In this article, we want to meditate together on something that I believe is going to be of great benefit to each one of us. It's something that does not exclude anyone. So, whether you are a man or you are a woman, whether you are young or you are old, this word is for you. We want to consider, Let Them Have Assignment. And in case you want to have a subtitle for our meditation together, you can put, ‘Living as Called’.

 

Let's start from the Book of 1 Corinthians chapter 7, and we will read from verse 17, see what the Bible says;

 

"But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches. ¹⁸ Was anyone called while circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised. ¹⁹ Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters. ²⁰ Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called."

 

Our focus is on let them have Dominion. So, assuming there are 10 people in a place, and you look and you say, let them have assignments. How many people are you talking about? Now, let's start it again. Supposing there are 10 people in a space, in a particular room. You now say, let them have assignments. How many people are you talking to? The 10! Alright!

 

So, now, in verse 17, and verse 20, we were told especially in verse 17, God has distributed to each one. So, if there are ten (10), God has distributed to the 10. If there are 50, God has distributed to the 50. If there are 400, God has distributed to the 400. And as the Lord as called each one. He started by saying God has distributed to each one, he now says, as the Lord has called; from distribution to calling, as the Lord has called each one, so let him perhaps, or her walk.

 

Verse 20, “let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called.” So, that submits to us, that makes very clear before us that we are all called. The Bible says God has distributed to each one of us. So, if we are 1.2 billion, the Bible says God has distributed to each one of us, each one of the 1.2 billion. And God has called each one of us!

 

Understanding this, now let's go to Genesis chapter 1, and we will read verse 26, knowing that God has distributed to each one of us, and God has called each one of us, we are looking at Genesis chapter 1 verse 26, “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have Dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

 

Let them have Dominion! Initially, the Bible says God created man. “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, let them!” So, if they are two, it is the two of them. If they are two million, the them is for the two million of them. If they are two billion, the them is for the two billion. No matter their size, the word of God is to each one without exempting anyone. So, you could be young, but you are one of them. You could be old, you are one of them.

 

 

You could be new, you are one of them. You could be very old, you are one of them. It doesn't matter how experienced you are, you are just an experienced one of us. It doesn't matter how old you are, you're just an old one of the, them of us. And God said, let them have Dominion. But in 1 Corinthians chapter 7 verse 17, we saw that God distributed to each one of us, and then, what did He do again? The part B of that says, He called each one of us.

 

So, as we are all distributed to, as we are all called, we must then see Genesis chapter 1 verse 26, in a light that will be helpful for us. God says, let Us make man in Our image and according to Our likeness, let them have Dominion. So, in case you want to use another word for Dominion, you can say, let them have assignment! So, you cannot again say, I was not given an assignment, he was given an assignment. Oh, it is my husband, not me. It is my wife, not me. The Bible says let them have an assignment. Don't forget again 1 Corinthians chapter 7. Each one has been distributed to, each one has received something from God, each one is called.

 

So, when we look at being called, that is where we begin to see the word assignment from. Now, when a lot of people are in a place and somebody is called the Janitor. You shall be the Janitor. So, when they say, Janitor! how many people will respond? One person! So, by that name, the person is identified. By that name that is assigned to that one man or that woman, the person has been given an assignment. The person is called by name, and the name is an assignment. The name assigns him or assigns her to a particular role or for a particular responsibility. So, when the work of a Janitor is not done, you don't look at the whole and say, the whole has not done it. You will say, the janitor has not done his assignment. So, by the name you are called, is the assignment that you have been distributed to.

 

So, when God looks at all of us, and He distributes to us, and He assigns us responsibilities. When God is saying, let them have Dominion, God is saying, let them have assignment, let them have a calling. Let each one of them respond to a role, let each one of them play a role. So, no matter who you are, no matter your education, there is a role God expects you to play in any situation.

 

He didn't say each one of us is called by name, but each one of us is called. So, we are called differently and we are expected to play different roles. The point is, there is no body that has not been given an assignment. He says, let them have it! If I have something, and I say, have it! That thing is no more with me, it is now with you. So, the way they say the ball is now in your court, that responsibility is now yours.

