Consider Your Calling, Christian

“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31 ESV)

Where were you when the Lord first called you to believe in him and to follow him with your life? Do you remember? How old were you then? What station were you in life? And how seriously did you take that call from God? And when you trusted in Jesus Christ to be your Lord (Owner-Master) and your Savior (from slavery to sin), what difference did that make in your life? Some? Little? Or major? And have you followed him with your life since then? And have you discovered his plan and purpose for your life?

For God has a plan and a purpose for each one of us, not just to believe in him, but to follow him in what he has called each one of us individually to do. Yes, he has a general purpose for all of us, which is to surrender our lives to the Lord and to walk in obedience to his commands and to forsake our sins, dying to them daily, by the Spirit. And it is to live holy lives, pleasing to God. But he also has individual callings on each of our lives, which are our parts (roles) within the universal body of Christ.

So, are you following after his calling on your life? Are you being and doing who God has called you to do and to be for his purposes and for his glory? If not, why not? What is holding you back? For we were not placed here on this earth to please ourselves. We were not created of God to just entertain ourselves. We were created of God to live for him and for his plan for our lives. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared in advance that we should walk in them (Eph 2:10).

And there are no excuses for why any of us are not serving the Lord Jesus with our lives in doing what he has called us to do if we profess him to be Lord and Savior of our lives. For he didn’t call us because of our greatness or because of our own abilities or because of our popularity among the people. For he called the weak and the despised and the lowly in the eyes of the world. He called us who barely graduated high school and who had learning disabilities and who were not self-confident nor outgoing at all.

And in this way, he gets the glory, not us. For I am not doing what I do every day because I was an extremely gifted and talented person in my own merit. I nearly flunked high school, and I didn’t do all that well in college, either, and I lacked any confidence in my ability to learn anything beyond basic math and grammar (not so good at either of those these days, either). And if you would have told me 20 years ago that I would be doing what the Lord has been having me do, I would not have believed you. No way!

So, if you believe in Jesus, in truth, then surrender your life to the Lord and let him gift you and equip you and empower you to do what he has called you to do, even if you feel ill equipped. Now this requires that we are no longer walking in sin, making sin our deliberate habit. It doesn’t mean we are absolutely perfect in every way, but sin should no longer be our practice. Obedience to our Lord and living holy lives should now be what we practice. And then God can use us to minister his love and grace to others.

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:11-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]  

Love Must Be Genuine 

An Original Work / October 22, 2013

Based off Romans 12:9-21

Love must be genuine.

Hate what’s evil; cling to good.

Love each other with affection.

Show respect for ev’ryone.

Never lack in your zeal.

Serve the Lord with diligence.

Rejoice in steadfast hope.

In affliction, patient be.

Keep on praying; share with others.

Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute.

Feel with others sympathy.

Be not filled with conceit.

Daily sit at Jesus’ feet.

Live in harmony with others.

Live at peace with ev’ryone.

Repay not to someone

With the evil he begot.

Do not take your revenge;

Leave it to the wrath of God.

If your enemy is thirsty,

Give to him something to drink.

Do what’s right for mankind.

Evil: overcome with good.

https://vimeo.com/114695549