can't teach or preach or even encourage a fallen brother, but there's something that you can do for the glory of God. If you haven't already discovered your gift, I urge you to do some exploring. Speak to the Lord and ask Him to reveal His ultimate will for your life. You may be surprised at what He asks you to do. It may sound simple. It may sound too hard. It may sound like it's not enough. But whatever it is, just do it!

That being said, I have just launched my new book, Random Ramblings of a Raving Redhead. Writing the book was easy. Marketing it is another story entirely. That's where I need your help. You see, I'm trying to use my gift, and so I want to get this book into as many hands as possible. But I can't do it alone. You may be wondering, What can I do? I'm so glad you asked. Here are a few things you can do to help me help others:

1. Buy a copy.
2. Tell others about it (your friends, family, neighbors, church, co-workers, etc.)
3. Request a copy from your library or local bookstore. (If they have requests for a book, they're much more likely to order a copy.)
4. Read the book and write a review on Amazon and/or send a copy to me to post on my website.
5. Pray for me.

There you have it! If you don't know what else to do as a "ministry," consider doing one of the above (or more). I apologize if this sounds like a sales pitch, for I promise it is not intended to be. However, in order for me to do my job, I have to get the word out about my ministry. So I'm starting with you. Will you help me help others?