God calls people to do things. God called Abraham in a special way and told him to leave his family, his country, and move to another place. Many people feel a prompting to go to another place, even another country to serve God.
But how often did God later give Abraham special callings saying "Just stay where you are."
God is really using us here and really blessing us here. I've always said that you should be open and sensitive to the Spirit's prompting, and if it's not prompting, keep doing the last thing it had you doing, and go by what you know is true for all believers.
Yesterday I got a new perspective.
I'm grateful for the times when I've sensed God wanting me to do something, go somewhere, or say something. But how selfish is it of me to want daily "Holy 'Atta Boys" of God telling me through some mystical experience that I'm still doing what he last led me to do?
The lesson I took from my youth was that God wanted me in a certain place geographically, so I seized that. I decided to pursue life overseas. I should have decided to pursue God's will wherever it might take me. Just because God uses you in one way, it doesn't mean he'll always use you that way.
Maybe you've gone on lots of missions trips in your youth and God will use you as a rock-star accountant. Or maybe you've just spent your youth playing video games, and God wants to use you to bring revival to Uganda.
Great post, Jon. And -- ironically -- a great reminder that what we should be concerned with is not where we are but in whose will we are resting.
Loved the phrase "Holy 'Atta boys".
And love the last paragraph.
We are showing Jesus where ever we live. It does not matter where, but if we "preach" where we go! Your going could be next door and mine is next door too, just in a different country. God bless you as you GO!