Position, Place, Grace

Position, Place, Grace
Each of us is faced with trying to figure out what we should do with our lives and how we can best serve God’s purposes. It is a question that seems to come back to us throughout our lives as we live in a dynamic continuum in which change is constant. It is good at times to step back out of your present situation and evaluate what is happening in your life and if you are doing what is in your heart to do.
I believe that God has a position in his body for each one of us. He also has a place for us to serve Him and when we find these two he provides the grace to be able to do the work He has given us. Tonight I want to look at these three things and I pray that you will have a clearer understanding of what God is asking of you as you seek to serve Him.
God has a position for each one of us in his body. We all have specific gifts and talents that equip us to do a specific task. 1 Cor. 12:4-7 states, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. And there are varieties of effects, but the same God to works all things in all persons. But each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit, for the common good.”
Paul goes on further to say, “For the body is not one member but many…but now God has placed the members each one of them, in the body just as He desired.” 1 Cor. 12: 14, 18
Your position is critical to the body being able to operate fully. For many of us we realize the importance of the variety of positions but we often struggle with identifying our personal position. We try to discover our gifts and talents through tests and experiences we have and that is good. But there are also hidden gifts and talents within each of us that will be developed as we respond in obedience to God’s call on our lives. William Carey thought he was called to go to India to preach the gospel, yet he found that he was not very good at it and after 7 years had only one convert. He discovered that his real gift and the position God had for him was linguistics. He translated the English Bible into the languages of the people of India and did many other similar tasks that were a tremendous blessing and influence in the culture. Once he discovered this ability he flourished in his ministry. The nation of India is indebted today to the work that William Carey accomplished. God placed this ability in William Carey and he discovered this as he responded in obedience to go to India. I think often in life we are placed in a situation where we may not feel comfortable but during this time God reveals to us the hidden gifts and talents that are within us and he opens new doors of service to use these gifts. Your position in the body can change over time as these gifts and talents come to light and become more developed. I think we can also limit ourselves by not exploring new options because of fear or lack of finances or whatever excuse we can contrive to keep us doing the same thing we have been doing. We can get comfortable in our position and hunker down to do the job we are given and stay in this position for our entire life. That may be true for some people and if it is they should become the most efficient and productive person in their field. But often people become stagnant in their position. They seem to get bored and unchallenged and in their hearts they are not content or happy with the present situation. They may have aspirations to make changes in their position but the fear of insecurity or failure holds them back from pursing something new and different. Their lives seem to waste away and they look forward to retirement when they can do whatever they want to do. They will change their position when they have the security to leave their present situation. Frequently people who make this change at this time in their lives comment that they wished they would have done it years earlier. They discovered that their real position in life was something other than they had spent most of their life doing. Sometimes losing your present job is the best thing that could ever happen to you as it opens up new opportunities to discover gifts and talents that you did not know you had. Young eagles are forced to leave the comfort of their nests by their mothers who literally throw them out of their home. It’s fly or die and I am sure the little things go into shock for the first moments of the rapid descent. But after they learn what they are capable of doing life becomes a joy as they soar through the sky so effortlessly.
I watched on the news this past week the story of a man who has Lou Gehrig’s disease. It is a horrible disease that takes away all your muscular abilities and slowly causes your body to shut down. He was a teacher in a college and loved his job but the day he received the diagnosis of Lou Gehrig’s disease he said he returned to his home and curled up into a fetal position and just lay there thinking of how horrible his life was going to be. He was given a new position in life, one that he did not ask for and one that he really did not want to accept. He came to realize shortly thereafter that he could make the most of his situation and use his position to effect a positive change or he could just remain in a fetal position and feel sorry for himself and have a daily pity party. He decided that he would use whatever time he had left on earth to help raise money to conduct research for a cure for this disease. He has spent the past 3 years raising thousands of dollars for a cure. He accepted this new position in life and has made the best of it.