 

So, where we must start from is, each one of us, asking ourselves, what have I been given? Remember, we started in that verse 17 of 1 Corinthians 7, that each one has been distributed to. When He says let them have, He is like, He is giving something, He is handing over something to somebody, He is saying, Gboyega, take! Gboyega, have this! So, if I have been given something, I must never look at anybody and say I have nothing. I must never look at anybody and say I have not been called anything. I have no assignment! Nobody must say that.

 

Now, from the story that we are familiar with, the story of the talents, the Bible talks about Jesus speaking about a master, who handed over talents. He handed over! Another word is, he distributed talents to his servants. The Bible says to one, he gave five. To another, he gave two. To another, he gave one.

 

One thing we can remember or we can learn from this is, none was without a talent. You can say your own is one, my own is two, your own is five. But you cannot say you have nothing, that only him has something. If it is about God, God does not neglect anyone. God has called each one of us. Even though we differ in our callings, some of us are called for five, some are called for two, some are called for one, but we are all called.

 

When God is looking at you, God doesn't look at you as somebody who is just eating and sleeping. God is looking at you as somebody who has a name, who has an assignment; who has been assigned.

 

You know, there is this word they normally use when things are getting tough. They say, ‘each one will answer to his own father's name’. Do we remember it? You know they don't say it to celebrate people. Maybe there is trouble, “I will not be punished for what you have done” So, each one will answer to his father's name. In the same way, as far as God is concerned, each one has a name before God. Each one has an assignment before God.

 

When God looks at you, in spite of how people look at you. God sees something He expects you to do. There is something that God expects you to contribute to the generation that you are born into. There is a role that God expects you to play. You look at yourself as if you are nobody, you don’t have enough, you don't know people, you don't know so much. But God is seeing a man, a woman that He has called.

 

So, it doesn't matter how Adam was looking at himself at that time. God had already handed over Dominion. In the same form, we have been handed over an assignment. Your Dominion is tied to the assignment that God gives you. Your Dominion is tied to the name that God calls you.

 

If you want to connect back to your Dominion, you must first identify, what is the name that the Lord calls me? By what name am I called? What is the assignment that I'm expected to carry out? When God needed a message to be delivered to Mary, God was not wondering, “who will I send? Oh! who will I send?” Did God send Lucifer? No! Was God not his God? Did God send him? Did God send Michael? So, there are millions and millions and billions of angels. There were creatures of God that could have been sent, but God chose to send Gabriel. In fact, to Zachariah, God chose to send Gabriel. So, when God has an assignment, and He wants a message to be carried out, He doesn’t say, these people are just “plenty” for nothing, I don't even know which one to use. No!

 

As far as God is concerned, we are not “plenty”. God is seeing one person. Like when there is a responsibility, God sees a man. Do you remember that Scripture that God said, I am looking for a man, I seek a man from among them; a man that will stand in the gap? So, we could be one million people or one billion people, and you think you are “plenty” but God is looking for one man. Because as far as God is concerned, one man is created for one thing, one woman is created for one thing. And when He thinks about something that He needs to do on the earth, He thinks about the man, the woman that He created to do that thing.

 

You are the one that will begin to feel bad for not doing many things. God does not judge you for not doing the things He didn't create you to do. You have not been created to do all things. It is only God that does all things. The Bible says, He has made all things new. But, as far as we are concerned, we have not been created to do all things.

 

God didn't distribute everything to me. God didn't distribute everything to Bro. Francis. When God is looking at something that is not done or everything that is not done, God doesn't look at Bro. Francis and say, you are the reason why everything is not done. God doesn't do like that! God distributed to each one, one thing. You have your own distribution from God. You can call it grace. You have your own! God didn't give you grace for all things. God does not supply grace for all things. God gives you grace to do something. When the Spirit of God came upon Samson in those days, Samson was not able to do all things. Did we read that in the Bible that Samson, as soon as the Spirit of God came upon him, he began to do this, he began to do that? No!

 

Sometimes, all the Spirit comes upon him to do is just to remove the pillar of the gate. Sometimes, it is just to kill some people. But it was for some things, specific responsibility. “Ah, oh Lord anoint me! Oh Lord, give me grace!” Don't begin to think the grace that will come upon you will be able to help you to do all things. God does not expect you to do all things. You are not the only one there. God expects you to do something. It is your responsibility to find that thing. That is where your Dominion is preserved by God. Let them have assignment!

