We have skills, we have talents, and we have gifts that God has given us. We want the opportunity to use them. But it isn’t always easy to fit ourselves into ministry.
How do we find our place in God’s Kingdom building?
To surrender our identity, our time, activity and desires to God, is the first step to receiving the place God has reserved for us in ministry. Surrendering our gifts and abilities – whatever we have in our hands – is the starting point, and through this surrender, we’ll find and fulfill our purpose in life.
I can do nothing (of significance or meaning) in my own strength; nothing of real value to God’s Kingdom is done without the supernatural. Our gifts and talents are God-given, and we work hard to develop them. As Thomas Edison said, “Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety nine percent perspiration.” And yet, after the hard work, what comes next is to wait.
As we wait upon the LORD, He renews our strength and prepares us for the vision He has for us.
God will take the unique package which is us and use us in a meaningful way. We must prepare – that’s the perspiration; then we must surrender.
Surrender is an act of worship. It is an act of faith. I’ve discovered it requires as much – or more – discipline to surrender as it does to develop our talent. But without it, we wrestle in our own strength.
Whether or not we are significant on the World’s Stage is in God’s hands. Whether we seek significance or insignificance, God will step in and draw us to the people and places where our calling will become a reality, when we live a surrendered life, allowing His will to be done ‘on earth as in heaven’.
Learning to yield to God’s Spirit is both a process and a destination. I live the journey daily. As Paul said, “I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.” (1 Corinthians 15:31)
What do you hope to accomplish in this life? What gifts has God given you to develop? How will these two aspects come together?
Prepare and watch God move!
Ready: What gifts has God given you to offer back to the LORD?
Set: Develop your gifts to the best that your time and effort will allow.
Go: Trust in the LORD, wait upon Him and allow Him to direct your paths toward the fulfillment He has in mind for you.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)