Your Calling and the Competency Testimony

Proverbs 22:29 (ESV biblegateway.com)

29 Do you see a man skillful in his work?
    He will stand before kings;
    he will not stand before obscure men.

Nehemiah 4:1-3 (ESV bibleateway.com)

Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves?[b] Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?” Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!”

Galatians 6:1-5 (ESV biblegateway.com)

Brothers,[a] if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load.

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I don’t say this lightly, but the truth is many saints are: confused, overwhelmed, overweight, unstable, insecure and downright miserable. I believe it’s because they simply have not found their calling, and God will not honor the work they are engaged in. This may seem harsh, but it does not mean my statement is without merit or love. These are the same traits that mirror what we see in the world. Should we not be different:  clear, unencumbered, healthy, secure, and joyful. Such adjectives draw people to the testimony of Christ. When people ask us about our faith, do we have a compelling narrative or do we say with slumped shoulders, “Well God is still working on me. He helps me sometimes, and he’ll help you too if you ask. It’s hard sometimes and I miss some of the things in the world, but that’s just part of the deal.” If that’s your testimony, you just might hear an unbeliever say —  “Ain’t nobody got time for that!”

Leaders have competence and we are the “light of the world … the salt of the earth.” When folks see us in action, our credibility should no longer be in question. So why then is Christian leadership so maligned today? Many will say, “because the world is evil and dark.” They will point to the church as an institutional failure. They will look at government and the fledgling family structure. All of these reasons will satisfy most people, but the spiritually inquisitive will feel something tugging at their heart. They will realize they are the church. This tug will instruct them to follow God’s calling for their lives, because that’s the only thing they are ultimately accountable for.

I use to fixate on what ministry meant. I thought I could not be impactful if I was not licensed or ordained. I believed I needed to find the right denomination, bide my time and then become a pastor. This is what I was told repeatedly. Thank God such delusions were finally shattered as I persisted in prayer. In my late twenties I finally embraced the call of God on my life and simply moved forward in it.  Everything clicked.  Sure there were trials, tribulations, setbacks, doubts, and sins along the way. But the course God set me on was paved from eternity’s past. A more certain road did not exist. If it was the same for me — and you are a believer — it’s the same for you.

There are seasons in our journey, and we may have different vocations along the way. (Jesus was a carpenter, before he was annointed Savior of the world.) Rest assured, all that you do, including your mistakes and rebellions, will serve a higher purpose if you are truly sincere about building his kingdom rather than your own. That’s a question only you can answer.  Once you do, press into your calling and become competent in it, trusting his training. When God leads you to follow him in an endeavor, just go! You’ll make mistakes, you’ll misread providence, but it’s not about you not making mistakes, it’s about advancing his kingdom in spite of your imperfection. The world is not expecting perfection; it does expect competence. All of your statements will fall on deaf ears if all people see is someone hiding behind pious words.

 

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