He Qualifies the Called – At Your Best
Journey. I immediately connect this word to the life-changing adventure we talk about every week at CedarCreek.
Change is the piece we often hone in on, because we all want a better life for ourselves. But in doing so, we risk overlooking the two key drivers of that change: life and adventure. These are where the fun begins, but they also take perseverance.
When we grow our faith and live out our true purpose, it is not a one-day event, a 4-week GrowthTrack experience, or a structured, X-number-of-months process. The journey is for life, which makes it so exciting. You have continual opportunities to improve, serve, and grow.
Often, we think we must wait for the right moment to take the next step. But inevitably, the right time never comes or the moment passes us by. Instead, we need to step into the adventure, right where we are, even when we don’t feel perfectly ready.
When I teach GrowthTrack, I always encourage people to remember this key idea:
God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called.
—Mark Batterson
This is a message I have really tried to lean into on my own journey.
Was I qualified to host GrowthTrack just one month after signing up myself or to be the only campus host after 2 months?—NO
Was I qualified to take on the weekly closing for my Men’s Group or the best candidate for the Pastoral Ordination Program?—NO
But with each opportunity, I felt a calling. I trusted God, and he got me through each challenge. To me, this is another aspect of the adventure. We often imagine the fun and excitement we are going to have but don’t anticipate the fear and discomfort. How did I counter this fear?
I focused on developing my relationship with God. At the start of my journey, I believed in God, but I didn’t really know God. I’d also add that I didn’t know what it meant to have faith.
Hebrews 11:1
Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.
Through my journey, I have been able to resolve this. When I think of faith, the word trust also comes to mind. Faith and trust have brought me clarity for how to develop my relationship with God, and for how to be at peace with life.
I live with great confidence in the hopes I have today and in great assurance of what I will encounter in the future—even though I don’t know what that life chapter will bring. When you give God your today and your tomorrow, you will be surprised by the clarity it offers and the weight that it lifts from your shoulders.
Will you trust God and give him your all?
Questions:
Are you waiting for just the right moment to step into God’s adventure for your life?
What is one thing you can do to step into the adventure right now?
What is a step you can take to know God better and trust him more?
Next Steps:
Embrace and invest in your relationship with God by attending the weekend message or reading the Bible regularly.
Attend GrowthTrack.
Leverage your unique, personal value triangle—your personality, spiritual gifts, and life experiences—and step into God’s adventure for you.
Prayer:
Father, I praise you for designing me with purpose. Open my eyes to your love, grow my faith, and help me trust in you as I step into the life-changing adventure you have for me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
This post is written by Steve Sawyer, guest contributor to the Living it out.
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