Availability Matters Much More Than Ability

 Have you ever felt envious of someone engaged in fruitful Christian work? Maybe it was a missionary sharing exciting stories of changed lives from the mission field? Or someone singing an inspiring song during a worship service? Or a friend building into other people spiritually – and the thought that came to your mind was, “I could never do that”? 

There’s no question that some people are especially gifted for specific things God has called them to do. I often think about a friend that had the gift of evangelism who seemed to encounter unsaved but receptive people wherever he went. Not everyone is called to leave their familiar surroundings to engage in foreign mission work, dealing with new languages and cultures. And most of us certainly haven’t been equipped by God to stand in a sanctuary, Sunday after Sunday, giving challenging messages from God’s Word.

 

However, we all can do something to advance the kingdom of God. In many cases, we can do much more than we could ever imagine. Because from the Lord’s perspective, availability is much more important than ability.

 

When God drew me out of the newspaper business to apply my writing and editing skills and expertise to vocational Christian ministry, I felt totally out of my element. My job description included writing and editing a quarterly magazine and collaborating on a book with the organization’s president. All my experience had been with newspapers – I’d never written a magazine article, and writing a book was an item on my “hope to do someday” list. I was fairly young in my faith walk, so for a time, I felt perhaps the Lord had made a mistake in calling me into a full-time ministry role.

 

But for 17 years I had the privilege and blessing of directing an award-winning, cutting-edge magazine for business and professional people, helping them understand how to apply biblical principles every day in the workplace. And the book I wrote with the president? It was just the first of nearly two dozen books I’d one day write, co-author and edit. As someone has said, “Who’d a thunk it?”

 

This helped me to appreciate the assurance of Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” It wasn’t a matter of my ability – God was saying that if I was available, He would do what needed to be done through me.

 

It was a similar experience when someone suggested that I try to engage in what we commonly refer to as Jesus’ Great Commission – to “go and make disciples…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). My first thought was, ‘I can’t do that. I’m not a theologian or a Bible scholar.’ But my friend suggested that as I invested time and energy in other people to help them grow in their faith, I would grow spiritually as well. Time and again, that has proven to be true.

 

Once Jesus was speaking to His closest followers, perhaps near a vineyard, using principles from the grapevine to teach them about becoming fruitful spiritually. He said, “I am the vine, and my Father is the gardener…. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:1-5). In essence, He was affirming that their availability, not some innate ability, was what mattered most.

 

Then there was the time my boss instructed me to travel to Brazil to meet with and encourage a group of men interested in starting a marketplace ministry in Sao Paulo and other cities. I was reluctant. ‘I don’t know anyone there, and can’t speak Portuguese,’ I thought. And I was hardly an authority in how to get a ministry for business and professional people started. 

 

Finally, I agreed to go, although a part of me felt certain I would return in failure, telling my boss, “I told you so!” But that wasn’t the case. My days there far exceeded my expectations. I was warmly received, God had clearly prepared the way, and the people I met with – speaking as needed through translators – were eager to learn what I had to teach them. Which, as it turned out, was more than I realized.

 

I hadn’t gone as an expert, but as one making himself available for whatever God desired to accomplish through me. As we read in Philippians 2:13, “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”

 

Is there anything God is calling you to do, something you feel totally inadequate for doing? If that’s the case, then, as another friend of mine used to say, “You’re in a great position!” 

Because you’ll have the opportunity and joy of seeing and experiencing what only the Lord can do – using you as His instrument. As the apostle Paul wrote to encourage a group of struggling believers, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Corinthians 4:7).

Worship in the Workplace

What does worship mean to you? I’m not referring to “worshiping” a favorite entertainer or musician, sports team, or the most important person in your life. My question pertains to true worship – giving adoration and praise to our Creator.

For many of us, worship occurs in a sanctuary or another place where prescribed activities take place. We hear or recite some prayers, participate in a liturgy or engage in a less formalized plan for the service, sing or listen to hymns and/or songs, and hear a sermon or message delivered that typically is based on the Scriptures. Then we leave, worship over.

Worship can also take place at a conference or during a retreat. For some, attending a Christian concert is a worshipful experience. Some believe they can worship God in nature; to some extent that’s true. God created everything, whether it’s majestic mountains, dense forests filled with furry creatures, or beaches resounding with the steady crashing of waves.

But have you ever thought of worshiping – at work?

This isn’t about worshiping your job or career, as a workaholic might. No, it involves showing up at your workplace – whether it’s an office, a conference room, a construction project, classroom, restaurant or retail store – with the attitude you’re there to serve God and others in His name.

Work has always been God’s idea, entrusting the stewardship and maintenance of His creation to us. In Genesis 1:28 we read, “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground…. I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.'”

Some theologians refer to this as “the cultural mandate” – the Lord delegating the oversight of His created world to humankind. In myriad ways, we’re to work and care for everything He has made as a caretaker would oversee a wealthy person’s property. In some respects we haven’t done a very good job, but it's still part of our calling as children of God.

The Lord promises to provide for our needs, but often that provision comes through our work. The apostle Paul pointed out work should not be regarded as optional. Writing to believers in the Greek city of Thessalonica, he said, “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: 'The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat'" (2 Thessalonians 3:10).

Throughout history, great artists and composers have viewed their work as a divine calling, their endeavors for God’s glory. I observed this in frescos, murals and sculptures displayed in Vatican City, and we can hear it in compositions by the likes of George Frideric Handel (“The Messiah”), Johann Sebastian Bach (“Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”) and many others.

Writing to Christ followers in ancient Colossae, Paul wrote, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him…. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men…. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:17,23-24).

Our workplaces can serve as some of the best settings for sharing our faith in Jesus Christ as well. When Jesus gave His Great Commission to “go into all the world and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19), He didn’t instruct us to merely invite them to attend church with us. Literally He meant “as you are going,” which includes our reporting for work each day.

The young woman understood this when asked what kind of work she did. She replied, “I’m a disciple of Christ, cleverly disguised as an administrative assistant.”

When ambassadors are appointed, they venture into foreign lands to serve as their nation’s representatives. Similarly, we’re to be God’s representatives to communicate His Good News of forgiveness and redemption to people who need to hear it. As Paul wrote, “We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

How are we to do this? One way is in how we approach our work. The Scriptures teach, “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12).

As we perform our job responsibilities, we’re hopefully doing so in a manner that raises questions through our commitment to integrity, excellence, initiative and faithfulness. When people become curious, we’re to be ready to respond: “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander” (1 Peter 3:15).

What better way to worship God than to be an outstanding worker for our company or organization, earning such respect that we gain opportunities to tell others about Him?