November 03, 2006
God's Plan
As a young teen I went before the congregation and committed my life to fulltime Christian service. I thought I’d go to Bible college and then on to some foreign mission field. Upon graduation from high school it became apparent that I’d been thinking with my heart and not with my head. I just wasn’t college material. At a loss for a career direction, I packed up my guilt for ‘failing the Lord’ and joined the Navy. After completing three years in the service, I returned home, married, had children and actively participated in church, all the while carrying guilt for not going into ‘fulltime’ Christian service. One Sunday the sermon had my name written all over it and I was released from self-imposed guilt. The preacher said, “Just saying you’re going to do something for God doesn’t necessarily mean that that’s what He wants you to do. God may have other plans.” Thankfully, God had other plans!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Gail;
----I disagree! Please allow me to scrutinize a technicallity! I believe God did plan on you going into full time Christian service, and I believe you have. You just did not enter employment with a church organization. As many of us as answer the call to turn to the Lord enter full time ministry.
----God has minute details by the billions to be attended. Tiny thoughts here, kind deeds there, neighborly accomodation yonder. He has smiles that need given, tears that need wiped, shoulders that need hugged, children that need played with, and aged folks who need attention. The battle against evil does not happen at the pulpit alone, or even mostly. The biggest part of that battle is won by His people simply abiding in Him. Righteousness is nothing more than doing right. Doing right in joy and peace wins ground for His kingdom, because it is His kingdom (Rom 14:17).
----Our entire lives in the Lord then become an engagement in either the battle to win new spiritual ground (in ourselves or others) or the construction of whatever might be right, good, and true upon ground already won. But one of Statn's tricks is to convince us that there are two plains of Christianity: the clergy which counts, and the laity - oh yawn. But it is just not that way. There are two plains of those upon Earth: the spritually dead, and the spiritually living. In all things that the spiritually living do, whether it seems like it or not, there is service to the Lord. It sounds to me like your life was very well built for the particular full-time service He has been enjoying from it. He just didn't plan on you getting paid by a church.
Thanks Steve, I needed that!
Post a Comment