Whenever a person starts a new job there is usually a certain excitement and anticipation about what will be encountered. The mind can start imagining how work will be done, who you will meet, and how things are going to be.
The same is true of ministry. We can imagine the wonderful things we want to do for God, the great places we will go, the kind deeds, and so on. But so often the ministry God wants for us is not exactly what we originally pictured.
Samuel experienced a change in what he expected when God sent him to Bethlehem to anoint a new king. Why do you think Samuel expected Jesse’s oldest son, Eliab, to be the chosen one? What was God’s message? What is God’s approach?
Samuel had anointed Saul as king of Israel, but in time Saul did not live out what God expected him to do. So God rejected Saul and needed a new ruler for His people.
God sent Samuel to the city of Bethlehem to find a man named Jesse. It would be from Jesse’s family that the next king would be selected. And, of course, the first person Samuel meets is the strong and handsome Eliab, the oldest of eight sons. But God tells Samuel that He examines the heart – the soul and spirit of a person – to determine who will serve Him.
It was a lesson in trusting God. It was a lesson in seeing that there is more involved with God than outward appearance, and also that what we might choose is not always what God wants.
When Peggy and I entered the ministry we had visions of what we would do and how we would go about serving God. But most of what we initially imagined wasn’t what God wanted. He had His vision for what we were to do and we needed to learn to follow God’s vision for our ministry.
As we examine where we might serve God, we must learn to set our own pre-conceived ideas and plans aside and allow God to put His vision of His ministry in our hearts.
DAILY CHALLENGE: What can you do to put God’s vision ahead of your own?
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