Qualifications, Part 2

I haven’t been able to get away from the concept of qualified verses called. The disciples weren’t trained as ministers; yet they were called to accompany Jesus and help him spread the message of the Father’s love. We tend to put ourselves and others into the qualifications box. Just like a job description has a list of qualifications, we can sometimes see others through their list of qualifications. This can lead to feelings of injustice within us that cause us to judge others through our lens of understanding. We say things like,” How did he get that job? She doesn’t have any experience in that area.” This judgement can lend itself to bitterness. I’m sure the pharisees had some of these thoughts when looking at Jesus and his disciples. They had studied for years to become experts but were not chosen as experts to spread the gospel. Much like the pharisees, our judgment of others and their qualifications blinds us to the reality of the message God is trying to get to us. God created each person for a specific purpose known only to God and revealed at the appropriate times. How many times do we miss the purpose because we have forgotten Ephesians 4:31, ” Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” (NIV)? These things impede our ability to draw closer to God in order to fulfill the purpose He has for each person. Many times God calls us to do something outside of the qualifications we see to do His work. His calling fills in all the qualifications that aren’t seen by the human eye. Being plugged in to Him and putting aside our human feelings is the only way to become spiritually qualified to fulfill His calling. If we rely on our own qualifications then we won’t need to rely on Him or the Holy Spirit. He pairs our qualifications with His power to create and fulfill the calling on our lives. Don’t be stuck in your qualifications to merely survive. Lean into Him to fulfill your calling and fully thrive!