This is the challenge we all have in the position God has placed us. Sometimes we are placed by our own choices and other times we are simply asked to accept the choices made for us. The difference always lies in the attitude we take to the position we are in. We can make the most of it or we can regret it and always look for a way out and miss out on what we could have achieved if we had accepted the position and gave our best effort. Sometimes we can truly say love what I am doing and when we can’t say that we have to be able to say “I love what God is doing in me.” God uses these situations to work new things in us that possible will not come to fruition unless we are in the position we found ourselves.
Your present position may not be your permanent position. It may just be that God has you where you are to develop new abilities in you and through your faithfulness to do what you are doing he will open a new door of opportunity for you to pursue new adventures of faith with him. He may have you where you are at because he has someone you need to meet who will be instrumental in moving you into your next position.
God does not want you to be stuck in a position that is totally not what you should be doing. Many people accept jobs that have nothing to provide for them except money or benefits. One lady once told me she lives for the weekend because then she could do what she really wanted to do. I could not help but think her job was not very satisfying but was just a source of income for her. If you are unhappy, unfulfilled, and are not able to see how your present job helps you realize the dreams you have for your life then you need to pray and ask God to help free you from your job so you can begin to live life as you were designed to live. Some jobs are temporary and you know there is an end date that you can live with because you are moving on. Summer jobs were like that, they were temporary and though the work was not always the greatest and most fulfilling you knew there was a termination date and that you could do the work that was asked of you and do it well. It is a whole different thing if you are doing a permanent job that you absolutely do not enjoy and cannot wait to leave. Don’t waste your life pursuing things that have not hope for the future you want to have and live! Take steps to get out of the job and seek God for guidance, seek help from other people who can help get you connected to do what you feel you were made to do. Give your best effort at your job and leave a good reputation with your employer don’t slack off just because you are not doing what you want to be doing. Be a blessing to your boss and the business, they may become some of your greatest supporters in the future.
The second thing after you discover your position, or your gifts and talents is to allow God to place you where he wants you to be. 1 Cor 12:18 “But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as he desired.” He places us in his body but he also places us in a specific location. God has a destination for each one of us. Paul was an itinerant evangelist and apostle for much of his life but God also placed him in certain locations like Antioch and Ephesus and Rome for longer periods of time. He has a special place where he wants you to use the gifts he has given you. God will direct you to a place to serve Him and once you are there the enemy will do everything he can to get you out of there. He understands the power and potential in you and he wants to sidetrack your life so you never achieve what you are capable of doing. Often times he places another person in your path who perhaps unintentionally draws you away from what you are called to do and you begin to lose the passion and focus you once had. Sometimes we give into temptations and fall into a sinful lifestyle or behaviors that destroy the ministry God has given us. I read yesterday of a Lutheran pastor in North Dakota who paid a women to have an affair with him. Eventually the woman began to demand more money and if she did not receive it would expose him to his spiritual leaders. He could not meet her demands and the whole affair went public causing him to lose his ministry and probably his marriage. Other times there is discouragement that what you thought you would be able to do is not really what is happening or that it is taking a lot longer than you anticipated. We often find ourselves guilty of comparing ourselves with other people. We see their success and question our abilities, do we really have what it takes or we wonder why others seem to get all the breaks. John Maxwell tells the story of two milk cows standing in a field when a milk truck passed by that said, “Milk: homogenized, pasteurized, standardized, Vitamin D added.” One cow turned to the other and said, ‘Makes you feel sort of inadequate doesn’t it.’”Discouragement sets in when expectation is different than reality. What we want to see happening is often a far cry from what we are experiencing and it is easy to get discouraged and think about quitting or leaving. You have to find your place and then stay in that place until God, not people, trials, circumstances, disappointments etc. move you on to the new place God has for you. The news media is filled with speculation about the decision