Guy Duininck: Grace for Effectual Ministry
— pages 294-295
Personal Preparation
There are things which pertain to the life of Christian service that God alone is responsible for. Believers cannot call themselves to service, design their own commissions, assign themselves places in the body of Christ, or endow themselves with gifts of grace. Calling, placing, and endowing believers for service is the sole province of God.
There are things which pertain to the life of Christian service, however, that God is not totally responsible for. One of those things is the spiritual work of preparing for service. Although God will work in and work with believers as they prepare themselves, He does not do the work of preparation for them.
Believers are responsible to prepare themselves. They must assess their lives and then prepare and become fit for the Master’s use. They must put away old thoughts and ways, establish themselves in the scriptures, and develop in wisdom and knowledge. They must grow in spiritual strength, increase in the fruit of the Spirit, and fashion their lives to be a “vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work” [II Tim. 2:21].
Often believers pray, “God, please use me as I am.” This prayer is un-Biblical and foolish. Paul’s challenge to Timothy to become “fit for the Master’s use” implies that a believer might not, in fact, be fit for the Master’s use. A more Biblical prayer would be, “Lord, as I discipline my life and strive toward Your high calling, continue to work in me by Your Word and Your Spirit to help me become fit for Your purposes.”
Perhaps you are acquainted with the saying, “God doesn’t need your ability; He needs your availability.” This saying is cute and catchy, but it is untrue. Some believers are available, but incapable; willing, but not able. In this condition, they are not useful to the Lord at all. Catchy Christian sayings often do nothing more than establish believers in wrong thinking and mollify the nagging thoughts of those who do, in fact, have a sense that they need to prepare more in order to become useful to God, but choose not to make the effort.
Unfortunately, the element of preparation has been significantly undervalued by the church. If, however, believers do not take the time and make the effort to prepare themselves, they will never fulfill the ministries God has assigned them. They may be minor blessings and help a few people, but they will never fully accomplish their heavenly assignments. In order for believers to be competent carriers and effective ministers of the grace-gifts stewarded to them, they must prepare.
