Competence is important, especially when there’s a lot on the line. When your car is in the shop, it helps to have a knowledgeable mechanic working on it. When loved ones are in a hospital, it’s comforting to have confidence in the doctors and nurses. When your boat or race car is ready to run, it’s satisfying to know there are skilled safety people on hand.
The Apostle Paul tells us that nowhere in life, is more on the line, than in our Christian walk of faith. “Make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-to-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God.” (Romans 13:11 “The Message”)
Believers should be full of goodness, and knowledge, and have the ability to keep each other on track along with being effective in their own ministry … missed opportunities can have eternal consequences.
God’s people are called to witness in their professions. No vocation is more sacred than another. A missionary is no more pleasing to God than a lawyer. A pastor is no more spiritual than a plumber. A chaplain is no more spiritual than a racer. What pleases God is our obedience to His call to serve—whatever or wherever the role.
Test your call! Do you feel that you are having a positive influence for God in those around you? Does your service give you pleasure? Does the thought awaken your passion? We need to know where we stand … if we hope to make a stand!
Are you living up to what you know, and living out what you have learned? Are you communicating goodness, knowledge and wisdom? Believers are called to maturity, and must be spiritually competent too.
The best measure of a spiritual life is not ecstasies, but obedience, as we live up to “God’s standards” of his calling, because ignorance will not be acceptable to God come judgment day.
In order to stand in this world, competent knowledge and wisdom are essential. Those ignorant of basic automobile repair become open targets to opportunist repairmen. Those who know nothing of politics and current events are easily persuaded by soapbox hype. Those in the dark on biblical and doctrinal matters, are easily swayed by a forked-tongued cultist.
Christians need to build a reservoir of biblical knowledge so they will detect both obvious and subtle errors of counterfeit teaching. Gaining this type of discerning knowledge takes effort, but it’s essential if we’re committed to a true reformation in Christian living.
If you are competent to offer advice about racing...then as a Christian, you better be able, and equipped, to do the same with spiritual things. “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10 “NIV”)
