Knowing your place

BOB RICHARD was a Protestant pastor who loved sport. He practised the high jump daily along with his pastoral duties.

He got so good at it that he took part in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and won the gold medal. He had learned to use the various gifts that God gave him.

I think one of the greatest problems today is not knowing what position to fill. Many people have few clear goals in life and they don't know what they want. It's not their fault; society hasn't given them good spiritual principles and values.

Things change when God becomes an indispensable part of one's life, because God always demands our very best. He himself co-ordinates circumstances for our good; he upholds us and gives us the strength to reach our goals.

Wherever we are, no-one can improve on our example; no- one can be a better citizen, worker or person than a child of God.

Sometimes we think we're wasting our time if we aren't preaching the gospel; we think of opportunities lost at work, while studying, in conversation, or just helping others.

That's dangerous, because we forget the most important lesson: God wants us to fill our place in life, whatever it may be, and do our job well. Certainly for many that place is at work, study, or whatever else God's will is for that person.

Doing what God has fitted us to do is as important as preaching or witnessing. It's true; we should never use our work as an excuse to avoid serving God. It's no excuse; there's plenty of time for everything.

But it's also true that we sin if we aren't doing what God wants us to do. If God made you to run, you sin if you don't run. If God gives you the intelligence to study, not studying is a sin. If God put you in public office, it would be a sin not to be an example of his care for us.

What place is God asking you to fill right now? Maybe tomorrow he'll call you to another task, but right now the most important thing is to do his will, and do it well.