John 17:4 "I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do."
How many times have we found ourselves screaming... "God, I just can't do this! Why am I doing all this church work anyway? What am I really accomplishing? The world isn't going to fall apart if I resign from certain positions. I need to seriously think about quitting some of these jobs and get a real life!"
I just read a quote recently from the famous writer, Flannery O'Connor. Apparently Ms. O'Connor was asked, "Why do you write?" She answered, "Because I'm good at it." She wasn't being arrogant. She added that she took seriously the parable in Matthew 25, where the Master rewarded his servants who invested their talents, but reprimanded the one who didn't. She went on to say, "I am convinced that every person's talent is a gift, and each of us has a responsibility to use that gift as well as we can and return it to the Giver at least as large as ever…possibly larger."
Those words should slap us back to reality. God has given to me certain gifts and passions; and the reality is:... I couldn't NOT do what I was made to do. I have a spiritual obligation to serve where God had given me gifts and talents. Don't get me wrong...I wasn't commissioned by God to serve in every role,... on every team... or to save the entire world. And, sometimes problems do arise when I try to do too much. So my problem isn't so much that I needed to quit because I wasn't good at what I was doing, but that I needed to realize my human limitations and focus on those things God had purposed me to do.
Jesus appears to have faced struggles with His calling in life. In the Garden of Gethsemane, just prior to his arrest and crucifixion, he prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me..." (Matthew 26:39). Jesus knew the difficult task ahead, and poured out his heart to his Father. However, he totally gave Himself over to His Father's plan when He concluded by saying, "...Yet, not as I will, but as you will."
Jesus couldn't NOT do what He came to earth to do.
If you are part of your church's programs or ministries, hopefully you have realized you are called and gifted to do what you're doing. Sometimes it can be discouraging. And, it's tempting to give up....to quit....to throw in the towel. Maybe it's outside pressures or over commitment with doing things you weren't called to do. Sometimes it is obstacles that seemingly arise from nowhere...or even sometimes, a lack of confidence.
The good news is that God is there to help us. When we pour our hearts out to God, He will help us focus on the gifts and talents with which He wants us to serve His Kingdom. And, when we properly invest the talents God has given us, He can multiply it over and over. He will help us know that we can't NOT do what we were made to do!
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