John 15:16 “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you.”
Have you ever shrunk down in the pew when the pastor of your church asks for volunteers to help in various ministries? I may not have done it physically, but there have been times when I’ve slumped down spiritually. Do any of these sound familiar?
“Sunday school? Not me! I can’t teach.”
“Sing in the choir? I can’t carry a tune in a bucket!”
“Bus ministry? I can’t get to church early enough for that!”
“The nursery? I can’t work with babies!”
Today’s verse tells me that Jesus does have a job for me to do, even if it isn’t one of those listed above. Like a king who chooses his officers from among his subjects, Jesus chooses Christians from the body of believers for specific tasks. In this passage, Jesus is telling His followers that He has ordained, or appointed, each one for a particular job or jobs.
Hmm… So what is my job?
We are all called to share the gospel, the “good news” of Jesus Christ, but how He calls me to share it may be different than how He calls you. The Bible tells us that God has given us different gifts or abilities with which to serve Him (1 Corinthians 12). Not sure about your gift? What are you good at? What do you like to do? I taught school for nearly 30 years, and I loved it. I believe that teaching is a gift God has given me, and it is my responsibility to use that gift for Him. Because of that, I tend to gravitate toward places in church where I can teach, like Sunday school and AWANA. (They always need teachers!) I love teaching my little 4 and 5 years old about David and Goliath or Noah and the ark, and I especially love telling them about Jesus! Sharing the gospel with children is such a privilege, and it’s an extra-added blessing when a child tells me they want to ask Jesus to be their Saviour!
Sometimes, no matter how enthusiastic I may be, I feel inadequate for the task before me. Jesus said that God the Father is the One who will empower me for the work to which I am called. He says that when I need help in my service to Him, I simply request of God what I need in the name of His Son, and He will provide it! (Now, I realize why I get so overwhelmed at times. I forget to pray for His help! Trying to shoulder everything on my own is exhausting!) Remembering that God called me for a specific work and will give me the means by which I can accomplish it is so important!
When I accepted Christ as my Saviour, His plan for me commenced. Notice, I did not say that the plan “began.” The plan for my life began way before March 10, 1968, the day of my salvation. God’s plan for my life began when I was in my mother’s womb! It was only after I was saved that His plan for me began to unfold because it was at that point that I was willing to trust, obey and follow Jesus. That plan has led me down many various paths, but the ultimate purpose has always been to show people that God loves them and wants a relationship with them that will last forever. That relationship can only come through His Son, Jesus. I know that’s the focus of my service because God is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9).
I may not be on a foreign mission field leading thousands to Christ; I may not be a famous author writing hundreds of books that point the way to Jesus, but I am a wife, a mother, and a grandmother. I am a Sunday school teacher, a choir member, and an interpreter for the deaf. It is not about if I should serve, but rather how I should serve. No job is too menial when serving Him. Jesus has chosen me for a purpose, and that is my reasonable service.
All I have to do is do it.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” – Romans 12:1
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I’d love to hear about a special memory you have from serving the Lord!