Challenge

I love when God uses multiple people to bring me a message personally designed to target my heart. My pastor preached this morning about our personal responsibility to grow in the knowledge of God, by taking action and working out our own salvation with fear and trembling. He preached from 2 Peter 1:5-8... it is OUR job to ADD to our faith, ADD to our virtue, etc. etc. THEN , I listen to Pastor Terry Black ADD to that message by challenging us to serve others as a means of growing in our relationship with the Lord. He challenged us to let God be the potter, forming us to fulfill our original purpose of being a servant. He told of a man who had only been in the church a short time. The church was teeming with people, and they were short on Sunday School teachers. The pastor handed the man a Bible and said, "See that room of young 11 year old boys? They need a teacher today. Would you do it?" The man was stunned. TODAY? NOW? But but but but.... there were many excuses, but the pastor simply said, "You'll learn." The man was challenged at that moment to GROW into ministry. If we could all desire to serve in whatever capacity God chooses... He formed us... He's the Potter... He knows what purpose we were formed for. Although I do not feel I am "called" to be lead musician at our church, I have been gifted with the talent to play and sing. I could make a dozen excuses to avoid being behind that piano service after service... but really, when I serve in that capacity to fill a need, I grow spiritually, because God touches me and ministers to me every time I play. When people come to me to tell me a certain song I played targeted their particular situation and blessed them, then I grow spiritually and I am drawn to the Lord in a spirit of thanksgiving. Our church is currently experiencing a shortage in Sunday School teachers, and I am thinking about the challenge. Praying about the challenge. If I wait for the Spirit to "move me", I may miss out on an opportunity to grow. Pray for me as I pray about this new challenge in my spirit. God will put me where He wants me. I trust Him completely. I desire to grow closer to the Lord, however He sees fit, and however hard I am willing to "work" at it. Thank you Jesus.