Get It Done or God's Way?

How does your organization go about placing people in positions?

Let’s talk about a Vacation Bible School Director for an example. A VBS Director needs to be someone who loves God, evangelism, children, adults, studying Scripture, creating schedules, logistics, problem solving, budgeting, purchasing, delegating, and, well, I’ve done the job enough that I could continue this list for quite a while. 

But I want to ask an important question today. 

THE PROCESS FOR FILLING LEADERSHIP POSITIONS

How do you choose someone to fill the position of VBS Director?

Do you list all the duties the position requires and seek an individual who possesses qualities and skills necessary to successfully complete the job? Do you have an application and interview process where you go through up to one hundred applicants to select the best one? Do you ask for volunteers and grab up the first victim who expresses interest? Do you pray and see who God brings to mind? Do you ask the congregation who feels called? Or perhaps you do a combination of these things.

I wonder how often we use whoever is available to fill a position instead of someone called or gifted. Should we guilt people into positions they weren’t created for just to fill a position?

SHOULD LEADERS BE SKILLED?

“Come, all of you who are gifted craftsmen. Construct everything that the Lord has commanded: Exodus 35:10

As Moses began the task of orchestrating the building of the Tabernacle, he called for craftsmen who were gifted. He didn’t ask for everyone willing. He didn’t ask for those who had ever wielded a hammer. He didn’t take just anyone, he wanted the best.

I wonder how often we settle.

SHOULDN'T EVERYONE HELP?

All whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved came and brought their sacred offerings to the Lord. Exodus 35:21a

Who brought the supplies to carry out the building? Everyone whose heart was stirred and spirit was moved. Again, no was guilted or forced into giving. This offering was given out of response to the Spirit moving in their lives. 

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN LEADERS ARE CALLED BY GOD?

So Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and all the others who were specially gifted by the Lord and were eager to get to work. Moses gave them the materials donated by the people of Israel as sacred offerings for the completion of the sanctuary. But the people continued to bring additional gifts each morning. 

Exodus 36:2-3

Moses called individuals that God had gifted specifically in the area needed. And those men were eager to get to work. Gifted and eager. Those words alone excite me!

On top of that, Moses gave them the supplies already gathered, and the people kept on giving.

ARE WE GIVING GOD LEFTOVERS OR IS OUR GIVING ENOUGH TO HAVE LEFTOVERS?

How many times have we said, “Here’s the goal for the upcoming project.”, helped to meet that goal, and as soon as the project is taken care of stopped giving? 

Do you know why we have to run these emergency campaigns? Read the question above.

These people gave so much that the builders had to stop work to go find Moses and ask him to tell the people to stop bringing the gifts. They had an abundance of supplies. When the project was complete there were leftovers.

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS?

There’s a lesson for us here.

God has prepared, gifted, and called people to carry out His will. We are stumbling blocks when we interfere by placing the wrong people in positions God didn’t create them to fill. 

Yes, that might mean we have to have a few less Sunday school classes until the person God’s called recognizes their calling. That might mean we have to not have a program that we’ve been doing for years this year. It might look like failure from our perspective.

But I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m much, much, much happier in His will than in His way. 

What about you? Do you wait for God to provide the leadership or do you just plow on and place someone in each spot regardless? 

We can get it done, or we can watch God’s blessings provide an abundance. 

photo credit: Aaron Gibson via photopin cc