 

You know, few days ago, we were doing interview for some students that came for scholarship program. And I noticed that even though we interviewed like almost twenty people, each one of the twenty people, knew the number of students in their classes. Each one knew the number of students in their class and each one knew his or her own number in the class.

 

For those of us that have done NYSC (National Youth Service Corp), you know, when they are marching, they say something, something by the number. So, what am I saying here? Some students could say they are one hundred and sixty something people in their class. When we ask, what number are you? Some will say I am number 34. So, if the teacher comes to class, and there are a lot of students, and the teacher says number 34, do you know you are not serious? All the students don't start thinking they are not serious. Number 34 stand up! Do we expect all the students to stand up? No matter the insult the teacher will release on number 34, the number 35 and 33 will never feel guilty. Why? They are all different and they have their numbers.

 

Your parents might have given birth to seven children. Even though, among the seven, you have your own number, and you are different by your number. Each child of the parent is expected to play a role on the earth that is different from the other one. You can be born by the same mother, that doesn't mean God has called you for the same assignment. We differ by number.

 

Let's quickly do an experiment, a father has four children. You know, for families that don't have numbers, it's easy to say my name is Binta. My sister's name is Cecilia. What is that already? That's a number. There are no two “Bintas” in that family. No two “Cecilias”. That is how we are distinct on this earth. Some fathers have 86 children, 46 children, even though they have so, so number of children, the names of the children don't miss up.

 

You know, there is a story of a man that we heard of, who had many wives. I don't know whether it was Pastor Adeboye that said it or some other people. Each wife has a ringing sound that is peculiar to her. When the husband, the father does a bell “Coco”, one wife knows she's the “CoCo.” If it is “Coco Coco Co”, another wife knows she is the one. So, all the wives know their sound. What the man does is to ring the bell according to their sound and the appropriate wife will come, that is an assignment.

 

Each wife is assigned a sound. When you hear your own sound, you come. If a man can assign sound to his wives, how much do you think God will assign responsibility to each one of us. According to divine order, none of us is expected to duplicate any one of us. You are unique in every generation.

 

How many Samsons’ were in the days of Samson? How many Paul of Tarsus where in the days of Paul of Tarsus? How many Davids’ where in the days of David? So, in each generation, each person is unique. They say generation comes and goes away, another generation comes but the earth remains. Another generation can have another one that will play a similar role, but in your generation, you are unique.

 

For those of us that have done drama before, have you ever seen two people on the stage bearing the same name before? Okay, for those of us who don't do drama, but we watch movies, have you ever started watching a local film, and two people are bearing the same name, playing the same role in the same movie?

 

If there is a woman, there will always be one husband at a time. Even if the woman had five husbands in that movie, it will not take place once. One will come and go, the other one comes. At every point in time, there is a husband for that woman. If movies will not duplicate inside the same movie, do you think God will duplicate? See, there is only one Joy for you in the whole world. Forget about the population of China. There is only one “Lara” for me anywhere in the world. There may be many women.

 

Now, another reason why you must get this is that, there's a point where he says in 1 Corinthians chapter 7 verse 20, let each one remain in the same calling which they have been called. So, if God has assigned you a woman, don't wish for another woman. If you go to the previous verses, you will see Apostle Paul talking about husband and wife and marriage.

 

Whatever thing you have been assigned by God, reason being that God has assigned you one, just one, you can't change it. You can't change your purpose. You can't change your husband. You can't change your wife, one! If you change in the flesh, you can't change in the spirit. God has assigned you a woman and as far as God is concerned, that is the woman.

 

There is no time God thinks and talk about Sarah and when you hear the husband of Sarah, you think about many men. How many people have been in that situation before? You were thinking about Sarah in the Bible, and when the Bible was talking about her husband, in your head, you were like, ah, it could be this. It could be this. It could be this. How many husbands for Sarah? One!

 

And really, if the Bible is even talking about the wife of Abraham, the woman in the life of Abraham, even though you could be hearing the likes of Hagar and Keturah. As far as the Bible is concerned, Sarah was it. So, different people can come in the flesh to try to replace you or to attempt to replace you. You are distinct, you are unique, you are irreplaceable.

