My Situation: How to Thrive in Your Imperfect Place - Part 1

I have suffered from the “if onlys”. If only I had more time I would do a better job. If I had more help I would reach my goals. If only those around me would do better, I would do better. If only I could get in a better situation. Do you ever suffer from the “if onlys”? I think our culture suffers from them greatly, and we as God’s people can rise above them. I believe this is true because there is a high calling above “if only”.  

One of the popular “if onlys” concerns family. Many say if only you had a better family. Samuel could have identified with those who make this claim (1 Samuel 1:1-8). He could identify because His father was a worshiper of God, but he lived with what God tolerated, not what God desired. The law of Moses allowed polygamy (Deut. 21:15), but God’s original desire was one man and one woman. (Matthew 21:15) Samuel also had a mother that had suffered greatly because if what God allowed prior to his birth. However, his mother trusted the Lord in the mist of heartache and rejection. Samuel had a good family, but he could have wanted a better one.

A second popular “if only” is, if only you had a better church. Samuel’s place of worship was imperfect (1:9-18). Samuel’s mom’s heartache was misunderstood as drunkenness by her priest. Many people fail to live up to their high calling because they have a pastor who missed something going on in their life. Pastor’s often fail in this area because, they are human and prone to making mistakes. A pastor’s mistake is not reason for personal mediocrity. Because of this mistake, the advice she received was not in accordance with her need. This issue of compounded by the leadership situation. Eli the high priest had problems of his own and would soon turn over leadership to corrupt sons (Ch.2). All this was about to change because God has a high calling for one that had yet to be born.

           

There are many other “if onlys” that can be discussed. However, we must understand that our calling is to live above each on of them. Samuel’s calling was to thrive above his imperfect. Situation and so is ours. His mother made a vow to the Lord as she prayed to conceive (1:11). His parents offered a generous offering of appreciation at his birth (1:21-25). His parents gave him over to the service of the Lord (1:26-28). All of this formed a calling that would later be described by Jeremiah (14:1) calling Samuel Israel’s greatest leader between Moses and David.                   

Because of what we read in 1 Samuel 1, I want to challenge you to commit to greatness amid imperfection. Consider the following thought. A commitment to greatness is a commitment to service within the imperfect (Greenleaf –Servant Inspired The Journey East by Herman Hess)

As we move forward as a church, the challenge from this message is to thrive in our high calling to do this we must understand that the road of effective church ministry is bumpy. There will always be “if onlys”. Consider the following thoughts from some historic leaders. “Where the Lord builds a church, the Devil will also build a chapel” (Martin Luther). “Church attendance is as vital to a disciple as a transfusion of rich healthy blood to a sick man” (D.L. Moody). “The Christian church in the U.S. is still strong numerically, but it has lost its decisive influence both in American public life and in American culture as a whole, especially in the major elite institutions of society” (Os Guinness).  God bless you in your “if onlys”.