I COULD DO GREAT THINGS
I’m going to ask you to think about something and you may not be able to come up with an instant answer. It may take some pondering. What do you think is your primary spiritual calling or gifting?
I have a magnet that I see way too often because it is on my refrigerator. It says, "I could do great things if I weren't so busy doing little things." God convicts me with that little magnet. I want to share some things that God is teaching me. He may speak to you in the same ways.
That magnet makes me think about pruning. You need to prune everything that is not contributing to the best blooms. Even many green branches still need to go because lesser things will divert energy from the best things. Without pruning there are no prize roses.
It also teaches me that you should never treat your spiritual calling like a hobby. Your calling is holy. There are a variety of things you are able to do. Some of them you can even do well. But if they are distracting you from your calling then "the good becomes the enemy of the best." I have found that when I give my best attention to making a dime here or a dollar there and then try to sprinkle a little spirituality on top of it, I fall short of the purpose for which God has created me. I should lead with my calling. It shouldn’t be an afterthought. It shouldn't be a hobby. It should be the main thing. Everything I do should be judged by whether it helps me fulfill my calling or keeps me so preoccupied that I don't have time to give priority to what God has told me to do.
I think about Jesus changing the water into wine. The governor of the feast said that most people serve the best wine first but this bridegroom saved the best for last. Let me tell you how that speaks to me. My business of over 30 years closed the end of 2020 and I thought my best days were behind me. I thought my most productive ministry was in my former business. I even thought I should transition into a slower period of semi-retirement. Oh no! Like the wine at that wedding in Cana of Galilee, Jesus saves the best for last. Everything I did before was nothing compared to what is ahead. When my business ended unexpectedly it didn't mean I completed what God had for me. It meant I was more fully prepared for what God had in store. The best was yet to come.
God gave me this verse of Scripture. I want you to claim it as well. Colossians 4:17, "Take heed to the ministry to which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it." Don’t forget that you don't have to be in "the ministry" to minister. God may call you to have the best business or be the best employee so that you will have a platform and a testimony from which to share Christ. He may call you to become better at your secular job in order to have more people watching how you reflect Christ. For me, He has called me to this ministry of “Think On These Things.” There are some big things I need to be doing and so there are a lot of little things that are going to have to go. What does your calling mean you may need to let go of?
