Do you ever feel you are in “just Nazareth?”

Jesus faithfully served at home in Nazareth for thirty years before being released into the call of God on His life. Nazareth was…“just Nazareth.” It was no special place. The city of Nazareth was a small and insignificant agricultural village in the time of Jesus. It had no trade routes and was of little economic importance. It is believed that the population never exceeded five hundred while Jesus lived there. It was “just Nazareth.”

In “just Nazareth,” Jesus most likely learned to be a carpenter’s helper since his earthy father Joseph was a carpenter. He learned to live in a family and what it means to care for those in the household. He learned to submit to parental authority. He learned how to be around regular, everyday folks. He learned to do life. It was not wasted time.

When the time came, God said, “You have completed this assignment, and now it is time to move from “just Nazareth.”  Jesus was released and went about doing the work for which He was born, and He fulfilled His purpose.

From the time I felt God calling me to teach His Word, both at home and around the country, until that actually happened was quite a stretch of years. At the time, it seemed like it would never happen and was just a dream. During that time, God taught me so much from His Word, from other speakers, and from my local congregation. I learned how to be submissive to those who were in charge of meetings to which I was invited. I learned that God wanted to purify my heart. I needed maturity. I needed a servant’s heart.

We all have times we feel we are in “just Nazareth,” but rest assured that God uses these places to prepare us for our divine destiny. Never despise “just Nazareth.”

“The Lord will work out his plans for my life…” – Psalm 138:8