This weekend, Pastor Jeff Manion looked at the life of Tychicus, one of those Paul mentions at the end of his letter to the Jesus community in Colossae. One aspect of Tychicus’ life that jumps out is how he was available. It appears whenever Paul needed something, Tychicus was willing to change his plans, even to go on a long journey. His availability wasn’t just his leftovers either. He was given three assignments which showed he brought his best self when he served.
Being available to God is just as important today as it was when Tychicus was helping out. The great thing about being available is you don’t have to be a Bible scholar or incredibly talented. But not everyone is available. We have to intentionally chose to be available to God. This means ordering our life with margin. For some of us, it may mean saying, “no” to some good and fun opportunities so we can say “yes” to God when he asks us to change our plans.
Availability isn’t dependent upon a specific personality or skill set. Rather, it’s a mindset and a willingness to do what’s needed by bringing your best self to the situation. It’s waking up every morning and telling God, “I’m willing to change my plans.”
As you consider prioritizing your availability to God, choose a next step. Everyone has one. Maybe you need to create some margin to even open the chance of being available. Maybe you need to up your availability by bringing your best self to the situation. Perhaps you need to pray, “I’m willing to change my plans” and begin looking for ways to serve. Today, take a moment to write down a next step and work toward taking it.
