Who am I?

This is one of the excerpts found in the Church Camp booklet. It spoke deeply to my heart, so I just want to share it here with you...

1 Sam 3:1, 10, 11
1: The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.
10: The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!"
Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."
11: And the Lord said to Samuel: "See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle.

What do you want to do when you grow up? It's a question that is relevant, no matter what age, no matter how old you are. What are you going to do with the rest of your life? It's never too early, it's never too late to ask this question. God will use the young and the old, all He really needs is an open and willing heart.

God has a plan for our lives. He has a perfect strategy, all plotted out for us, it's just a matter of listening to His voice, being obedient to His promptings and boldly stepping out in all His ways. Astronaut, accountant, zoologist, doctor, lawyer, engineer... we could do anything we set my mind to with His help, but...

I don't think that's what the Lord truly intends, but instead of asking "What do you want to do", He's asking "who do you want to be". It's a question of CHARACTER and becoming the PERSON He intends us to be -- not the occupation.

There are many people who say "I believe God has spoken to me about a life partner, preaching, prophecy, dreams, visions, etc." So many things that God has whispered in our hearts about doing, and these are all great things. But beyond that, God wants us to become people of great worth in our hearts and minds, not just in our roles and job descriptions.

This is so true. God sees us as who we are as a person, not our occupation or job description. Of course, when it comes to functioning in the spirit as His servant, He does call us into positions as Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Evangelists, and Teachers, but more than that, He wants us to live up to the CHARACTER of one.

It gives me great comfort that although I may not do well in my job, or at times when I fail miserably, God still looks at me with grace and mercy. He still looks at us with that sense of great worth that is written in our destiny.

And He continues to whisper to us, to speak to us, to tell us His plan and purpose of us. We need to be like Samuel, listening and responding correctly to God, so that His will can be carried out through our obedience. And through it all, we become who we are, by the grace of God.