Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t beat around the bushes well.  I either avoid, or I have to get right to the point.  That is what I am going to do now—get right to the point.  The other day I was listening to a message and the speaker stated that he believed that less than 5% of all believers know what their God calling and purpose is.  Under 5%!!!!!

Is that a shock to you?  Of course you may be included in the 95%, so please don’t take this article as condemnation; instead take it as a wake-up call.  I Corinthians 12:20  says: “What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place.  No part is important on its own” (The Message). May I also add that NO part in unimportant on its own.    The way I look at it, with figures like that, the body of Christ (right now) is paraplegic.  The earlobe is trying to do the foot’s job, etc. 

If we compared God’s kingdom to a store like Wal*Mart’s, it would mean that there would be two-to-three employees in the WHOLE STORE working and the rest would be sitting and waiting (or maybe greeters).  Now, I know that some of you feel that that is already true of some Wal*Mart’s, but they really have a lot more than that.  I know my calling and I know that almost every message I preach is about “the callings and plans of God.”  Do I have a God given calling and gift?  Yes.  Everyone is born for a purpose. 

I have this theory.  I see a lot of people who either change jobs a lot, or are just miserable in what they are doing.   Nothing seems to suit them.  Nothing seems to fit, and they just can’t find that “ah” place in life.  They are not walking out the calling of God in ministry or vocation.  It is the difference between having a “job” and having a career.  A job is where you are just trying to make it, and a career is where you are trying to make a difference.  Everyone was/is born with a God-given purpose.   The problem could be that we either really don’t want to know what it is or we are afraid of failure. 

As you know Les is a very talented and trained musician and so is his brother, Bill.  Both of them were schooled in music for years and years.  When one of them plays an instrument, people are always very complimentary of their talent, but they worked hard at learning their craft.  Usually if someone is talented but not trained, it still takes practice to develop the talent.  Most of you know that I don’t believe that “music” is one of the “gifts” from God, but I do believe that “talent” is God-given.  In our case, Les’ music has been used as a tool.  But the calling and purpose of God for Les is much, much deeper than music.  The calling and purpose for Bill is much deeper than music.  AND THE CALLING AND PURPOSE FOR YOU IS MUCH DEEPER THAN THE NATURAL ABILITY YOU HAVE.  We all are called to do things that are far beyond our God-given talents.  We are ALL called to walk on water, like Peter.  We are called to speak the Oracles of God to one or to thousands. 

"I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out--plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. "When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen.   "When you come looking for me, you'll find me. "Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else,  I'll make sure you won't be disappointed." GOD's Decree. "I'll turn things around for you. I'll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you"--GOD's Decree--"bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it.  (Jeremiah 29:11-14 The Message) 

Please note that the above passage says: “when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else…”   Most of us do not go after God like we go after getting a promotion at work.  We don’t go after Him like we go after a degree.  We don’t go after Him like we go after a new car.  We go after Him with the attitude of “If He wants me to have it, He will give it to me!”  We need to wake-up and go after Him.  He needs to be our primary priority.    We should not be fitting God into our lives and families, but we should be fitting our lives and families into God.     

Each day, each one of us needs to pray for God to show us where we are to be and what we are to be doing.  He may want you to change jobs.  Your calling may be in the business world.  He may want you to change locations.  Your work may be waiting somewhere else geographically for you.  Your calling may be in the vocation of ministry, but where?  Our mind-set needs to move beyond these 80 years on earth and get heavenly minded.  

God has gifted and anointed some of us to minister in the workplace; some to minister in the home; some to minister in the marketplace; some to minister in pulpits; some to minister in prisons, nursing homes, convalescent facilities, homeless shelters, on the streets; some to minister in foreign lands.  Where has He called you to minister?   

Twenty years ago, we stood at that crossroad.  We wanted to make a difference, but we didn’t know how, where, or to whom.  Rather than waiting for the “Great Assignment” to come to us, we went looking for it.  The old adage says that you can turn the rudder on a boat all day long, but unless there is some momentum, it will not budge (except to maybe go in circles).  We contacted nursing homes, homeless shelters, and prisons in our area and asked about opportunities to minister.  Trust me, for those types of ministries, there are not an abundance of people breaking down the doors.  When we ministered in our first prison, we knew we were where God wanted us.  Were we scared when we went into those places?  Terrified!  We had no idea as to how to relate to the elderly, infirmed, homeless, or incarcerated.  But God did!  All He asked from us was our availability.  All He asks of you is your availability.  He will do the rest.  He will fill your mouths with the words to say.  He will give you grace to love the unlovable.  He will anoint your hands to heal the sick.  He will overwhelm and amaze you at the YOU you can be!  He will cause you to fall in love with Him all over again.  He is an awesome, wonderful, omnipotent God and HE WANTS YOU!  Won’t you join Him today?