It has been several weeks since I have written on benjimerritt.com. I apologize. For those of you that may not know, I have started a new job and it has taken a great deal of my time and attention. This is literally the first chance that I have had to collect my thoughts.
All of this brings me to why I am writing. You see, I have been wrestling with several emotions since I have taken my new job. Here is a quick timeline of what has taken place in my life over the past year:
- A year ago my wife and I realized that we should attend a new church. If you would like to learn more about where we go to church, click here!
- Exactly a one year ago I was baptized. (To see my story click here! Password is benji) It truly was a life changing event for me! Soon after this experience, I heard God calling me to go into ministry. The first thing that took place was this website! It has grown and has been viewed all over the world (over 50 different countries) Praise God!
- In my mind I just knew that God was going to open a door for me to go to work at my new church! (Possibly a staff position of some sort at one of our campuses) I began to pray for that to happen. I even began to take steps to close my business!
- Then God made me wait.....and wait.....and wait..........and wait some more! It was very difficult to understand what God was doing with me throughout most of last year.
- Finally, God showed me what I was supposed to do: I was supposed to go back into sales. WHAT? SALES? I remember saying "Surely there must be some mistake God! I'm supposed to be going into ministry! Remember?"
- I began to pray earnestly about these events and one-by-one God revealed to me that I was definitely supposed to take the new job offered to me. It was as clear as the call that God placed on my heart earlier last year,
- Out of obedience, I took the job and began traveling three weeks ago with my new sales job. As I sat in a hotel room this week, I began wondering if I made the right decision? If I am being honest, I began to doubt God's call. I began to doubt God's plan for me. I was feeling pretty low.
Here is where it gets good! I picked up my Bible and read
Mark 8:34-35. In it, Jesus plainly said to me "You want to be my disciple? Deny yourself, take up you cross and follow me. You want to save your life? If so, then lose yours!" Wow! God spoke to me as plainly as He could.
See, it's simple: God did call me into ministry! God has called me to be a missionary to those in my field of work. I will have the opportunity to live my life as a Christ follower out in front of hundreds of folks each year
Just this week I was able to share the gospel to a young lady who doesn't know Jesus. She made the remark that she thought it was cool how I was religious. I was given the opportunity to explain to her the difference between being religious and being a Christ follower. I told her of how I gave my life to Jesus. If I had not have taken this job, I would have never met her. I would have never had the opportunity to share Jesus with her.
God's plan for each of our lives is a perfect one. It has no flaws. There are no mistakes if we obey His direction. God's plan for me wasn't in a church, but out in the open country (
Luke 15:4) I look forward to the day I get to lead someone to Christ whom I meet in my new position. I look forward to seeing how this all plays out in the future. For now, I am only called to be a loser! I am only called to lose my life so God can give me an abundant one in return.
