If Not You, Then Who? Chris Adsit, Associate National Director of Discipleship, Military Ministry Middleweight boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard was speaking at Harvard a few years ago. "I consider myself blessed," he said. "I consider you blessed. We've all been blessed with God-given talents. Mine just happens to be beatin' people up." Well, we've all gotta do our best with what we've got, right? What talents has God blessed you with? And just as importantly, how are you using those talents for the expansion of His kingdom? Obviously, God has not called every Christian into full-time vocational ministry. We could always use a few more pastors and missionaries, but probably what our society needs most these days are vast numbers of solid disciples in secular jobs rubbing elbows day-in and day-out with people who need to know Jesus. We need more sanctified shoe salesmen, more anointed anthropologists, more ordained orderlies, more holy hot dog vendors! God sovereignly equips and calls every one of us to a specific ministry. Sometimes it's full-time, sometimes it's within the context of a secular job. As you grow to maturity, you may sense a "call" to a particular type of ministry. But when you pick up the receiver, how can you tell if it's God on the line? There are a number of factors to consider, but here is one that you shouldn't overlook. Take a hard look at yourself and determine the specific ways God has gifted you. How can those talents be most efficiently invested? Where are they needed most? I was an All-American in the 400 meter hurdles as a collegian, but when I graduated, I rejoiced that I was not going to have to "waste" any more time training and competing. I could finally invest that time studying the Bible, witnessing, discipling people, leading Bible studies--you know, important things… things I had gotten pretty good at over the years. I was being heavily recruited to join the AIA Track Team, but I wrote the coach and told him I'd decided to enroll in seminary, thanks for askin', see ya. He wrote back one more time: "Chris, please re-read the Parable of the Talents found in Matthew 25. Be sure you are not burying a talent that God intends for you to invest." That got me right between the eyes. About the same day I received his letter, I read a quote by Dawson Trotman, founder of the Navigators: "Never do something someone else can or will do, when there's something else to be done that only you can do." Another bullseye. In the space of one day, God totally changed my mind about my calling. God had given me a very specific talent: hurdling. Tens of thousands of dedicated Christian men and women would be entering seminaries all around the world that fall to be equipped as pastors and missionaries. But how many of them could run the intermediate hurdles in 50.1? How many of them would have the kind of platform I could have with other hurdlers? And if I didn't fill that niche, was there anybody else on the planet who could or would? Were there many others who could employ their witnessing, discipling, study-leading and speaking skills as naturally as I could among the hurdlers of the world? It became perfectly clear to me that day: God had spent four years preparing me for a ministry as a full-time competing athlete with the AIA Track Team. He gave me back a love for the sport. He helped me see that the time I invested in training and competing was as sacred as the time I spent studying the Bible (well, almost). The track became my classroom and pulpit. Workouts became a holy discipline. That was twenty-two years ago. As a young Christian, it never occurred to me that my athletics might eventually become my ministry, or that my ministry might eventually become my career. It doesn't always--or even usually--happen that way, but that's how God worked it out for me. He may or may not call you into full-time, life-long, vocational ministry. But two things are certain: He's preparing you for something, and he's calling you to something. Keep your eyes, ears and heart open--He might be dialing your number even now! Or would you rather God ask Sugar Ray to exercise his gift on you? Just kiddin'… More Articles --> Special thanks to Gospel Communications Network for the use of the Bible Gateway!
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