The Healing Power of Ministry

Did you ever notice how you feel better when you make someone else feel better? When we're down or depressed or stressed, it is hard to think of others, but the evidence suggests that it's worth the effort. Time and again, when Jesus was stressed, the multitudes pressed Him. They would not leave Him alone. And time and again Jesus ministered to the multitudes. Some might think this just shows the sacrificial nature of the ministry of Jesus, and I am certainly not going to suggest that Jesus only ministered to people from a selfish motive of self-therapy. Scripture says Jesus felt "compassion" for those who pressed Him so. That compassion served Jesus well and it will serve us well, also.

If we may use another Scriptural example, we might more easily see the connection between our actions toward others (ministry) and the healing of our spirits. In the first family in human history, one brother became jealous of the other and committed the first murder (Genesis 4:8). However, before that irreversible act of murder was committed, Cain (the murderer) was already angry. His worship had been rejected by God, but that did not require that he kill Abel!
So many times we do not recognize that there is a problem with someone until it's too late. The deed is done! However, even then it's not too late to rescue a soul. What I mean is that most people in the world did not know the names of any of several serial killers we could name before they were arrested and made famous through the news media. That ignorance on our part, however, does not mean they were not around. Certainly they were! And, they each had the opportunity to take a different path in life than murder. Let's go back to Cain. When he and his brother offered their sacrifices to God, Abel's was accepted and Cain's was not. We are not told exactly why, but the descriptions of the offerings give us a hint. Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground (Genesis 4:3). Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions (Genesis 4:4). That suggests that Abel's offering was more of a sacrifice than Cain's. Regardless of the reason, Cain chose to respond in anger. God responded to him by giving advice that rings through the ages: "If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up?" (Genesis 4:7).

Not only was Cain angry, but his countenance (face) showed it. Of course, God can see a man's heart, but His point is that anyone could tell by looking at Cain that he was having problems. He was angry; angry enough to kill. And yet the solution was not that someone needed to minister to Cain! Did you hear that? Then let me say it again: The solution was not that someone needed to minister to Cain...he needed to minister to someone else. Or, more specifically in this context, Cain needed to "do well!" The different course Cain could have taken to deal with anger was for him to actively "do well," or reach out to someone else.

When you feel stressed and assailed from every direction, rather than retreating within your own "comfortable" shell and waiting for someone to come and minister to you, try reaching out to someone else who is suffering even more than you are. They won't be hard to find, if you look. And if you remain in your "safe place," you will find that it is not all that safe. Your suffering will fester and you will be worse off in the end. Hear the words of God to a troubled young man and apply them to yourself: "If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up?" If you feel bad, do something good for someone else. You will feel better! God made you that way because He loves you and so do I.

Donnie Bates