 

But what do we do with our irreplaceability? But what do we do with our uniqueness? Do you know we still sit down and relax, “calm down, I did not kill Jesus”. Some people will say, na you kill Jesus? But when we understand that, from the time you were born to the time you leave this earth, you were for an assignment, you will then understand that na only you waka come. How many people have come for that assignment? How many people? Only you!

 

There is no how you will compare Elijah with John, that you will even think they are the same. And yet, they didn't occur in the same generation. The other one came in the Spirit and the Power; talking about the assignment of Elijah. But yet Elijah was unique in his own generation. Elisha that was mentored by him was not able to replicate the attitude of his master. So, Elijah was unique, Elisha was unique. You and I, we are unique. The uniqueness is to preserve us, the uniqueness is to guide us, the uniqueness is not to play around. “I have all the time.” You don't have all the time.

 

You know, there's this illustration I normally give but I will still give it in spite of what is going on. I mean, I used to tell some people that I am grateful to God, that when I was growing up, my mother was alive. Like she was alive till she handed me over to my wife. If I had missed that role, I don't think I will be the same.

 

So, in those days, whenever I wanted to be afraid, that maybe she can be involved in an accident, I used to tell myself she can't be involved in accidents, I've not become great yet. Like, where she is seeing me off to, I have not gotten there. Now, there could be many women in the world, but as far as I was concerned, she was the only one that could guarantee it. Because I couldn’t imagine myself without her and having my father, I don't know if he will be remembering me. But, as long as she is around, she can keep saying what about what we discussed for this boy. But if she is not around, who will talk about me when I needed to be spoken about? Don't forget, I'm talking about when I was growing up, till I got married.

 

So, no matter who you think people are, there are roles they must play. Talking about your father, and your mother, there are roles they must play in your life. That your mother that is not educated, she has a role. Your father that did not go to school, he has a role. So, no matter the way you see people around you, they have roles; specific roles they must play. And you also have a role you must play in their lives. Let them have assignment!

 

You must never tell yourself until you become great, you don't have an assignment. Okay! If you never accept that assignment, then you will never become great. I read about Dr. John C. Maxwell. He said he was doing a leadership training somewhere. And maybe somebody came to him to ask what he does. He said he writes about leadership and he teaches leaders.

 

So, Dr. Maxwell said, do you read my books? The man said no, when he becomes a leader, he will read his books. So, they gisted and the man left. So, Dr. Maxwell now said he told himself, actually, the reason why you will become a leader is, if you read my books.

 

So, the reason why you will become great, you will dominate over your enemies, and you will have Dominion over your assignment is because you have first accepted the role. No matter how little, no matter how big God has for you in this world, the world could be big and could be filled with many people, God has a role for you.

 

The Heaven is filled with angels. Gabriel is never confused about his assignment. Michael is never confused! There are lots of angels, they knew and they know their assignments. They don't clash, they don't cross-purpose or cross-perform, they each establish and understand their column and they walk along that column. No one breaks rank. No one! Why? Each one knows I am assigned. No need to look at another person and say, he has a better assignment. There is no better assignment. There is no better husband, no better wife, anywhere. You know, you are a married man, you look at another woman, and you say this woman is better than my own wife, there is nothing like that. You look at a woman and say, this one is better. There is nothing like that.

 

Have you seen any man that has two heads before, four eyes, four mouths, and four hands? Have you seen? Any human being? We are all the same. So, no need to think another person's assignment is better. It is because you have greed, jealousy. Deal with those issues. In reality, the assignment of that person is peculiar to that person. It could be boring to you. It could be boring, frustrating, head aching, heart aching. Many people that have sleepless night over issues, is because God didn't call them for it. There are matters that give us a lot of headache, some people see it as a small matter. They've been assigned.

 

Don't look at other children and say, “those children are better than my children.” There are no better children anyway, we just have different children. Imagine having a big large land, maybe in an estate and you say my plot is better than another plot. It is just a figment of imagination, all plots are plot, especially on a flat land. All plots are plot! In the long run, wherever you buy as a land, once you look up, you will see the heaven over you. There is an heaven over every plot. Maybe we should say, there is an heaven over every assignment. When you look up to heaven from your own assignment, you will see God. There is no assignment that is closer to God.

