Test the waters (1)

“We each have different work to do.”                         Ro 12:5 TLB

Bob Buford was a successful businessman who felt God calling him to some kind of ministry. He just wasn’t sure what, so he decided to test the waters. He brought together a group of pastors of large churches to see if they could benefit from the kind of organizational expertise he had. The cost of doing this was low enough that had it been a dead end, he could easily have focused his search elsewhere. If he’d impulsively quit his job as CEO and taken a staff position in a church somewhere, he might have missed his calling and jeopardized his chance to keep searching. As a result, today he has a ministry that literally impacts the world. Now, you can’t just walk away from your previous commitments. Amos transitioned into the prophecy business while he still had his shepherding job to fall back on. Paul kept his tent-making operation running when he went into church planting. Discerning God’s will requires time and patience, and most of us have bills to pay and families to take care of. So what should you do? Keep your day job—but test the waters! And remember you’re not alone. God’s more committed to your success than you are. When you feel like He’s given you the green light, gently push the accelerator and move forward. Playwright Arthur Miller said: “It’s wrong to remain in a situation you know is a mismatch for you…God didn’t place you on this earth to waste away your years in labor that doesn’t employ His design or purpose for your life, no matter how much you may be getting paid.”

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