Sarah Pallin recently made to step down as Governor of Alaska. Many felt disappointed that she did not serve out her time and others gave her the benefit of doubt that her decision was not spontaneous or not contemplated correctly. People will always question your motives but the reality is that you are first accountable to God and if he says it is time to go then it is time to go. I believe he will make it clear to you and that his peace will rule in your heart. I remember when I decided to leave my job which I enjoyed for 7 years to pursue missions full-time, I felt confident that it was the right decision yet still had some fears as to whether it was the right decision and the right time. My boss held a very nice going away party for me which was attended by many of the instructors in the program who worked with me. They all were encouraging me to pursue what was in my heart to do and I walked away from my job with the confirmation of others but most of all I had peace in my heart that God was directing my steps to bring me to a new place. It required me to sell my house and move onto the campus with my daughter for a year of training in missions. It was one of the best years of my life and I totally enjoyed the experience the Lord gave me. This was just a stepping stone to get me to Guatemala in 99. Six years later I moved to be here permanently and have just within the last 2 weeks received my temporary residency status. It took awhile to get me here full time but I believe God’s timing is always perfect as we learn to wait upon him to orchestrate what needs to happen. Many want to rush from one thing to another and have not learned to wait on God’s timing. We are so prone to seek instant gratification and the thought of waiting on God to move us to the next place is hard on the flesh. Those who learn to wait will find greater satisfaction and enjoyment in life. I recently listen to a message by David Lewicki of Marble Church in which the he quoted from an article in the New Yorker magazine written entitled “Don’t” by John O’Leary. The article discussed a study that was conducted in the 1960’s at Stanford University with 4 year olds to test their ability to delay gratification and exhibit self control. The children were invited one by one into an empty room that had only a table and a chair. On the table was a plate that had a marshmallow, an Oreo cookie and a pretzel. They were told. “You can have any you want and you can eat it now or you can wait and when I return you can have 2 of any.” The children agonized over the decision. They covered their eyes, some turned their backs so as to not look at the treat, others started kicking at the desk or tugged at their hair, some even stroked the marshmallow like it was a little stuffed animal. One boy with neatly parted hair immediately looked around the room, he took the Oreo and unscrewed it, licked the cream out of the middle and put it back, sure that no one had seen him. Most of the children struggled, but only for less than 3 minutes and then they gave in and ate the treat. Some of them broke down right away while others would stare at the marshmallow and break down. About 30 per cent of the children were able to wait for what eventually would be 15 minutes before the researcher would return. The kids who waited found a way to resist. They were the ones who found a way to think about something other than the cookie or the marshmallow. The researchers observed that the ones who succeeded, distracted themselves. They would cover their eyes, they would pretend to play hide and seek under the desk and seat, they would sing songs from Sesame Street and do anything to get their mind off of their desire. Their desire was not defeated, it was always there, they just managed to consider something else long enough to gain the ultimate reward. The long term observations of the young people involved in the study have shown that the ones who were able to wait 15 minutes when they were 4 years old for 2 Oreos went on to have a healthier and happier adulthood. They performed better in school. On average 200 points better on their SAT’s. They coped with problems better, they had better relationships with their peers, they planned their lives better, and they even seemed to have better overall health. Self control is a primary indicator of human flourishing. Being able to wait does matter.
When we are in right relationship with the Lord we learn to wait upon him and in our waiting we renew our strength, we don’t give in to impulses of our flesh or make rash decisions that end in disaster. Isaiah 40:31 states, “Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength.” As you learn to submit yourself to God’s timing, He will direct your steps and you will move from strength to strength not frustration to frustration. You won’t burn bridges behind you but build bridges to your future destination. God has a place for each of us and we must learn to wait upon him to direct us to a new place in his perfect timing. It is always better to leave one place with the blessing of the people who left than leave with broken relationships and huge disappointments or unresolved conflicts. At times you may need to leave abruptly to spare your life but it will be in obedience to God directing you.
