Practice part 4
When I first joined the ministry, my mom would always call me a PIT (Pastor In Training). And, to be perfectly honest with you, I thought of myself as a "preacher." I preached the early morning service on Sundays, an occasional Thursday night service, and that was about it. I helped out where I could, but I preferred to just kind of stay in the background. Hard pass on the spotlight, and thank you very much. But after a while I started to feel like I wasn't doing enough. And if you're anything like me, you feel like that a lot. Restless. Whatever the opposite of complacent is. So I really started to focus on the idea of, I guess, "living up to one's potential." Another way to say that might be, "practicing what you preach." Because I was preaching a lot. But that was about it. And then Ephesians 4:1 hit me in the heart, right between the eyes, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called." And, specifically, that phrase: Walk worthy. Kind of the idea of "dressing for the job you want, not the one you have." Of going the extra mile instead of just barely doing what is required. So I made a speech before service one day about how I didn't just want to be the Sunday morning speaker. But, instead, if anybody needed me for ANYTHING, I'd be around. And I saw a few people in the audience--and, yes, its true that there were only a few people IN the audience--look at each other and smile. I heard later on that my pastor said, "That's what I've been waiting for." And here's the thing: He didn't push me. He knew what was up, but he let me get there on my own. He gave me space and grace to learn and grow. And, I mean, I don't think I was doing BAD, or doing WRONG by just preaching... but I also think the Lord always has more for you. Exceedingly abundantly more than you could ever ask or think, right? Because what God wants more than ability is AVAILability. "Here I am, Lord. Send me." That type of stuff. And that's when I feel like I truly became "Pastor Tom." It had said that on my Bible for a while, but it took ME a while to understand what it meant. To embrace my EPIC destiny. My Eternal Purpose In Christ. And, listen, I'm not saying you have to be a pastor to make a difference. When you love someone... you make a difference. Period. But I'm trying to illustrate the truth about how important--and how powerful--it is to actually practice what you preach. To walk worthy. And there's that word again: Walk. I heard a preacher talk about being "content by not satisfied." Which is to say, not complaining about where you're at, but at the same time continuing to move forward. Upward and onward. Upward and GOD-ward. Because you can't walk by faith without walking. And when you practice what you preach, that's where the rubber meets the road. That's where people know what you're about because you're physically about it. I think people believe me when I tell them I've got their backs... because I'm there for them when they need me. All you've got is your word, right? So make it mean something. What you believe dictates what you do. What's inside comes out. So make sure you believe in something that's worth believing in. Have faith in God. Have faith in love. And let that love guide you into the life you were meant to have!