I remember the moment clearly; sitting in my living room on my brown leather chair, reading the Apostle Paul's letter in I Timothy 4:14, the words suddenly penetrated my heart, "Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the eldership." Right then and there I broke before the Lord, as the realization that this scripture completely applied to me hit me hard! I knew what God had gifted me to do; I remember the summer after Bible college, when the word of prophecy was spoken over me. I saw His hand of provision and blessing over our ministry, during the years my wife and I had led churches in the U.S. and Canada. Though I had tried several times to step away from the very thing I was called and created to do - serve as a lead pastor to the local church - the Lord was clearly re-confirming my call. I understand that "for everything there is a season", according to Ecclesiastes chapter three, and there are different ways to use our gifts for the Kingdom of God. However, if I was to ever know true peace, purpose, and fulfillment, I had better say "Yes" to God and fully embrace my calling in this particular season of life. Remember how poorly it turned out for the prophet Jonah, when he tried to run from God's direction! Serving as an associate pastor was a good season of change (and one that I needed), but it was time to return to the senior pastorate and work the harvest fields of souls. There are different ministry models of how to lead a church, and a team mentality is a positive paradigm; the important thing is to use our gifts in service to our God, "for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry" (Ephesians 4:12). The Lord had equipped me to serve as a pastor/shepherd, and entrusted me with His calling, so I needed to serve Him in this way again. My wonderful, godly wife agreed that this was the right course of action. A great deal of prayer and conversation between Kari and I took place in the months that followed, and a short time later we were accepting an invitation for me to become the new lead pastor at a church in the beautiful Fraser Valley of British Columbia.
What is it that God has called and created you to do? What gifts, dreams, and desires has He put into your heart? I think that often Christians hold a linear interpretation of Psalm 37:4; "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart." Does this simply mean that if we please the Lord with our lives, He will give us what we want? Partially (though the "desires" need to be godly ones, not selfish). However, I truly believe that this scripture has a deeper meaning. It describes how God gives, or implants, His desires into our hearts. For example, why would a 10 year old child dream of one day leaving the comforts of home and travelling to a far away, third-world country to reach people for Christ? Because God implanted that passion - that desire. Psalm 37:5 goes on to say, "Commit your way (life) to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass." When we commit ourselves to God, and trust Him to guide and direct our lives, then He promises to bring his good plans to fruition. Everybody has a gift from God to use for His glory (I Peter 4:10). Let Him use your life to make an eternal impact. Go ahead - answer the Call!
