“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 3:14
Craig Groeschel is the senior pastor of the Oklahoma-based Life. Church, which claims nearly 90,000 attendees at its 34 campuses spread over 10 states. He shares the true story of his “less than promising” career as a pastor. It is a reminder to persevere at God’s calling:
“Only weeks after putting my faith in Jesus, I tried to teach my first Bible study to a group of young guys in a little church in Ada, Oklahoma. Afterward, the leader of the youth group said, ‘Well, I guess teaching the Bible is not your gift, is it?’ Three years later, I finally got up the nerve to try teaching the Bible again after being asked to preach my first sermon.
After the service, as I stood at the door saying goodbye to church members, an older gentleman looked at me with a raised brow and remarked, ‘Nice try.’ Nice try?! The next lady in line asked if I had any other skills besides being a preacher and then made a weak attempt to encourage me to keep my options open. Seriously, that really happened.
I had to fight off the temptation to run and hide in the church baptistry. And yes, full immersion! Despite yet another setback, still believing God’s call, I continued my journey toward full-time vocational ministry by going to seminary following college and marriage.
About halfway through seminary, the day finally came when I stood before a group of spiritual leaders as a candidate for ordination in our denominational church. With the entire committee looking on, the spokesperson explained to me, “We’ve chosen not to ordain you. You don’t have the gift mix we see in most pastors. In fact, we are not sure you are called to be a pastor. But feel free to try again next year. But for now, it’s a no.”
Be persistent in following Jesus in all that you do. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that through His perseverance, salvation has come to you.
“All things are possible to him who believes, yet more to him who hopes, more still to him who loves, and most of all to him who practices and perseveres in these three virtues.” – Brother Lawrence
God’s Word: “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” – Hebrews 10:36
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