Do you understand the assignment?
Hey Yall!
If you pay attention to pop culture to any degree, then you’re familiar with the phrase/song “I understood the assignment”. This catchy little phrase has swept across the nation. The meaning of the phrase is simple, I had a look, goal, or idea in mind that was brought to fruition to the standard in which I had intended. For example, if I had an idea of how I wanted my hair to look, and it came out exactly how I had in mind, I could then use the phrase “I understood the assignment!” Get it? Good!
So what does that have to do with my topic today? This phrase sparked the question,
“Do I understand my assignment?”
This question is an important one for the believer for several reasons but let’s start by understanding what I mean by assignment. The meaning of an assignment in the context of this topic can be understood by these two questions:
“Do I understand what God requires of me?”
“Do I understand who is assigned to me?
These are questions that every believer must ask themselves and seek God for the answers.
Let’s address the first question. Understanding what God requires of you in general is kind of simple. In Matthew 28:16, Jesus commissions His disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations.” What does this mean? It means that as believers and followers of Jesus Christ, we must teach, encourage, correct, and equip the people of God in the ways of God. We see this displayed in the ministry of Jesus. Jesus put this into action with the twelve disciples. His life was the model by which all believers live, move, and have their being.
Go and make disciples can look different for each of us. But be clear, we have been commissioned(commanded) by God to do this! Every person has a sphere of influence. Some have a vast-reaching influence while others only influence their immediate family. No matter the size of your reach, you still have a responsibility to teach, encourage, correct, and equip the people of God on your level.
How do you know your level?
It’s simple. Ask God! God reveals all in due season. He’ll equip you with the knowledge and wisdom needed to carry out this mission. Additionally, look around you. Look at the people that seem to gravitate toward you without any effort of your own. Who are the people that seek out your advice or opinion? Again, it could only be your immediate family, but please note, our family is our first ministry above all else. So, if you’re only called to reach your spouse, children, siblings, and parents, don’t take that lightly! The few are just as important as the many! Remember, we serve a God that will leave the 99 for the 1; don’t get it twisted!
That leads me to the second question, “Do I understand who is assigned to me?”
Just because someone is influenced by you, does not mean they’re your assignment. Often times we carry burdens we were never meant to carry. For instance, you trying to mentor a young lady in the ways of the Lord that always sits by you in church. You find that you’ve become so engrossed in her life, that you start stressing or being more disturbed by her life and situations than she is. Please know that we are called to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those that mourn, but not to the extent that we carry those burdens as our own. The Bible also tells us to cast our cares on God because He cares for us. He’s equipped to carry them, NOT US!
So, what if someone is our assignment? What does that look like?
Again, we look to the model! Jesus had His primary assignment, the cross, but he also took on the task of discipling the twelve. Each one of the disciples had their own set of issues, questions, concerns, and shortcomings. However, Jesus always kept the bigger picture in mind; equipping them. When the storm raged on the sea in Mark 4, the disciples were panicked and worried, but Jesus merely spoke to the situation at hand. He didn’t return their panic with panic, he addressed their panic with the Word. When we take on assignments, meaning people to disciple, it’s important to know how to apply the Word to situations and not emotions. We equip those around us with the Word of God. It is our weapon in battle. The Word is the only thing that calms the storms in our lives. We teach those around us how to apply the Word to different situations, attacks, and the cares of this world. When we do that, we can then say, “We understood the assignment!”
Alright y’all, that’s all I have for today. Be blessed and be a blessing to others. Love y’all! Bye!