We All Have an Assignment
What is God's Will for our lives? What is our purpose in Christ? What is our assignment? These are questions many Christians ask themselves. We look for the answer in Church. We look for the answer in books written about finding and fulfilling your purpose. And we search the Bible for a clue, hint, verse, chapter, and book, anything that will give us the answer. As we seek our individual assignment, we have been told God desires to make us healthy, wealthy, and successful. There is nothing inherently wrong with those things. We are told God wants us to be leaders, and business people in the secular world so we can spread our influence there. As we acquire education and work in our several fields, these things could happen.
Is Worldly Wealth God’s Will for Us?
We have a tendency to seek after the wealth of this world with the belief it is God’s will for us to have it to use for His Glory. Where did He tell us that? Jesus said:
“And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.” Mark 4:19
Yes, the context speaks to the type of ground the Word falls on, yet we are given this warning…
“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;” 1 Timothy 6:17
While money is necessary for the acquisition of needful things, we are told this:
“And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.” Luke 12:29
God promised to supply our needs. He promised to withhold no good thing from the upright. So while having sufficient income to live and help others is good, seeking the wealth of this world is not the Will of God for us
Is Worldly Position God’s Will for Us?
Being a leader is a great quality. God’s church needs people who can lead. Being in a position of leadership and influence on the world stage might have its advantages. But I believe they are far outweighed by the disadvantages. For example, Jesus could have taken the bait and become the leader of many nations. But what did He choose?
“Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Matthew 4:8-10
From Corporate leaders to Heads of State, we cannot lead in the world without being subject to and influenced by it. And we see the results of this in the news almost daily. When will we learn? No one leads without serving the same.
“And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.” Mark 10:44
So who will you serve and where will you lead?
So what is God’s Assignment for Us?
No one said it simpler or plainer than Solomon. He had wealth, leadership, goods, and pleasure. But all of those things brought him to one conclusion.
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” Ecclesiastes 12:13
What did Jesus say about the matter?
“And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.” Mark 1:17
So often we complicate simple matters. We want more or think there should be more to what we do for the Kingdom of God. Jesus said in Matthew 11:30, His yoke is easy and His burden is light. And what were we told about our ways and thoughts? They are not higher than God’s!
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9
Our ways and thoughts seem right to us, but because we, unlike God, do not see every outcome, they sometimes cause undesired consequences. Not every good and/or inspired thought or idea we have is necessarily a “God Thought”, “God Idea”, or “God Assignment”. Most of the time, it is a personal desire we relegate to the Holy Spirit.
The Whole Duty of Man
“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31 See what Jesus said? Besides this, there is no greater commandment than to love. Solomon said there is no other duty! If we love God, we will do what He says.
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John14:15
“Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” John 14:23
Below is a brief list of Christian duties from God’s Word:
- Have faith in God – Mark 11:22
- Love God and love and care for each other – Luke 10:27-28, John 13:34, 1 Peter 1:22
- Live according to God’s Word – Proverbs 30:5, Luke 4:4, Luke 11:28
- Share God’s Word – Matthew 10:7,27, Acts 10:42
What else are we looking for?
We can come up with plenty of things to do as an adjunct to simply sharing the Good News. We try to entice the world with activities identical to their own like praise events, concerts, and concert-style worship, and liturgical dancing. We have motivational speaking and storytelling under the guise of preaching. Much of this came from a time when Ministers were looking for ways to attract people and keep them from leaving as fast as they arrived. Isn't this the job of the Holy Spirit? They thought by engaging people through means that entertain and in some ways mimic the world, they would stick around and possibly serve on these committees. So we put on a multitude of programs and other events in an attempt to advance the Kingdom of God. Is this God’s program or does it serve our purpose? Does the Holy Spirit need our help or our obedience?Instead, we should focus on:
“Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence…” Act 28:31
Because…
“…the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.” 1 Corinthians 4:20
Did the Apostles do or need any of those activities listed above? No, and neither do we, regardless of the times we live in. God’s Word and the work of the Holy Spirit are timeless! All we need is the truth that comes from God’s Word by the Holy Spirit and everyone doing their part to share it with others. That is what the Early Church did and the Gospel spread rapidly to other nations. And this is still what it takes today!
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor (spiritually bankrupted by sin – Genesis 3:22); he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted (broken by sin – Psalm 51:17), to preach deliverance to the captives (captive to sin – 2 Timothy 2:26), and recovering of sight to the blind (blinded by sin – Isaiah 29:18), to set at liberty them that are bruised (bruised by sin – Isaiah 53:5), To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Luke 4:19 (emphasis and context added)
In conclusion, let me leave you with a quote…
“The gospel has the same magnitude in every emergency -an arrow which can pierce the hardest heart, and a balm which will heal the deadliest wound. Preach it, and preach nothing else. Rely implicitly upon the old, old gospel. You need no other nets when you fish for men. Those your Master has given you are strong.” – from The Soul Winner (Updated Edition) How to Lead Sinners to the Saviour by Charles H. Spurgeon
This is God's will for our lives AND our specific assignment! I hope this article was helpful. Thank you for visiting!