Being called of God to preach is a great honor – but it isn’t the only way to serve God. In fact, over the years I’ve known many people who weren’t preachers or pastors but were greatly used of God to make an impact for the Gospel. Often they reached people for Christ who would never have entered a church.

The most important thing I can urge you to do is to seek God’s will for your life. How do you do that? The first step is to be sure of your personal commitment to Christ. Have you given your life to Him, and are you growing closer to Him every day? Pray about your future… seek advice from people you trust… search the Bible… and most of all put Christ and His will first in your life. In time He’ll show you His will.

Then ask God to show you the next step He wants you to take. Be open to whatever He leads you to do – college, work, the military, etc. Be patient; sometimes God shows us the whole roadmap (so to speak), but often He only shows us the next step – because that’s all we need to know. When Saul of Tarsus (later the Apostle Paul) met Christ on the road to Damascus, he asked, “What shall I do, Lord?” (Acts 22:10). God only told him the next step – to get up and go into Damascus.

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world…. let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14,16). May this be your goal, no matter where God leads you in the future.