Greetings,
Have you ever considered the question, “Why am I here?” It is a question worth asking, and, although you may never receive a complete answer in this lifetime, you should endeavor to discern what God has in mind for you and your life. In fact, it would be good to get into a habit of asking your Heavenly Father what it is that He wants you to be doing with your life. The answer may surprise you. It surprised me!
When I first got involved with serving in our local congregation, I never expected that one day I would be the Pastor. It’s not even something I would have considered. However, I made a decision long ago to serve God in whatever way I could. It wasn’t some shining moment of “enlightenment” when I turned my life over to Him; it was more of a step-by-step process of coming to terms with who was in charge. I’m not all the way there, but I feel confident that I am, indeed, following the lead of my Lord.
A little while back I gave a sermon about how God called Gideon out of “hiding” and into battle. The Lord addressed Gideon as “mighty warrior” long before he was one. God has a plan for us as well, a place for each of us in His army of believers. There is so much to be done. How can we sit on the sidelines and watch as others do the work? How can we not feel the urging of the Holy Spirit and answer the call to “make a difference”?
This month, I have a challenge for you. I want you to take some time to write out your life’s “purpose statement”. What is it that makes you who you are? What are your passions, your gifts, your special interests? What is it that drives you on? What are the relationships in your life that define who you are? How can God use you – as you are – to reach others and to serve?
Hopefully this exercise will help you to define, or redefine, your role in the local church as well as within your own community. Please remember, as you do this, to ask God to grant you clarity of thought. Also, remember that this is an ongoing process. How you answer these questions today will likely not reflect where you were 10 years ago and will not be exactly how you answer them 10 years from now.
Soon we will be restructuring our local congregation into “areas of service”. I hope that this exercise will help you “find your fit” in our local community. If you have a desire to serve, but don’t know where you “fit”, please ask for help from others who know you well. God is preparing us for growth. Let us all do what we can to be ready when it comes.
God bless,
Pastor Thom
Click on a month to see a previous edition of "The Pastor's Desk."