At this point in your introspection, you’ve hopefully discovered your “who of service,” meaning who it is that God has you here to serve. At the intersection of your passion, your pain, and your experience lies your ministry. Also, you should be assured of your value not only to God, but to this earth in which he has created you to dwell. Today I think it wise that we spend more time devoting to the why behind it all. The “what” of our service. I really should have begun there on Thursday.
YOU are in DEMAND, is solely focused on exactly how God has wired YOU. There is a specific plan that God has for your life. It is one that would not work for your neighbor, your brother, your best friend, but only for YOU.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
Knowing who we are in Christ and zealously leaning into what we’ve been made to do are central pieces to living life as a successful Christian.
You are under construction….
“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6
God is still working on constructing us, now we need to know what are we here to construct.
One of my favorite stories is of Nehemiah. He was a man on a mission, as we all will soon find ourselves to be, if you haven’t already. His mission was to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He felt God had told him to undertake such a daunting task and he was sure it would be completed. He would not let distraction of enemy threats come between Him and that vision.
“so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” (Nehemiah 6:3 NIV)
That is where we need to find ourselves.
Getting to the place of that fanatical determination starts with being SURE that we are at work at what God called us to do.
Know this: whatever you are working at right now, God can and will use it to achieve His glory, but we can move things ahead so much faster by getting into His will for our lives right now.
There might not be a definitive way to know that you are doing exactly what you were created to ultimately do, but I think that there are some questions that we can ask that will help us be more confident of our decision.
- Does doing this bring me joy?
- Am I gifted in this area?
- Is this something that comes easy for me and some others struggle?
- Does my participation in this activity bear fruit for the kingdom?
Answering yes to many or all of the above will help you discover your what.
But you will notice the one commonality that all of those questions assume is that you are at work doing the activity. You don’t find out you have a pro bowl throwing arm while sitting on the bench.
At this point you are all suited up. Now get in the game and stay about pointing points on the board.
As you try your hands at many ventures you will step closer into what you are purposes for, sometimes by even finding out without a doubt some things that you are NOT built for.
Don’t sweat your position as much as knowing you are on the right team. Using Jim Collins’ Good to Great metaphor, you are the right person on the right bus. Let God help you determine the right seat for you. He started this work on earth and in us. Now simply let Him use you to finish it and finish you.
“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6 NIV)
Personally I feel more and more sure that God wants me to:
1. Speak His word
2. Mentor others (specifically fathers and husbands)
3. Write and use creativity to bring others to the kingdom
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