by Jennifer Greene-Sullivan
For twenty years, I taught high school English. From the Class of 2004 in Clinch County to the Class of 2025 in Wheeler County, Georgia, I’ve watched generation after generation walk across the graduation stage. After all those years, I’ve noticed something important—something that transcends grades, subjects, and test scores.
Successful students take an active role in their learning.
No matter what they excel in—math, literature, agriculture, or the arts—those who thrive are the ones who engage. They practice. They apply. They reflect. They care. I’ve never once had to beg a diligent student to study or to improve. That conversation has always been reserved for the student who is struggling or failing—who hasn’t yet realized that growth demands participation.
This year, though, something shifted. For the first time in two decades, I haven’t mentored a failing student or sat across from a heartbroken parent in despair. In that stillness outside of teaching, I’ve asked the Lord: What now? What do I do with all this experience?
He’s answered clearly: Live it with Me.
Each day, I find myself engaging in the most active learning process of all—following Jesus. I study His Word, I sit still in His presence, and I let Him chisel away at the mess in my mind and the hidden things tucked away in my heart. Just yesterday, a fellow churchgoer asked me, “Who pours into you?” Without hesitation, I said, “The Lord does.”
I answered simply. Maybe too simply. I’ve thought about that moment ever since.
If she meant to imply I’m not being “fed” at church, I may have misunderstood. If she did, I want to elaborate. Because for me, that question goes deeper than just any Sunday service.
I am a co-laborer with the Almighty. No one else will do. Nothing else will do.
Yes, we need the body of Christ. Yes, we gather, worship, encourage, and pray together. However, I don’t attend a church service to be poured into by people. I go, expecting an encounter with God.
When I walk into a sanctuary or a small group meeting, I come hungry for the Word. I come to disciple my children by example. I come to worship the Father, the Son, and the Spirit with abandon. When I step into that sacred space, I’m asking—not the pastor, not the people—but the Holy One to fill me. I need my Father to speak to me. I ask Him to prune me. I co-labor with God because my relationship with God is an inside job.
✝️Do You Want Jesus to Pour Into You?
Of course, some of the people Jesus encountered during His earthly ministry were already seeking, ready, and willing to receive Him. Truthfully, so many others were not expecting Jesus, yet—He met them anyway.
He met them in their sin (John 8:11), in their infirmities (Mark 2:17), in their doubt and unbelief (Mark 9:24, John 20:27). Ready or not, the Son of God stepped into their stories, and despite the condition of their hearts, He planted the seeds of the Gospel, of the GOOD NEWS, with His very hands.
He brought the salvation (Luke 19:10), the redemption (Ephesians 1:7), the restoration (Luke 5:13), the teaching (Matthew 7:29), and the discipleship (Matthew 4:19) straight to the people.
If you are a person needing to be poured into today, where should you start?
Simply allow Jesus to work in your life just as He did during His ministry on earth. Let Him meet you exactly where you are. When the seeds of victory in Jesus take root, abide in Him, and He will abide in you (John 15:4-5). Allow your relationship the time and the attention needed to flourish. Then, continue to nurture and to develop your relationship with Jesus through prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17), fasting (Matthew 6:17–18), studying the Word (2 Timothy 3:16–17), and obedience (John 14:23).
Once the Lord, Himself, pours into your life, your mind, your will, your emotions, your spirit, you will be able to then, pour out to others. Pouring out because of what He has given you is an investment in your brothers and sisters in Christ. When we become co-laborers with God, we serve, we love, we encourage, we meet needs—because we are the hands and feet of Jesus (1 Corinthians 12:27).
We are the body of Christ, and He is the Head (Colossians 1:18).
We cannot build the Kingdom without first denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Him (Luke 9:23)—by feeding His sheep (John 21:17).
Ultimately, our relationship and growth in the Father are not passive. Our growing relationship is an active, constant, and deeply personal inside job.
Thus, how will we carry out the Great Commission?
We do it by living out what Jesus Himself did:
“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”
– John 14:12 (NIV)
If we are listening to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and following His instruction, then two absolutes are true:
- Our relationship with the Lord Jesus is well established, and we hear His voice.
- Our desire and prompting to serve others as co-laborers with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit become evident—in both our words and our deeds.
Thus, we will be recognized by our FRUIT (Matthew 7:16-20)
So the next time you find yourself wondering, “Who’s pouring into me?”—pause.
Instead, ask yourself: “Who am I pouring into today?”
Be the diligent, proactive learner of the fivefold ministry. Because if Jesus did it, so can we—and greater—because He now sits at the right hand of the Father, and the Holy Spirit dwells within us (Romans 8:11).
🙏 A Closing Prayer
Father God,
Thank You for meeting me where I am. Thank You for pouring into me when I didn’t even know I was thirsty. Today, I surrender to Your pruning, Your presence, and Your power. Teach me how to be a faithful co-laborer in Your Kingdom. Shape me into one who listens for Your voice, obeys Your Word, and walks humbly with You. Let the fruit of my life reflect Your Spirit alive in me, and may I never forget that the greatest teacher I will ever know is Jesus Himself.
Amen.
🧠A Personal Challenge for the Week Ahead
- Wake up each day and ask Jesus to pour into you before anyone or anything else.
- Practice active spiritual learning: pray, fast, study, obey.
- Be bold enough to ask someone, “How can I serve you this week?”
- Write down the names of three people God has called you to pour into and begin doing it intentionally.
- Reflect each evening: Did I follow the Spirit’s prompting today?
🤲 Your Call to Serve
Don’t wait for a pastor, podcast, or platform to pour into you—start at the feet of Jesus. Let your learning turn into leading. Let your learning from Jesus be the impetus of you pouring into others. Be the one who helps carry someone else’s mat, speak someone else’s name in prayer, or plant a seed of the Gospel in someone who doesn’t even know they’re ready. The Spirit will equip you—if you are willing.
đź“– Scriptures for Further Study
- John 8:11 – Jesus meets us in our sin
- Mark 2:17 – Jesus came for the sick, not the healthy
- Mark 9:24 – Help my unbelief
- John 20:27 – Jesus meets doubters with compassion
- Luke 19:10 – Salvation through Jesus
- Ephesians 1:7 – Redemption in His blood
- Luke 5:13 – Restoration in His touch
- Matthew 7:29 – Jesus teaches with authority
- Matthew 4:19 – Discipleship begins with “Follow Me”
- 1 Thessalonians 5:17 – Pray continually
- Matthew 6:17–18 – Fasting with intention
- 2 Timothy 3:16–17 – Scripture equips us
- John 14:23 – Obedience is love in action
- 1 Corinthians 12:27 – We are the body
- Colossians 1:18 – Christ is the head
- Luke 9:23 – Take up your cross
- John 21:17 – Feed His sheep
- John 14:12 – Greater works will we do
- Matthew 7:16–20 – Recognized by our fruit
- Romans 8:11 – The Spirit gives us life
#AnInsideJob #SpiritLed #JesusIsEnough #Discipleship #CoLaborersWithChrist #FaithInAction #FiveFoldMinistry #GreaterThings #AgingEnglishMajorPress
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