key to ministry

The key to having a significant impact on someones life isn't about how much knowledge you have or about how popular you are, it's about sensitivity.

I read this morning that the key to ministry is in fact sensitivity.

You hear a lot of things about personalities traits that people have and how sometimes you need to become a little bit like their personality to really get to them, but I don't really believe that to be entirely true.

In certain circumstances, it's absolutely true. When you are trying to motivate a leader, peer, or teammate, sometimes you really have to know what motivates them in order to get under their skin a little bit.

When it comes to our faith, the best way to encourage/motivate someone is to be sensitive.

The people who have encouraged me the most in my life are the ones who were always the most sensitive. Sensitive to the point where they showed me grace, respect, gentleness, love, and kindness. These people were always able to sense what condition I was in and that allowed them to properly handle it. It really showed them how they could help me. I could tell those people had a genuine heart based off of how sensitive they were when they talked to me.

I am sure some of those people come to your mind when you are reading this post as well, and my prayer is that those people come to mind. If someone comes to mind, reach to them, encourage them right back, and thank them for playing a significant role in your life.

When it comes to our faith in Jesus people are more attentive to those who are more sensitive. The last person I am going to listen to is the person who is going to try and shove the gospel down my throat and make me feel bad for the life that I lived.

Sensitivity is a trait that Jesus had and you read about it all over the bible. I find it to be one of the most undervalued personality traits...

And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak by patient and everyone. (1 Thessalonians 5:14)

Don't loaf around with the idle; warn them. Don't yell at the timid and weak; encourage and help them. At times it can be difficult to distinguish between idleness and timidity. Two people may be doing nothing - one of them out of laziness and the other out of shyness or fear of doing something wrong.

Like I said above, the key to ministry is sensitivity; sensing the condition of each person and offering the appropriate remedy for each situation. You can't effectively help until you know the problem. You can't apply the medicine until you know where the wound is.

I encourage you to sense the condition of those around you...once you understand it...we have the power through the Holy Spirit to effectively help. Please don't ever fear the idea of being sensitive.