Day 3 of 40. Sometimes your hand is a foot.

My brother Mark asked me, this week, why some people in the church seem resistant to certain callings in the church. Not that those callings are invalid, but rather, they're for other people. They don't need to learn the skills because it's not what God wants of them.

I shared my ideas, but of course it got me thinking. Analogy after analogy. And all that good stuff. While we indeed are told we have different callings and giftings, we are also told we all share the same Spirit. The Spirit of God that gives all gifts. And because of that, we all have access for all gifts to be used. Even if it's not a gift that we are "called" in.

Which is all well and good, but does that mean you should "train" in a gift that's not your calling? Many people would say it's a waste of time. While a hand may need the eye, surely there's no training the eye could train in, that could benefit the hand? Perhaps. Or perhaps training your eye will assist your hand. Hand-eye coordination, comes to mind. But it can also reveal how much or little strength the hand needs to exert, before grabbing something. A fruit that looks rotting, you definitely don't want to squeeze too hard. And so forth. Or think about different parts. The bench press is to build chest muscles. Yet your arms and hands definitely comes into play.

Sports are another analogy that could be used. (something Paul does on occasion) A quarterback can't lead his team to victory without linemen protecting him. It doesn't matter how many points he scores if his defense let's the other score more. And so much. And while at professional levels, most players only stick to one position. Lower leagues a player can often play multiple. Even  at the pros, injuries will have another player step in. Chad Johnson (Ochocinco) kicking a PAT for the Bengals several years ago, comes to mind. A prolific wide receiver doing the job of a kicker. And while this is rare, knowing what other positions go through is still a good thing to know.

So while an evangelist may never be called to do more, a pastor, teacher, prophet and all, should take training if available. If nothing else, it allows you to experience how God works in different ways during different tasks. And while you should never neglect your calling, you should still be diligent in exercising spiritual gifts. Even gifts you don't use all that often.