 

There is no assignment that is closer to God. Pastor Adeboye’s assignment is not closer to God. Your assignment is as close to God as Pastor Adeboye’s assignment is close to God. Wherever you've been assigned, if it is God that assigned you, you are close to God on that matter. You could talk to God one on one, as one speaks to a friend on that subject, on that matter with God.

 

You know, like, as if somebody wants to call for a meeting, you can call for an heavenly meeting on that matter before God. You are not too small. Yorubas will say, “nobody is small in his own property.” In your own assignment, you are not small. that's why your Dominion is inside your assignment. When I look at your assignment, and I look at my assignment, and I think your assignment is small, maybe I'm having superiority complex. When I look at your assignment and look at my assignment, and I say my own assignment is small then I am having inferiority complex.

 

In a nutshell, all assignments are equal before God. You know, if you study the way God arranged the people that ministered in the temple, in the days of Moses and Aaron, some people's job is just to be lighting the candle, and the candle light must never go off, that is their work. And as they do that, they eat in the morning, they eat in the afternoon, and they eat in the night. They enjoy! What is their work? Their work is to light candle and it must never go off.

 

In case you think it is a small work, take that job and God didn't call you for it. Less than one week, the candle will go off and it is at the expense of their lives. You don't know the judgment? You should go and ask that man that torched the ark, he thought he wanted to help the ark, but he was not assigned to. What happened to him? He was killed immediately. To us, he was doing a job, he was trying to multitask but that was not assigned to him.

 

Do we remember the story of Samuel and Saul? Saul was not assigned to offer sacrifice, that was Samuel’s job. He felt Samuel was not coming again and he decided to do it and God said, because you have done that, your kingdom will be collected from you. So, don't stay and look at somebody's assignment and disregard it, and despise it. You despise it at your own expense. Anyone whose assignment is despised, don't let your own assignment be despised before you.

 

Apostle Paul said I magnify my ministry. I magnify my ministry! Whatever ministry God has given to you, which is also your assignment, magnify it! Don't belittle it, it is important. Like somebody that God has given the ministry, the assignment of taking care of mad people, no matter how unrewarding, frustrating that job is, you must magnify it. You are just taking care of children less than three years, don't say when will I ever take care of university people? Must it always be all these people that “poopoo” and “weewee?” “Auntie! Uncle! I want to “weewee.” If that is your assignment, magnify it, knowing fully well that your reward is before God.

 

You see, it is when we limit ourselves to the rewards of men that we get discouraged. And let us meditate on that. If no human will ever reward you for any job you do, no matter how big or small that job is, would you care the kind of job you are doing? But somehow, we believe that, if I can do my work to people that are rich and successful, they will richly make my life successful.

 

But, if you know that whether they are poor or rich, none of them will give you anything, you wouldn’t care. Because suddenly, you will realize that the poor people have sharper brain than the rich people. You are the same person that will say, see those rich people, don't go there, they no they hear word. I like these my poor people, they hear, as I teach them, they get it. Why? In your mind, there is no reward from them, the rich too, no reward. So, you are not envious. Can we see where we get discontented? And we are discontented in the assignment because we expect reward from men.

 

We will conclude with a Scripture in 1 Corinthians chapter 7 verse 23 to 24, ²² For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave. ²³ You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. ²⁴ Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called.

 

From verse 22, for he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave. ²³ You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. You are already the slave of Christ, don’t become the slave of men. Don’t become a slave of your expectations of men. Don't expect that your situation will change because men will change it for you. It is God that must change your situation.

 

So, whatever you do, do as unto the Lord, knowing that He is the one that will change your life. He is the one that will promote you from where you are to a higher level. When you know no man will promote you, then you don't do anything to impress any man. You only focus on your own job, you focus on your own assignment, you continue to do the work that God has given you.

 

Whether it's raining, or the sun is shining, whether it's in the morning or in the night, nobody is seeing you, but you keep doing it, knowing that your rewarder is God, and He will reward you in due time. So, the Bible says, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. As the Lord has called you, walk! When God gave you an assignment and you were married, remain married, don’t wish to be single. Whatever the Lord has blessed you with, use it. Don't wish for what others are using because they are using it for another assignment.

Thanks for the gift of your time, We are Gboyega ADEDEJI and Lara Gboyega Adedeji!

Feel free to share your thoughts or testimony in the comment box below. I promise to respond to them as soon as possible!