Put Aside

“Will you preach at the next youth led service?” That question was affirmation to my 16-year-old self that God was calling me to preach. I had no clue what that meant and really, I am still bumbling my way through that purpose. But I have no doubt that is my God given purpose.

From that point, through high school, and early adult years I was given opportunity to preach. On those Sunday nights, I would share the truth God revealed to me during a personal bible study that took place Sunday afternoon or Saturday night. And then my bible would stay closed, except for Sunday school or Sunday morning service. I can’t imagine those early sermons being very meaty, most likely a spiritual chowder at best. (Chowder is a milk-based soup, from what I am told)

While living on the west slope of the Rockies in Colorado, in 2014 I stumbled across a documentary about Peyton Manning. He had recently joined the Denver Broncos, after spending over a decade in Indianapolis with my team, the Colts. In this documentary it detailed the level of preparation Manning put into a football game. Hours of watching game film, studying playbooks, and practicing. All that work for a game, one God had given Manning the ability to play. At the end of the video, I felt a tap on the shoulder from my heart. The Holy Spirit whispered to me, “If he does all that for a game, what are you doing to prepare for my people?” Those words hurt, I had grown-up in church and knew the Sunday school answers. It hurt because while I knew the answers, I did not know why they were the answers. Worse than that, I did not really know the One who provided the answers. From that point to now, morning devotions have become the walks in the Garden with God, okay maybe more like a cup of coffee with Jesus. All my writings, sermons, and personal growth come from the Holy Spirit working on my own heart daily.

1 Samuel records the nation of Israel demanding a king. The prophet Samuel is not a fan of the idea, he knows it is the nation’s rejection of God as their king. Nevertheless, God tells Samuel to give the people what they want and names the person who is be king. Samuel invites the man, named Saul, to dinner and ends up telling him God has chosen him to be king.

Recorded in 1 Samuel 9:23 is an interesting detail, it reads,

“Samuel said to the cook, “Give me the portion of meat that I gave you—the one I asked you to keep with you.”” (NET)

Notice, Samuel had given the meat to the cook in advance of this moment. This was before refrigerators and freezers, so I am not sure how much time elapsed, but this was after the prophet Samuel received the word from God. He prepared for the moment coming. Samuel had to put aside what was needed in order to fulfill the call God had given him to anoint Saul.

Whatever task God has placed before you, it is going to require putting aside something in preparation for the task. Recently, I have been reading The Preparation of the Sermon by Andrew W. Blackwood, he examines the mechanics of putting together a sermon. Through reading the book I have come to realize that the sermon is not a task to be checked off my to-do list. It is an epic match I spend all week preparing myself to wrestle in front of the congregation. While there are many noble tasks as critical as the sermon, all the tasks in the church require putting something aside to honor God when the moment arrives.

What is it that God is calling you to? If you are unsure, perhaps God wants you to put aside time in His word, in prayer, going to church, and resting in His presence so you can hear His voice calling to you. There is a place for you in your Father’s house, and it is only uncovered as you draw closer to him. Upon discovering that all, what do you need to put aside for the work? In other words, what investments do you need to make in order to give your best to God’s task? Do not settle for half-hearted attempts or grow complacent in one part of the journey.

No matter what God is calling you to do, whether it is to preach, teach, be a missionary, or scrub toilets, God will use that task to bring glory to His name. And it will be brought through you, a blessing for you and those around you. The path you start out on will not have the scenery you begin with.

written by Jason Barnett. Jason is the pastor at Meadville Church of the Nazarene, in Meadville, PA. You can LISTEN to his sermons via The Dirt Path Sermon Podcast. FOLLOW him on twitter and The Dirt Path Facebook page.