Your Assignment

 

Let no man steal your crown...

And knowing your assignment...

I suddenly find this very hard to expound on. It wasn't hard in my mind yesterday while I was taking down Christmas and decluttering. Then, it was clear and I had words. 

I'm a little bit burdened when I hear other Christians have all kinds of thoughts and advice that we should be doing more feet on the ground work for the Kingdom of Heaven.

 Often this is accompanied with guilt trips and condemnation and also reasons they themselves can't do this thing they are suggesting "but it would be such a good testimony in the community for our church". What does that even mean? Who are we trying to make look good here?

 I agree with a part of this thought. It is good to have feet on the ground. And to be active and looking for opportunity to share Jesus, this is more than good, it is necessary for the believer of Jesus. 

I think the focus is off though. It smells like self glory.  And appears like an effort to ease a guilty conscience or to make the local body of Christ look good by human efforts. (God does that all by himself, He is God.)

This is the cart before the horse theory in my opinion. I believe a person who is serving in the kingdom of heaven truly, will not have to go out and look for it or strive to figure out a way others could be doing more. Rather, when one serves whole heartedly in the kingdom of heaven, Our King, will bring the work to you or take you directly to the things that seem out of reach. 

Perhaps our focus and aim is misguided because we do not know with certainty our assignment from God. It took me a long time to accept my own.  It is usually the thing God has placed in your life that will not leave or get better, and can often feel overwhelming, messy, and terrible.

When you learn to look at that monster as your assignment...stare it in the face, sit in its presence, and can pray "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done" then you are on your way to acceptance and to knowing what your personal kingdom walk is. 

If you think Kingdom work is only stuff that looks like a lot was accomplished or many people were helped by your well, thought-out plans or organization and leadership skills, then you could be missing the Kingdom work in your own life. 

Your assignment in the Kingdom of heaven will be your own. You shouldn't try to explain it to others or seek their approval. You just walk in it trusting and obeying God every inch of the way. Single hearted. Mindful of Jesus. Learning of Him. 

And then Let Him provide the work in the field. He will have your feet on the ground working among the body of Christ in a beautiful way, perhaps faster than you can prepare for it.

A couple more things that help you find your assignment if you don't know for sure:

Learn to know God. Learn to love God. Read His word every. Single. Day. Learn to pray our Lord's Prayer in an applicable way. Learn to Praise and Worship. See God's desire for us to be Holy as He is Holy.

 Spend so much time learning who God is in your everyday life, that you won't have time to think about your own little human desires and problems and thoughts of what you or others should be doing for the Kingdom of heaven. You will be so filled with the glory of God's kingdom and His plans, that you won't be pouring energy into guilt or condemnation. Lose the way of works...your own righteousness or righteous thinking will never be enough.

 Resist venting and trying to feel better by talking it out to a person. I am a firm believer in having a Christian therapist or counselor if needed, but 1st Jesus. Those God-given people are supplementary to your already redeemed heart from Jesus. 

Do you know how much of the Old Testament reveals waywardness stemming from grumbling and complaining? Wandering around in the wilderness wouldn't have taken nearly as long had they it figured out sooner that their whining and venting was keeping them from going in to possess the land.

And if you find yourself in a wilderness season, learn to be in it with thanksgiving. There is so much to be learned about the Kingdom of Heaven in your times of discomfort and not knowing enough. In my own wilderness seasons, I have found the Lord is my Shepherd and I truly lack nothing. He is enough.