Be content with your calling (1)

One of the biggest mistakes you can make in ministry is to compare yourself to someone else. In fact, it’s been said that if any two of us are identical, one of us may be unnecessary! The apostle Paul wrote, “There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.” It’s true that without help from others, you’ll never become all you can be, but God wants you to be mentored, not cloned. He has called each of us to emphasize certain truths at different times. For example, John emphasized love, Solomon emphasized wisdom, and Paul’s major emphasis was grace over law. The need determines the emphasis. If God calls you to be a pastor, it’s like being a general practitioner. If He calls you to be an evangelist or a teacher, He’s calling you to be a specialist. “For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills” (vv. 8-11 NKJV). Not everyone will understand or appreciate your style of ministry. And that’s okay—it’s not a popularity contest. You’re called to be a servant, not a star. And a major prerequisite for ministry is “that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2 NIV).