50 Days to More

A Seven Week Campaign to Begin 2018

Week 3: Determining to Whom You Have Been Assigned

Day Seventeen (1/23/18): Celebrated, not Tolerated
Recommended Reading: Matthew 10:5-15

We’ve all been in a place where we felt that our work wasn’t appreciated. The good news is that our assignment from God will take us where we’re celebrated--not just tolerated! There are two important aspects to our assignments: people and places.

Did you know that we’re all assigned to certain people? Those people may be friends, family, co-workers, or fellow church members. Who ever they are, God placed you in their lives to be a blessing and to share the Gospel. God may need you to minister to these people and lead them to Christ. The knowledge we gain from building a relationship with Jesus is invaluable to those around us.

Did you know that we are assigned to a specific place? There is often a geographical dimension to our assignment from God. For example, Pastor Coats and his family were living happily in Smithville, Missouri. They loved it there and had no plans to leave. However, God called them to leave and they obeyed. The Lord planted them in Hernando County, Florida. He now serves as a light in the community. He’s been a pastor and mentor to many who needed him. It’s all because he listened to the voice of God. Maybe one day, God will call you to move to another state. As scary as it may be, there is nothing more rewarding than following the call of The Lord.

Jesus knew that location mattered. In John chapter 4, Jesus had to pass through Samaria for a very specific reason. There was a woman there (referred to as “The Woman at the Well”) who he was assigned to meet. If he wasn’t in the right place, he wouldn’t have met the right person. You cannot fulfill your assignment in the wrong place. That is why it’s so important to be in tune with the Holy Spirit. We must know his voice and be ready to obey whatever he asks us to do.

Are you operating in the environment that God has assigned you to? We operate like fish out of water when we are not in the location God wants us. We can effectively fulfill our assignments when we go where we are celebrated instead of staying where we are tolerated.

In our recommended reading for the day, it’s clear to see that even Jesus was unable to flourish in the wrong environment. We know that he was able to perform mighty miracles in Nazareth, but he was dishonored there. The people rejected him in his hometown. He was dishonored, disrespected, and rejected. Although Jesus was doing the things that God called him to do, his assignment wasn’t accepted by everyone. In order to operate in his gifts the most effectively, he had to find the places where he was celebrated.

Silly people stay in the wrong environments because they think they can change it. We get caught in this trap--thinking we can influence people who don’t celebrate us. The truth is that God will lead you to the people who need you and will embrace you. Today, pray that God will soften your heart and open your eyes. Pray that he will help you break off unproductive relationships. Ask that he would lead you to the places and people who will help you to operate fully in your assignment!

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” Psalm 32:8 (ESV)

Compiled by Christine Thompson
Taken from the Sermon Series “7 Steps to One Thousand Times More”
By Pastor Timothy Coats
Family First Church - Spring Hill, Florida