God, What Do You Want Me To Do?
God, What Do You Want Me To Do?...
Marian Liautaud writes about how in 2011, a South African pastor and seasoned marathoner nicknamed "JVR" decided to run 100 miles with three other running mates as a means for recruiting 100 child sponsors for World Vision. The plan was to do the last 26.2 miles of their 100 mile goal at the Chicago Marathon that year. During the night, JVR started to show signs of fatigue. He wasn't keeping up, and unbeknown to him or his teammates, his kidneys were starting to shut down.
JVR finished the race, as did his other three running partners, but by the time he made it to the team's tent after the marathon, he was in trouble. Medics took him to the hospital where he spent the next two weeks in intensive care, his body struggling to recover from the stress it had experienced. JVR survived, but he admits that doing extreme challenges, even in the name of a great cause, may not always be worth it. Considering how the marathon was born—legend says the Greek messenger Pheidippides ran 26.2 miles from Marathon to Athens to deliver an important note, then collapsed and died—raising the stakes just to raise more money should not be attempted lightly. After the race JVR admitted, "A lot of me doing the 100 miles was about wanting to achieve. I am addicted to performance. When I meet God, he'll probably say, 'What were you thinking? I never asked you to do that.’”
JVR still runs marathons, but he says that he's learned to first ask God, "What is it that you want me to do, Lord? What role do you want to play in this part of my life? I want to ask God first before saying, 'I did all these things for a great cause. I ran all these races.”
Great causes are… Great! But as JVR reminds us, the most important question we can ask is, “What does God want me to do?” Many years ago, when I pastored in Florida, a woman came to me and began to outline a new ministry that she told me God had put on her heart. Then she asked, “Pastor, would you and our church take it on?” While it was a good ministry, and she was a superb member, I surprised her when I said, “I don’t think so.” Her faced showed a bit of consternation causing her to reiterate again why it was a wonderful ministry that I or our staff should take on. I then explained to her that I agreed it was a wonderful ministry, but the Lord had not put it on my heart. But, He had put it on her heart. And since He had given her the burden for that particular ministry, it most likely meant He had done so, not to hand off to someone else, but because He wanted her to initiate and oversee the work. In a moment, you could see a light go on for her and she responded, “I never thought of it like that.” I told her that I would be happy to be her cheerleader and encourage her if she pursued this work for God.
Well, she did take it seriously and began this work and oversaw its operation which for several years was a blessing to our community. She later thanked me for helping her understand God’s call and will for her work. Which leads me to my point: God has a will and He has a will for your life. But God’s call for your life may not always be God’s call for another’s life. And while there are somethings within God’s will we must all pursue, that is, somethings are God’s will for all of us… God has created us uniquely, gifting and calling us to carry out His designed plans for our lives. And that is why when God burdens your heart, and the burden is consistent with His Word, He is probably giving it to you for you to act on. So, don’t ask is this a good thing, and don’t ask who should I hand it off to (though you may need to enlist help), instead ask… “God what do you want me to do?” And remember, God is always trying to take you someplace new. I love being your Pastor!
For God’s Glory Alone,
Pastor Ray
Image credit: Unsplash
Marian Liautaud writes about how in 2011, a South African pastor and seasoned marathoner nicknamed "JVR" decided to run 100 miles with three other running mates as a means for recruiting 100 child sponsors for World Vision. The plan was to do the last 26.2 miles of their 100 mile goal at the Chicago Marathon that year. During the night, JVR started to show signs of fatigue. He wasn't keeping up, and unbeknown to him or his teammates, his kidneys were starting to shut down.
JVR finished the race, as did his other three running partners, but by the time he made it to the team's tent after the marathon, he was in trouble. Medics took him to the hospital where he spent the next two weeks in intensive care, his body struggling to recover from the stress it had experienced. JVR survived, but he admits that doing extreme challenges, even in the name of a great cause, may not always be worth it. Considering how the marathon was born—legend says the Greek messenger Pheidippides ran 26.2 miles from Marathon to Athens to deliver an important note, then collapsed and died—raising the stakes just to raise more money should not be attempted lightly. After the race JVR admitted, "A lot of me doing the 100 miles was about wanting to achieve. I am addicted to performance. When I meet God, he'll probably say, 'What were you thinking? I never asked you to do that.’”
JVR still runs marathons, but he says that he's learned to first ask God, "What is it that you want me to do, Lord? What role do you want to play in this part of my life? I want to ask God first before saying, 'I did all these things for a great cause. I ran all these races.”
Great causes are… Great! But as JVR reminds us, the most important question we can ask is, “What does God want me to do?” Many years ago, when I pastored in Florida, a woman came to me and began to outline a new ministry that she told me God had put on her heart. Then she asked, “Pastor, would you and our church take it on?” While it was a good ministry, and she was a superb member, I surprised her when I said, “I don’t think so.” Her faced showed a bit of consternation causing her to reiterate again why it was a wonderful ministry that I or our staff should take on. I then explained to her that I agreed it was a wonderful ministry, but the Lord had not put it on my heart. But, He had put it on her heart. And since He had given her the burden for that particular ministry, it most likely meant He had done so, not to hand off to someone else, but because He wanted her to initiate and oversee the work. In a moment, you could see a light go on for her and she responded, “I never thought of it like that.” I told her that I would be happy to be her cheerleader and encourage her if she pursued this work for God.
Well, she did take it seriously and began this work and oversaw its operation which for several years was a blessing to our community. She later thanked me for helping her understand God’s call and will for her work. Which leads me to my point: God has a will and He has a will for your life. But God’s call for your life may not always be God’s call for another’s life. And while there are somethings within God’s will we must all pursue, that is, somethings are God’s will for all of us… God has created us uniquely, gifting and calling us to carry out His designed plans for our lives. And that is why when God burdens your heart, and the burden is consistent with His Word, He is probably giving it to you for you to act on. So, don’t ask is this a good thing, and don’t ask who should I hand it off to (though you may need to enlist help), instead ask… “God what do you want me to do?” And remember, God is always trying to take you someplace new. I love being your Pastor!
For God’s Glory Alone,
Pastor Ray
Image credit: Unsplash
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