I read a book recently called “The Heavenly Man”. It is the story of Brother Yun who spent years in prison in China. In 1997 he said he reached the lowest point of his life as both he and his wife along with many other pastors were imprisoned. The guards had been ruthless to him and broke his leg so that he could not stand or walk on them. He had spent months in the jail and missed his family and he wanted out. In his agony and pain he cried out to the Lord and the Lord spoke to him through a vision and through his Word, telling him that today was his day to be set free. Escaping the prison would take a series of miracles since every door that had to be opened was guarded by 2 guards and could only be opened on one side. He also had to descend two flights of stairs to reach ground floor.. In addition since his legs were broken he stuggled to walk so it seemed impossible that his escape could really happen. After the Lord spoke to him, he tapped on his wall twice which was the way prisoners signaled to each other that they needed prayer. Yun called out to the guard and told him he needed to go to the bathroom. The guard got one of the other believers in the adjacent cell to accompany Hun to the bathroom. When the other believer came to help him he told him that he should escape and then told him to get his towel and toothbrush to make it appear that he was going to the bathroom. His fellow prisoner was insistent that he should try to escape now. Even though Yun had these three confirmations that today was the day he would be set free he did not believe it. He would attempt the escape but and that after the guards shot him that the Lord would receive him into heaven. But as he reflected on what had happened he realized that God was speaking to him and that he needed to obey. He left his cell and proceeded to the first iron door that was shut and guarded with 2 armed guards. When he got to the door another prisoner was on the other side who was returning to his cell. The door opened and the prisoner passed through with another guard escorting him to his cell. The guard that remained, heard the phone ring on the floor below and left the post with the door open. Yun walked through the door and proceeded down the stairway. He did not realize it at the time but when he left his cell on the third floor the Lord healed his broken legs! He walked down the stairway to the second floor where there was a desk and an armed guard at the next door. The door was open which was unusual and the Lord spoke to Yun, “Go now, the God of Peter is with you!” He walked through the door and the guard did not even notice him it was as though he was invisible. He descended the next stairway and arrived at door that gave entrance to the ground level patio. This is the door that is protected the most yet at that moment it was open and he walked through. He walked by several guards who said nothing to him and then proceeded out the main door to the street. He had escaped from a maximum security prison which had never been done before or after. Immediately he encountered a taxi and he got in and told the driver to take him to his office which really was the house of some Christian friends. The day before his escape, the Lord spoke to the mother of his friend and told her that he was going to escape and would come to their home for a short time to pray with them before moving on to the next home where they had prepared a special hidden room for him to stay. Yun had learned to wait on the Lord and obey his voice when he told him it was time to move on. God may not move you on to your next location in a manner this dramatic but he will make it clear to you when it is time to go and we must hear his voice and respond in obedience to him.
God has a place for each one of us and he will keep us there as long as he wants and will move us on in his timing as we learn to wait upon him and respond in obedience when he speaks to us.
The final thing that we all need is the grace to do what God has called us to do. It is God’s grace that gives us the ability to do his work. Paul often referred to the grace of God that was given to him to be able to do the will of God. Ephesians 3:7 “By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving Him by spreading his good news.” Paul encouraged Timothy in 2 Tim. 2:1, “Timothy my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus.” In many of Paul’s letters he opened them by praying for God’s grace to be given to the recipients of the letter and he also closed many of his letters with the same prayer. It was all about God’s grace not Paul’s great abilities. What is grace? Grace is God’s favor and provision in which he gives us something we do not deserve nor have the ability to do on our own. Paul saw his ministry as a ministry of God’s grace. In the letter to Romans he states. “Even so, I have been bold enough to write about some of these points, knowing that all you need is this reminder. For by God grace, I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles.” Romans 15:14,15 Paul relied on God’s grace to minister to people. In 2 Cor. 1:12 he wrote, “We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you.” Another reference to Paul’s reliance upon grace is found in 1 Cor. 3:10, “Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.” By God’s grace he gives us gifts to serve him. Romans 12:6-8 states, “In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift of showing kindness to other, do it gladly.”
