Which is more important, being who God called you to be, or doing what God called you to do? To answer this question, lets look at our Supreme Example, our Lord Jesus Christ. We read in Hebrews 2:10, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man” (KJV). In verses 16-18 we also read, “For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted” (KJV). Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (KJV). Unless He was Who the Father called Him to be, Jesus could not do what He called Him to do. Think about this: could Jesus be the perfect Sacrifice if He had sin? The obvious answer is no. In order for a sacrifice to acceptable unto God, it had to be spotless and without blemish. As simplistic as it may sound, if Jesus did not come as a man, He could not have fulfilled the Law by dying on the Cross for each of us. Bottom line, Jesus had to be everything the Father asked Him to be in order to do everything the Father asked Him to do.
Furthermore, if Jesus was not Who the Father needed Him to be, He would not do what the Father asked Him to do. Jesus said, “But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment . . .” (John 14:31, KJV). Love motivates Jesus to do those things He does, because His very nature is Love. If Jesus did not love the Father, much less us, He would not have taken on the very nature of man and suffer for us. Even now, Jesus is in position to carry out everything the Father desires of Him. Perhaps the question we should ask ourselves is, “Am I in position to carry out God’s desires?”
Why do we have the tendency to get more excited about doing things for God than being who God wants us to be? Interestingly, God is more interested in our ways than He is of our acts; nonetheless, they go hand in hand. If a person loves the Lord with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength, he will want to do the things of God in order to please Him. If do things apart from that love, we will be doing things to please us. Furthermore, if we are not true sons and daughters of God, we cannot truly do the things of God. It would not be in our nature. Even Romans 8:5-9 tells us, “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His” (KJV). If we are not led of the Holy Spirit we cannot do what is pleasing to God. Only sons and daughters of God have the Spirit of God, as it is written in Romans 8:14, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (KJV). Even if we do those crazy exciting things, it does not mean we are acceptable to God. Matthew 7:21-23 serves as a clear warning: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (KJV).
Some people have done mighty works for God; but fell because their ways were not right before Him. In some cases, people entered into the ministry before they were ready. They had personal issues that were not dealt with properly, which manifested later in their ministry. In many cases, because of pride, they did not allow the Lord to work those things out of their life. In reality, they lacked the maturity necessary to fulfill the mission in a way that was pleasing to God. 1Timothy three lays out the qualifications for bishops and deacons. Verse 6 warns us about putting those in office before their time: “Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil” (KJV). For this very reason it is important for us to come into agreement with God, and allow the Lord Jesus to position each of us before we “do anything for Him.” Preparation for the ministry requires more than just studying the Word of God; it requires us to be proven by God in order to be approved of God to do His works. We cannot be filled with pride and expect to be pleasing. It pays to remember that there is process between being called and being chosen. Just because someone is called to minister in a certain capacity, it does not mean they are ready to fulfill the calling. He has to become who God called him to be, in order to fulfill what He called him to do. Until a person totally yields himself to God, he will not be in position to carry out his mission. If we love the Lord, we will wait on Him!
