The sky is not the limit. Our God-given gift, talent, and ability is our true limit.
We all want to believe that we can be anything. We often hear the expression “The sky is the limit” as if to say that anything is possible. Parents, and sometimes teachers, tell us this to inspire us. But it isn’t true that we can be whatever we want. We can only be the best of what God created us to be—not anything that we simply desire.
For example, you may want to be a singer, but if God has not given you the voice or the talent, the likelihood of succeeding in that pursuit is slim. I admire creative and artistic people—those who draw, paint, play music, and so on—and sometimes wish I could be like them. But I recognize that I do not have those gifts. The truth is, you cannot be more than what God has called you to be; you cannot be more than your talent.
The good news is that God has given each of us more than one ability. We are all multi-talented. The task of life is to discover the talents He has placed in us and walk in them. That discovery—knowing your talent, knowing who you are—is the key to contentment, happiness, satisfaction, and fulfillment.
Keeping up with the Joneses
In Part II of Knowing Who You Are, we see from the life of John the Baptist that the way to discover who you are is to first understand who you are not. When you are clear about your identity, you will not be jealous of others or try to live as a copy of them.
In America, there is the phrase “Keeping up with the Joneses.” It describes people who live their lives in imitation of others. They want to be like their neighbors, friends, or coworkers. They buy the same clothes, drive the same cars, and try to maintain the same lifestyle. Many times, they cannot actually afford it, so they sink into debt. All of this is rooted in envy.
John was never envious of Jesus, even when others tried to set him against Him. Some came and said:
“Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!”
—John 3:26
But John replied:
“A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.”
—John 3:27
This verse does not mean that everything people obtain is gained righteously or lawfully. Instead, it emphasizes that God is the true source of blessings. If we lack something, it may be because it has not been granted to us. That realization keeps us from envy. John did not begrudge Jesus, His gifts or His fame. He was content with who he was and with what God had given him.
Gain is Not Godliness
Some, however, misuse their calling—whether ministerial or otherwise—as a means to enrich themselves dishonestly. “Prosperity preachers” go so far as to say that wealth is proof of God’s favor, approval, or blessings. But Paul condemned such teaching as false when he wrote that people who believe and teach this:
“...suppose that godliness is a means of gain.”
—1 Timothy 6:5 NKJV
The New Century Version puts it even more plainly:
“...They think that serving God is a way to get rich.”
Paul warns that those who make riches their life goal fall into danger:
“But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.”
—1 Timothy 6:9
This “desire”, in this verse, is not about casually wishing for wealth—it is an intentional, willful pursuit of riches as life’s ambition. It is loving money, as verse 10 explains. Many in society make this mistake, ending up in prison because of fraud, theft, Ponzi schemes, or worse.
Prosperity preachers and self-help gurus may claim that anyone can be rich. But Jesus Himself gave a sobering reminder:
“For the poor you have with you always...”
—John 12:8
He did not say “sometimes,” but always. This is not to say that God wants anyone to be poor, but sometimes, through wrong choices—like the prodigal son—or through evil schemes and the unfair forces of life, some people will experience poverty.
Efforts to eradicate poverty altogether, while noble, will never succeed. NGOs and other organizations may try, but it is a fool’s errand. God’s model for us as believers is not to solve global poverty, but to care for the poor within our reach. This is what Cain rejected when he said, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9).
The Secret of Fulfillment
The key to success is knowing who God created you to be. John was clear about his identity:
“I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Make straight the way of the Lord.” ’”
—John 1:23
Because he knew who he was, John could also rejoice in Jesus’ ministry:
“He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.”
—John 3:29
John fulfilled his mission: to call people to repentance and introduce them to Christ. Andrew, Apostle Peter’s brother, left John to follow Jesus after John pointed Jesus out (John 1:40). Then Andrew introduced Peter to Jesus. John succeeded because he understood who he was not—he was not the Christ, Elijah, or the Prophet. He simply lived out what God had created him to do.
If you want to live a happy, contented, and fulfilled life, then find your calling. Know who God has made you to be. It is like the old proverb says: “Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.”
But deeper still: When you do what God created you to do, you will never waste a day of your life.