It is through God’s grace we are saved. It is through God’s grace that we are given gifts and abilities. It is through God’s grace that we carry out the ministry he has given us. We have a responsibility to this grace and that is to do our very best, to put forth our best efforts realizing that the abilities that we have are given to us by the Lord and he deserves our best effort to use the gifts he has given to us in the right way. We do not rely on our efforts or strive in our own strength but fully give ourselves to the work of the Lord’s grace in us to accomplish his will. We exchange self reliance with complete reliance upon God to carry out his plan. We are not driven to achieve to prove ourselves to God or to man but we respond to God’s grace by developing a relationship of intimacy and dependence upon him. Grace enables us to focus on God and enjoy our relationship with him and out of that relationship of intimacy we are able to carry out the ministry he has given us in the right attitude and motivation. If ministry seems to be a chore then most likely you have fallen out of the grace relationship with the Lord and you are trying to do things in your own strength. No wonder Paul prayed so much for grace for himself and the church. He realized that in his weakness, God’s grace was all he needed, it was sufficient and it brought contentment to him (2 Cor. 12:9). It is God’s grace that teaches us how to live in this present age (Titus 2:12). Grace is something we are to grow in so there must be a vast supply available to us (2 Pt. 3:18). Learning to live by grace and not our own strength is difficult for those of us who are performance oriented. We constantly want to do things and all too often they can be done in our strength and not God’s provision of grace. Grace is God’s way of opening doors of opportunity that we could not open by our own efforts, grace is God’s way of empowering us with His abilities to do his work. This is a liberating thing for all of us, knowing that he has a vast supply of grace for every situation we face in life. He wants us to turn to him and rely upon his grace.
Joni Erickson Tada wrote an article in Discipleship Journal Nov/Dec 1987 issue entitled “When You Can’t Escape” and I would like to close with an excerpt from it. Most of you know that she is confined to a wheelchair after suffering a spinal cord injury. Back in 1987 she wrote an article about relying upon God’s grace to sustain her in her times of being completely confined because of pressure sores that developed on her body. She could only lie in 2 positions in order to facilitate healing the sore. It was a very oppressive time as she could only stare at the wall as she lay on her side. She wondered if God’s grace would be enough to sustain her during this trying and difficult time.
“In a halting, yet sincere prayer, I presented my brokenness—my pain, disappointment, spiritual laziness, and fear—to Him. In turn, the first thing I sensed was a peaceful desire to "will and act according to his good purpose." Meanwhile, I couldn't help but remember those around me in the hospital ward during my early days of rehabilitation. Some, like me in the beginning, were bored and restless. Others were callous, angry, and indifferent. Looking back, now I could understand their problem. "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many," I read in Heb. 12:15. Remembering those hospital roommates, I knew I no longer wanted to be miserable. I wanted to be content.
Joni did not want to miss out on the grace of God by letting bitterness overtake her. When she wrote this article she remarked that she wondered if she could make it for 20 more years confined to a wheelchair with limited activity. She has proven that God’s grace is sufficient and her life is a testimony of one who has truly learned to live by the grace God gives one day at a time.
Tonight you may be here facing many decisions about your life and your future. I pray that you will walk away from here encouraged that God has a position for you that will utilize or reveal the gifts and talents he has given you. God also has a specific place of ministry for you, a location where he wants you to serve him and use the gifts he has given you. You may be in the process of waiting for that new place to be revealed and in that time of waiting God is working his purposes in your life and wants you to be renewed in his strength. Finally God has sufficient grace for you to enable you to do what he has given you to do. He wants you to trust in his grace to always be there no matter how difficult the situation you face. The Christian life is all about grace, God’s favor and God’s abilities at work in our lives. Rest in his grace, trust in his grace and he will bring great joy and satisfaction to your life.