What does God look for on a resume?

1 Samuel 22 tells how David, who knew he would be king even though Saul was still on the throne, was joined by hundreds of men who became his army. It starts with, “David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented (or ‘bitter of soul’) gathered to him. So he became captain over them.”

It seems to me the logical way to form an army would involve recruiting fighters who were strong, skilled and with a zeal for battle. Not so with this group. They were united by adverse circumstances, had little going for them, and in modern terms might be called a motley crew. However, they did believe in David and looked for his support. They were also willing to stand with him, no matter what came against them.

This reminds me of a description of God’s people from 1 Corinthians 1:26-29. “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base (insignificant or lowly) things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.”

Just as the army has tests for soldiers, the world also measures the skills and value of people by all sorts of evaluation and IQ tests. If someone scores high in intellect, education, aptitude and experience, they are given more respect, authority and usually more money.

The church measures skills too. We use spiritual gift tests and their track record to put people in the most appropriate ministry for them. If they are able, they are put to work.

But what if people without skill, training or previous experience step up and say, “I’ve a burden from God to get involved in this . . . ”? Do we tell them they can’t? Do we say they would be better in another area? Do we give them tests first to see if they can do it?

David didn’t send any of that motley crew away. Some of them became his “mighty men” and were willing to die for him. A few became skilled leaders. They were united in their discontent, but moreso in their loyalty.

I’m thinking the church needs to consider David’s motley crew when we gather our ‘army’ to do the Lord’s work. We know how worldliness creeps in, but worldliness is more than materialism. It includes adopting the way the world does things like recruiting. If the world looks for well-educated visionaries who can communicate well, have the abilities to ‘make things happen’ and all the skills necessary to stand out, should the church do the same?

And what about me? I’m startled how often God picks what most might call losers to do great tasks for Him. I need to watch that I don’t toss unassuming, even backward people into the ‘maybe’ pool or reject them for their lack of polish. A motley crew can become a mighty army.

In fact, it seems that God would rather start with nothing. Consider the disciples Jesus picked. None of them were educated, and most were rough around the edges. Yet these men impacted the world as no other ‘motley crew’ before or since.

I remember a line from one of Watchman Nee’s books that I read years ago. It said that natural talent can be an impediment in the kingdom of God because if a person is a good talker, God has to teach that person to shut up before they will learn how to speak for Him, but if someone is ‘slow of speech’ they are already halfway to becoming a good servant.

This is a smack on the side of the head for some of my opinions about Christians in ministry positions. I can be critical of what looks like a square peg in a round hole and wonder why God didn’t pick a person more suited to the job. Today, Scripture shows me that I really don’t know anything about who should do what. If God says “You” to someone, I’d better keep my mouth shut, trust His choice, and then support them with all my heart!