17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Colossians 3:17 NKJV

God gave us freely, from His love, His only begotten Son. Freely, we have received from God the gift of salvation. Freely, we have received from God, the gift of the Holy Spirit.

If what we have received from the Lord was free, should we put a price tag on the ministering of our gift? This thought often makes me wonder about why we minister or testify in the the first place. The goal should be to glorify the Lord, which is the point that Paul makes. I often think about how Jesus called the scribes and Pharisees hypocrites because they did their works to be glorified rather than the Lord. So, the works you do, are you doing them for the right reasons? To glorify God and make believers of others? Or is it some selfish sort of gain?

Let’s not let a worldly mindset take over what God has given to us as gifts to share with others. Let’s not become like the religious leaders of Jesus day who He warned others not to be like. We should not ever move with a mindset of sharing our gift for we to be praised.

Ministering is all about freely giving of oneself by love and grace, never selfish ambition. I belive this is something that we must always remember.