GOD’S DRAFT: What round will you go?

Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. ~Acts 4:13

For as long as I remember, pastors have reminded me that God isn’t interested in my ability, but He’s only interested in my availability. J.R. Hearron was my first pastor, and I can still hear him preaching that as clearly today as I did then as a young boy.

There have been many lies that have passed through my mind and life since then, but the truth is still truth and God is still only interested in my availability.

Same goes for you. God doesn’t care about your talents, your abilities, your credentials, your accomplishments or how big of a house you have or how many cars you own. None of that matters in the big picture—only your willingness and availability. If you still think your education is a big deal, read the scripture at the top of this blog entry.

Sure, education and training are good things, but sometimes they get in the way. And, as you can see, they aren’t a requirement for God to use you. If you don’t have an education, or training or some type of formal schooling, you’re in pretty good company with Peter and John, who found where their real power and authority came from.

As we grow, we encounter roadblocks, detours and lies that either paralyze us or cause us to settle for second or third best. Where are you stuck and in what areas of your life are you just settling? In other words, have you become content or comfortable where you are, knowing that you’re settling for second best?

Often times, that happens when we either don’t believe God or we believe the lies of the enemy that we aren’t good enough or couldn’t possibly accomplish our goals for one reason or the other. More lies: I don’t have the knowledge, the background, the training, the money, the time, the resources, the talent or the circumstances to chase my dreams. “Besides, I’ve tried, and it didn’t work!” 

Remember, God only needs your availability! He will provide the direction, training and power.

Don’t let the lies paralyze you. I’ve posted this list before, but these guys didn’t have a lot going for them at one time or another.

• Michael Jordan was cut from his junior high basketball team.
• Dave Ramsey filed for bankruptcy before becoming one of America’s leading financial teachers.
• Theodore Seuss Geisel‘s first book was rejected 27 times. You now recognize him as Dr. Seuss.
• Harland Sanders was 65 and bankrupt before his Kentucky Fried Chicken recipe finally broke through.
• Movie executives once told Harrison Ford he didn’t have the “star factor”. That, of course, before he became a star in the Star Wars trilogy and Indiana Jones movies.
• J.K. Rowling battled depression, her first marriage failed, and she was living on welfare. Then came Harry Potter.
• Charles Schulz had flunked eighth grade and had his cartoons rejected by his high school yearbook staff. Later in life, studios and publishers turned him down again. But he was persistent, and most all of you have enjoyed Charlie Brown and Snoopy as a result.

If God’s draft was today where would you be drafted? Are you ready? Are you available? This final quote from Ray Johnston is one of my all-time favorites and sums it all up.

None of the disciples was a first-round draft pick. They were a mess. Peter had his mouth always open, his foot always in it. Thomas met every plan with, “I doubt it.” St. John the Divine? That same John and his brother James were called the “Sons of Thunder”. Matthew was a selfish tax collector. As a group, they were always arguing about who was the greatest. ~Ray Johnston.

If God’s draft is today, what round will you go in? Does it really matter? Of course, not, it’s all about availability.