Uniqueness

Dr. Stan Toler

“You are an original. God has shaped you for ministry.” —H. Norman Wright

R. Charles Crow says, tongue-in-cheek, “God loves you … but people have a wonderful plan for your life.” Often in ministry we have plans or visions that others thrust upon us. Sometimes, we unwisely attempt to import the plans and visions of other successful ministers, usually without success.

God is a personal God. He has a vision for you just as he has a vision for the minister next door. He’s unique and his vision for your ministry is unique.

In the physical realm we wouldn’t think of borrowing a friend’s eyeglasses to solve our vision problems. We might gladly accept the name and phone number of his eye doctor, but we would need an individual screening to determine corrective measures for our vision. Yet we go to conferences and hear how someone built a church or ministry, and we expect to build ours the same way. It won’t work!

Our loving heavenly Father is willing and able to show us our “vision from heaven.” This is the plan and purpose for our lives that he has ordained—not our parents, not our teachers, or any other human being.

“I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.” —Acts 26:19

Faith in Action:

Today in prayer seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance for your calling and mission or reaffirm it if you already know God’s guidance for you. Ask God to help you always remember your uniqueness in Christ and to guard you against distractions and detours. Affirm that you are to accomplish God’s will for your life, not someone else’s.

*This reflection was originally published in Dr. Stan Toler’s Devotions for Pastors. It has also been used by the Mesoamerica Region’s Communications team for their podcast of the same name.