I thought about titling this piece "For the Hungry", or "Only if your bold".  I even considered "I dare you  to read this"!  Then I realized the most alluring title might just be “Untitled”.  The reason is because if I titled, it most of you wouldn’t read it anyway.  The bad thing in writing a piece like this as opposed to preaching it is that many of you will wad, shred or delete it as soon as it becomes uncomfortable.  DON’T!  Assume tfor just a moment hat if God has been dealing with me in this area then maybe He wants me to convey this message to you all, our partners and friends too.  After you read it seek Him about it, because the reason many of us don’t grow up spiritually is because every time God challenges us to go deeper we run the other way.  However, I guarantee you if you’ll stay with me thru this devotional thought and press into Him, as to what step is next you’ll be blessed.  You’ll be changed in a good way.

Recently, at the end a television interview the host said, “Thank you for everything you do to reach kids with the gospel”.  As he said that the thought ran through my mind, “I’m ruined, I can’t do anything else”.  I didn’t say it because I didn’t know if it would be understood.  Please understand me I am capable of doing other things, but I am not called to do other things. 

As often is the case, this thought led to several other thoughts.  Most of these were thoughts that might not be popular because they take us outside of our comfort zone.  Timothy warned of a coming time in the church and I feel we are in that time.  I also feel compelled to share these verses with you exactly as they are written in 2 Timothy 4:1-5 so that you can see this isn’t just Bob being random:

“ I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at* His appearing and His kingdom:  Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.  But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

 The deal is this: in this hour in human history, this moment in the church age, it’s time we dig a little deeper than being satisfied with “feel good” messages; dig a little deeper than comfort; maybe even press into what is uncomfortable from time to time.  You see, the realization I had at the end of that interview was this:

I, like Paul, realize that I am a bondservant to Christ and it’s freedom like you’ve never imagined. 

I know you're thinking "bondservant" come on Bob.  No really I mean bondservant.  According to the study guides in my bible "bondservant could be translated as 'servant' or 'slave' the word refers to employee who was paid wages, often had considerable skills and responsibilities and was usually treated very well and protected by law.  But a bondservant COULD NOT RESIGN and work for another employer.  They were highly skilled people...". 

You see I have wrestled with God (Like most of you) with His call on my life since I was a young boy.  I knew God had called me to ministry when I was 10 years old and I struggled with it for years, because I had things I wanted to do.  Yet if/when I allowed myself to listen to God I knew I was called to serve him in ministry.  I just wanted to be a rich baseball player or an architect more famous than Frank Lloyd Wright… Not preach!  Because of this I avoided quiet time with God.  I know I am not alone in this; I’m just able to admit it.  In Psalm 37:4 it says “Delight yourselves in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart”.  That verse is not what most of us want it to be: it’s God giving you desires:  The desires that if you are delighting in Him will become the desires of your heart.  He plants the desires, which you, with freedom of choice then choose or reject.  If you choose the desires/callings He gave you, then you become a bondservant to Christ. 

Sadly most of us never sit still with God long enough to become consumed with what He called us to.  When you do allow yourself to receive it, He’ll bring people and friendships along to help you complete the task.  Why?  Because it’s not for you, it's for Him!  When you step into that destiny that is God’s destiny for you then He gets the glory!  His goal is to show creation that He is God and He’ll go to any length to do that. 

Can you do it? Can you lay your life down at His feet?  Can you say not my will God?  What about winning for the Lamb the rewards of His suffering? What about the lost?  That’s not the job of the Preachers!!! It’s a body of Christ job. 

John Bevere says that we won’t be judged for our sins, words and deeds on judgment day.  He says they are judged against the blood of Jesus.  What Bevere says we’ll be judged for is how we handle what God gave us:  The directions, callings, visions, dreams, promptings to give, etc.  I agree with John.  I can’t speak for you but I can speak for myself.  I knew I wasn’t doing what God called me to do for YEARS!!  I was never happy with what I was doing.  I always felt unfulfilled.  I honestly believe that many of us if we are honest about it knew very young what God's call for our life was to be and many of us have avoided it. 

Earlier this school year my 9 year old was given a class project.  In that assignment he was asked to draw a picture of himself “now”, at “age16” and a drawing of what he’ll be doing as an adult.  His picture of himself as an adult had him standing in front of a group of people with a microphone in his hand.  Above the picture he was supposed to write what the picture was of.  He wrote, “I wot to be a kidz minuster”.  (Do I need to translate?) I challenge you dig in; sit quietly before God and listen.  Not doing what God has called you to do is a miserable thing.  The freedom of being a bondservant of Christ is indescribable and the peace truly passes understanding. 

It may not be comfortable.  You may struggle or you may even have times in this natural realm we live in  wonder, “Did I really hear God?”  I've become very fond of the greetings and salutations of Paul: “Paul and Timothy bondservants of Jesus Christ …grace and peace be to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”. (–Philippians 1:1a, 2)  Oh how many times I have felt like I needed a grace and peace infusion to complete the task He called me to.  Even more, oh how many times I have gotten it.

I am called to reach a nation of children in the mission field of America’s Public Schools.  I took years to step into that and I am in no way saying “do what I do” (Although I would gladly welcome the help...if you’re called.)  I know men who are truly called be to Doctors, others God called to be Lawyers and defend religious freedom.  I even know women who are called to steer their families and the generations that follow by being full-time Moms. 

I also know men working in convenience stores whom God called to be School Teachers and they are miserable and struggling with the responsibilities of providing for their family or doing what they are called to, the area which they are called to be a bondservant to Christ in.  Keith Green (who is now deceased and with the Lord), a musician and minister said in the late 70’s:  “The reason the world hasn’t been reached is because we’re not reaching them”.  He went on and said one of the most profound things I have ever heard.  “Each generation is responsible for the souls of that generation”.  If that is true then we have a responsibility to find our call…the thing that we are bondservants in Christ to do, because then and only then will we reach our generation(s).  Submit your will to His will;  There is no greater feeling, no greater reward, when you leave yourself in His hands and live your life to bring Him Glory.  That is the role of a bondservant.  I am bound to serve Him and see that God is glorified.