Hand Picked

            Do you ever wonder if what you are doing is the will of God for your life? Is this job you have the will of God for your life? Sometimes, I look at the business that I have and I wonder if this is what God has for me? Is this His will for me to be here as CEO of Peppy Pets, LLC? Am I really where God wants me to be? I feel more like a failure than a leader. I wonder if maybe I am deceiving myself and this is not the will of the Lord for me. I wonder if He really has chosen me for this path that I am walking.

           

            "My sons, do not now be negligent, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in His presence, to minister to Him and to be His ministers and make offerings to Him." 2 Chronicles 29:10

            As a business owner and as a servant of the Lord there is a need for balance every single day. There is a need for me to remember that this is His company; but He also gave the responsibility of running it to me. Hezekiah said to the priests that they have been chosen, they have been selected by God to do a work that no one else can do. I am not here in this business by accident. God has chosen me, hand selected me and created me for this exact moment, for this exact purpose. He has chosen me to do a work that no one else can do. That means that it is His business, however, He has given me a great responsibility to do the work that needs to be done. He has entrusted me to do a work He desires no one else to do. It’s His business, but I am His steward.  

            "As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." 2 Timothy 4:5

      

      I am faced with decisions every single day. Decisions that not only affect the company but me personally. I think it is hard for some of us to understand what it means to “work for the Lord”. I have said “this is my business”. I am not wrong in saying that- this is my business. This is my name, my ministry, my purpose given to me by God to carry out. I have been entrusted with His work. It is the Lord’s business, but He has given it to me to fulfill. For many weeks, I have dug through the pages of my Bible reading and studying the kings of the Old Testament. Each king served a purpose, each king was selected by God to sit upon the throne. Each king, even the evil ones, sat upon those thrones because God alone put them there. I have learned much from those who set the example of leadership for us. I may not run a nation, but running a company is a close second!

            He has hand selected me to be a wise and faithful steward over all the operations, the decisions, and the responsibilities this business entails. Think about what it means for just one second to be hand selected. Like Esther, who was created for “such a time as this” (Esther 4:14) you and I were also created for this time, this purpose, this position we hold in the world. We were hand selected by God for such a time as this. No one else has been chosen to do what I am doing- no one. I have been chosen to fully proclaim the ministry and the work that He has given me to do. You know what else that means? That means I answer to no one else but Him.

            I have people questioning my decisions all the time. I have people who work for me telling me what they think I need to do, people from the outside looking in telling me what they are concerned might happen if I do certain things or make certain decisions. I have people telling me what they want to see happen with the company God has given me. But in the end, who was chosen to lead this company? Who was given the heavy and great responsibility of making sure that as I stand in the presence of my God, I am fulfilling the purpose He has prepared for me. No one will answer for the decisions and choices I make except me. If we fail it will be my burden to carry, if we succeed it will be my responsibility to give that success back to the Lord. Not you, not them, just me.

            Reading these words has made me realize that I have once again allowed the opinions of others sway me and I have forgotten who I answer to. God did not select me to run this company and be its leader so that other people would be pleased; He selected me so that He would be pleased and that glory would be given to Him. He has chosen me for this. I must be confident and stand before Him in the knowledge that He has hand selected me, and created me for such a time as this.

            Do not let the opinions and counsel of others persuade you. Listen to Him first, if there is a need for counsel, for prayer, for help, then trust the Lord to guide you even in that. There is not one soul living on this earth that is liked by everyone. In all my years of being out there in the world, working and having a career, being a mom, wife, and servant of the Lord, not everyone liked who I was, let alone the decisions I made. But remember also that God is not mocked, whatsoever a man sows, that he shall also reap. (Galatians 6:7) If you seek to sow seeds so that everyone will like you, you will fail as a leader. A true leader, a leader who knows and is confident that they stand in the presence of God because He has handpicked them, will seek to please Him above all others. Stand before the Lord, minister to Him and for Him, and be confident that He has chosen you for this moment, for this purpose, and for such a time as this. Amen?