“Go, tell Jeroboam that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I raised you up from among the people and appointed you ruler over my people Israel.’” (1 Kings 14:7)
Expanded Passage: 1 Kings 14:5-10
Staring with intrigue at my dad’s bookshelf, my eyes searched for a book to devour. As a fifteen-year-old, rather than doing my homework assignments, I occasionally snuck a book from his library to read instead. This time I chose a book about a missionary to China, Hudson Taylor. Instantly I was hooked and enthralled with curiosity. What an inspiring life he had lived. “Could I ever follow God in such an incredible way?” I pondered.
Taylor once said, “I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize that [God] is able to carry out his will for me. It does not matter where he places me, or how. That is for him to consider, not me, for in the easiest positions he will give me grace, and in the most difficult ones his grace is sufficient.”
My homework assignments eventually got completed with a lot of pressure from my parents, but what stuck even more in my heart and soul was the possibility that as one serves God, he will take you where he wants you to be, providing everything that you need along the way.
As Taylor acknowledged and as this passage about Jeroboam reveals, God appoints us to leadership positions. Yet, as Jeroboam also experienced, God may relieve us of our responsibilities if we forget him in the midst of leading and serving.
Identify the places where God has appointed you and acknowledge his grace.
Sarah Cochran received an MDiv from Wesley Seminary and is an ordained Wesleyan pastor in the Florida District. She and her husband, Tom, work for an agency rescuing kids from trafficking.
© 2024 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
