May 31

Time to Contribute

Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.  ––Proverbs 3:5-6 (MSG) 

You say, “How do I know what or how I’m supposed to contribute?”  Trust God to speak to you through the use of these questions: What are the things that I care about most? — What’s my natural skill set? — Where do I get results versus failure? — What subjects do I love to talk about? — Where do I like to invest my physical energy? — In what situation do I feel myself getting most competitive?

Being used by God is the most fulfilling thing a man can experience. He has created us all with a different skill set; He has given us all a unique job to do. You are God’s unique creation placed in a world of need. It is interesting to note that Jesus’s natural physical skill set was a carpenter, but his spiritual skill set was centered on relationship.

Also, it’s never too late to get involved or break out of your comfort zone. Samuel L. Jackson was 46 before his breakout role in the cult classic Pulp Fiction. Ray Kroc didn’t buy his first McDonalds until he was 50. Vera Wang was 40 when she designed her first dress, and Henry Ford was 45 when he created the paradigm-shifting Model T. Abram was well past 80 before God called him out of Ur and birthed a movement that would one day bring forth the Messiah.

Satan wants to convince you that you are either: too young, too old, too uneducated, too underqualified, too overqualified, etc. He will also pile on a bunch of excuses of why you can’t step out of your comfort zone to do something for God’s kingdom. Sometimes it just takes one little step—not even a very big one—for God to put a wind behind your back to give you momentum.

The more you concentrate on your relationship with God as a perfect Father with perfect love for you, the more confidence, poise, and ability you will have at understanding what you are here for. That question will dwindle and you will naturally discover the skill set he has given you. He will direct your paths. You are now a Kingdom man, you have been given the mind of Christ. Man up and believe it, and remember: no risk, no faith.

Father, I trust Your promise, and I know You are directing my paths.