Winkie Pratney Quote – 5 Important Thoughts About Being Called to Serve

– Winkie Pratney

Devotional: 5 Important Thoughts About Being Called to Serve

When it comes to Christian service, it’s easy to think that you’re really just too small or too low in the totem pole to have much impact on your church or in God’s ministry on earth. Do not believe in that because everybody has a place. As Winkie Pratney points out, everybody has a place in God’s plan. To be able to play a role, we don’t need great faith. As long as we have small faith, that can be good enough. As Jesus said, “Even if you have faith the size of a small mustard seed, you can command mountains to fall into the sea.” Faith is something that is either present or not present. Do not worry if your faith is small. As long as it’s present, you can do God’s service on earth.

Here are five important thoughts to keep in mind, regarding being called to serve:

God Equips the Called

When God calls you, don’t worry about it. Just follow the word and follow the call. Everything will be taken care of. Why? Because God may not have always call the equipped, but He has always equipped the called. This means, that when God’s call comes out, He might not always have in mind the strongest, the bravest, the best trained, or the smartest, but whoever it is that he calls, He will equip.

My favorite story regarding this is King David. When God instructed the prophet Samuel to look for a new king, Samuel went directly to the David’s eldest brother because Samuel thought that he was this strong, brave, kingly-looking guy is definitely king material, and that he was definitely equipped for the job. But God had other plans. Instead, God said, “Anoint the smallest child in the family.” David was scrawny and the youngest but then God said bless him because he will be the king.

God Uses Transformation Stories to Highlight His Power

The Bible is full of people that went through immense transformation. This transformation is not to highlight how well they are or how amazing their lives were. Instead, it shines a light on how God can transform small and broken people into great people, as long as they have faith in Him and as long as they give Him permission.

Take for example Gideon, one of the greatest judges of all Israel’s history who went hiding from Israel’s enemies. He was very scared. But when the angel of God appeared to him and said, “Gideon, you mighty man of fearless courage…” Gideon could not believe his ears. But the angel was looking at him with God’s eyes of faith. And since Gideon placed his faith and trust to what the angel said, Gideon was able to raise a mighty army that destroyed Israel’s enemies. Gideon was transformed. You, too, can get transformed. All you need to do is trust and have faith in the vision of God.

The Smaller and Weaker You Feel, the More Powerful Your Witness

The most powerful thing about Gideon’s story is that everybody knew that Gideon was cowardly. Everybody knew that Gideon’s family was no good. But God’s power became more evident when they saw the transformation. It wasn’t some existing well-known mighty Israelite warrior who drove off Israel’s enemies. It was this weakling whom everybody thought would amount to no good. That highlights God’s transformative power and, most importantly, it acts as a powerful witness to God’s love and God’s ability to transform people. We can claim that when we see that in our lives, when we see people who used to be addicted to all sorts of things, they turn their lives over to Jesus and become new people. If you’re looking for evidence that God exists, that will be the most powerful evidence there will be. Today, miracles are still happening. You just have to look for it in the right places.

You Are Only as Weak as You Allow Yourself to Feel

When you look back into all those powerful transformation stories in the Bible, you would realize that these people were only weak because they viewed themselves as weak. The moment you take the focus away from your own limitations and put it on Jesus Christ, and when you trust in Him and have faith in Him, the world will open up for you. You will be filled with a sense of possibility.

God Is Always Calling You Out of Your Comfort Zone

God is always calling you into service, whether you serve as a living testimony, whether you serve as a Bible teacher, whether you serve as a hospice worker, or a homeless shelter volunteer, God has something in store for you. However, keep in mind that what He has in store for you might not be what you’re comfortable with. So be ready to listen to God’s calling and take comfort, strength, and confidence from what I have discussed above. You might feel that you are not equipped because you have a calling far away from your comfort zone. But God will equip you; God will transform you, and most importantly, if you give Him permission, He will allow you to become a powerful witness to his transformative grace.