Are You Doing What He Said?

Matthew 7:22-23 The Message

21-23 “Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills.

I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’

I don't know about you, but there are times when Holy Spirit will just say something to me that seems to come from out of nowhere. Today was one of those moments.

I don't know why, but I happened to be thinking about church people. Now, this is not unusual because I am a pastor. I always think about church stuff. At the time, my thoughts were on small churches (like mine) that could use some help. If we were a company that was hiring, we would have a long list of positions that needed to be filled, and I am sure that many would come and apply. But this is not the case.

As I was thinking about this, I thought of the larger churches that have so many people that many of them cannot use their gifts or walk in their call because the spots have already been taken. Yet, for some reason, rather than to search out a place where they can be used, they stay, while their gifts remain dormant. Or they might be doing something in that church, and just like in the text, they might be seeing the power of God move in their works. But are they doing what God has called them to do?

Here is something else that I have never been able to quite grasp. Some of these same gifted, underused people, will look in disdain at smaller churches in need of their gift, and criticize and critique them for lacking in what they are well able to supply.

Just imagine that, if you will? You are standing before God at the time of judgement and almost boasting about all the work that you did in His name. But He casts you out because at the end of the day you were, as one translation says, lawless. At the end of the day you did what you wanted to do and not what He told you to do.

Now I know, this is not just an issue in the bigger churches. People are the same everywhere. Even in my small church, I have people who "sit on their gift" as if it is their's to choose how and when they will use it.

As a pastor, it is amazing to me the excuses that people use to opt out of God's will for their lives. Everything from fear, rebellion, pride, stubbornness, etc. Some people will leave a church because they don't want to obey the Lord, and some will stay for the same reason.

I remember when I did not want to accept the call to pastor. I spent an entire year doing other "good and effective" stuff for the Lord. People were blessed and I thought God was pleased. NOT!!! I had to submit to what He had called me to or our fellowship was about to end.

What about you? Please think about this because it is very serious. Are you doing what God has called you to do and are you where He has called you to do it? Are you serving the people that He has called you to serve? When your time is up and the show is over, what reward are you expecting?

Only you can answer that question!

Selah