I never wanted to be the pastor of a church. So when I was approached by the elders of my congregation and asked to consider the role, I immediately refused—telling them quite clearly that being a minister was not my calling. There was no doubt in my mind that I would be no good at it. The whole idea didn’t appeal to me, and so—in my mind—God would certainly not require me to follow such a path.
Six years later I am still pastoring the same church even though I am still no good at it. But I’ve learned that God is good, and He uses the vessels He has selected in order to fulfill His plan and purpose in His church around the world (2 Corinthians 4:7).
With that said, I don’t believe for a moment that Amos planned on becoming a prophet. The opening lines of the book of Amos tell us his background but do not dwell on the enormous upheaval that must have accompanied his call (Amos 1:1). His friends and co-workers must have thought him to be insane. Those he railed against with powerful words of conviction and accusation must have sneered and persecuted him because of his humble origins. Look at Amos 1:15 with its pointed indictment of the king and royalty. How do you think they would have responded to a mere shepherd making such proclamations? A more suitable prophet, of greater social standing would have been more appropriate.
Amos’ career move wasn’t exactly celebrated. Simply see the barrage of accusations he received in Amos 1:1–2:16. The move cost him everything, including his life. But a calling has nothing to do with background or gifting. It has everything to do with God’s plans and what He’ll provide for us to accomplish His will.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Matthew 21:1-17
More:
Read Acts 2:14 and see how a lowly fisherman becomes a great preacher. See in Galatians 1:15-16 how a “Hebrew of Hebrews” (Philippians 3:5 NKJV) was called to reach the Gentiles. God doesn’t need our skills or specialties; He wants our obedience.
Next:
What has God called you to do? Why is it important for you to stay open to whatever He asks of you?
Mike Wittmer on August 29, 2015 at 8:43 am
Love your humility and humor, Russell (“I’m still not any good at it”). What a relief to know that answering God’s call doesn’t depend on us. We don’t even have to be the best at what we do, just do our best for the Lord, with his help.
russell fralick on August 31, 2015 at 10:35 am
Mike, you are absolutely right, in that we do not need to be the best at what we do. All God wants is our obedience to His call. If we obey, He does all He wants to do through us, He is glorified and not man, and we are truly fulfilled yet always have the easy yoke that Jesus promises. It sometimes feels a heavy weight, but He accomplishes the task, not us, and that, to me, is an enormous pressure release!
By the way, the humour bit is an inherited British trait; the humility is very much a work in progress…
Gary Shultz on August 29, 2015 at 5:03 pm
I’m convinced God likes people like you very well. Amos is a great example, a practical hands-on view of life. You can’t be too bad at it if you were also ask to write here. Thanks
russell fralick on August 31, 2015 at 10:32 am
Thanks Gary for the encouragement, though you might want to meet some of my colleagues BEFORE you assume they have such good judgement! 😉 Just kidding! God bless you.