LET'S
TALK A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR CALLING
Many times
you'll hear people joke about having "missed their calling",
but the phrase usually isn't used in a spiritual sense, but
is used rather to express when someone is unsuccessful in
reaching a goal.
Missing
your spiritual calling is much more sobering of a thought.
How do you know when you're being called by the Holy Spirit
of God to serve Him in the way that He has designed
specifically for you?
One
way, is that your soul will feel it. You will feel the Holy
Spirit, who is also a God given gift who uses your God given talent, nudging you to make the right choices in your life.
Another way that God may call on you, is by the Holy Spirit
revealing it to you through another servant of God. Yet
another way, is with His still small voice. And still
another, and maybe even the most often used because people
seem to miss the voice of God through other means, is by
changes in your life.
You
may lose your job. You may lose one of your faculties. You
may lose a loved one through death or divorce. You may gain
time because of retirement, or children growing up and going
off to school or getting married. You may be confronted with
a situation where you are needed to serve another of the
Lord's children because of one of the things just mentioned
has affected their lives. It's important that you become
aware of what is happening in your life ... And WHY.
Because it may just be your Father ... CALLING!
Many
seem to just sit around waiting for some huge sign. That may
be the way He comes to you, but you should not wait around
expecting a beautiful white dove to fly up to you out of
nowhere with a white ribbon in its beak that says, "You're
being called," and drop it in your lap.
There's something that occurs oft times when people are
called to serve the Lord. They don't believe that it's a
commitment that should be first and foremost in their lives.
It's
almost like people think it should be as a side job, or a
hobby, or like volunteer work ... Ah, I'll do it when I have
some spare time. How much do people miss by maintaining this
kind of attitude? Plenty.
|
Matthew 16:24-27
Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will
come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life
shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my
sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he
shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or
what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For
the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father
with His Angels; and then He shall reward every man
according to his works. |
In
other words all the reasons you have as to why you can NOT
follow Jesus and serve Him full time are not worthy of
losing your soul.
BIBLICAL GIFTS & GOD GIVEN GIFTS REASON
GOD GIVEN TALENTS IN THE BIBLE PURPOSETake a look
at some of the people who answered their calling, with total
devotion, to the Lord. They had jobs, and families too, but
they put God first, and if you know anything about them, you
probably hope for the reward that they obviously earned.
We know
that the twelve Apostles left their homes straightway (that
means immediately or in an instant) and followed
Jesus. There's mention also of Simon Peter having a wife, so
we know that he even left his spouse and possibly children
to follow the Lord.
When
one is called to serve Christ, there is much contemplation
spent, concerning whether this is a commitment that should
be made. Worldly thoughts usually hinder many, like whether
or not it's practical.
The
issue is usually financial. But remember what Jesus said ...
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole
world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in
exchange for his soul?
The
same thing happened in Jesus' day, but the Apostles CHOSE to
commit without hesitation. They saw through the worldly
things that try and prevent people, and recognized the
spiritual reward inviting them to accept the calling of the
Lord.
|
Matthew 19:21-26
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and
sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou
shalt have treasure in Heaven: and come and follow me.
But when the young man heard that saying, he went away
sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said
Jesus unto His disciples, Verily I say unto you, That
a rich man shall hardly enter into the Kingdom of
Heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a
camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a
rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God. When His
disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed,
saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them,
and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but
with God all things are possible. |
Answering
the calling may mean that you may not be able to maintain
the accommodations in life that you're used to:
|
Matthew 8:19-20
And a certain scribe came, and said unto Him, Master,
I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus
saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of
the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where
to lay His head. |
The
priorities that the world counts are not priorities when
you're called to serve the Lord.
|
Matthew 8:21-22
And another of His disciples said unto Him, Lord,
suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus
said unto him,
Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead. |
SEEK BIBLICAL GIFTS / GOD GIVEN GIFTS
GOD GIVEN TALENTS IN THE BIBLE TODAYIf you
picture in your mind, what it is like to answer the calling,
you may think of people who have gained worldly grandeur and
respect for themselves as pastor of a church.
You may have
heard of and admired missionaries who go to third world
countries to spread the Gospel with the financial support of
the mission they have founded or that they are employed under. Television
evangelists may come to mind when you think of people who
have answered the calling.
It's important that you always
remember that the Holy Spirit has different gifts for each
and every person in the body of Christ, and God has a
specified purpose for each of us when He calls.
|
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same
Spirit. And there are differences of administrations,
but the same Lord. And there are diversities of
operations, but it is the same God which worketh all
in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given
to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by
the Spirit the
word of wisdom;
to another the
word of knowledge
by the same Spirit; To another
faith
by the same Spirit; to another the
gifts of healing
by the same Spirit; To another the
working of miracles;
to another
prophecy; to
another
discerning of spirits;
to another
divers kinds of tongues;
to another the
interpretation of tongues:
But all these worketh that one and the selfsame
Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will.
|
You may not
have the gift of prophecy like another of God's servants,
but you may know how to counsel someone with a drug problem
like nobody's business. Only God knows what He has planned
for you.
There
are different administrations ...
|
1 Corinthians 12:27-31
Now ye are the body of
Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set
some in the church, first
apostles,
secondarily
prophets,
thirdly
teachers,
after that
miracles,
then gifts of
healings,
helps,
governments,
diversities of tongues. Are all
apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all
workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do
all speak with tongues? do all interpret? But covet
earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I
unto you a more excellent way. |
BIBLICAL GIFTS / GOD GIVEN GIFTS FACTS
GOD GIVEN TALENTS IN THE BIBLE RESEARCHSo,
discerning what administration you are called to perform is
IMPORTANT.
In
answering your calling, you're assisting the Holy Spirit in
saving lost souls. The fulfillment you receive in
accomplishing that, no matter what method God chooses for
you personally, is sure to equal that of any other servant
of God, because it is what God has chosen FOR YOU.
He has a
custom made calling with your name on it.
Others that
didn't hesitate in answering the calling of the Lord were
Joshua and Caleb. They gave their hearts with total devotion
in following the Lord and they were the only two people from
the original children of Israel that were freed from Egypt,
to enter the Promised Land.
Remember,
the means by which the Lord's will is done through us, is
not always what we expect. When you consider the people in
the Bible who changed their lives in order to answer the
calling of the Lord, Paul is definitely a person worth
talking about. You can bet that his calling was anything but
what he would have expected following the Lord to be like.
First of
all, he was blinded by the light from Heaven:
|
Acts 9:9
And he was three days without sight, and neither did
eat nor drink. |
Then he was
told that he would suffer many things for the Lord:
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Acts 9:16
For I will shew him how great things he must suffer
for my name's sake. |
Does that
sound like what one would expect the "Light of the Gentiles"
to experience as part of their calling?
Now, don't
forget, Paul was a persecutor of Christians before he was
called, so no matter who you are, or what your past beliefs
may have been, when you're called by the Lord, nothing is
impossible.
Paul was a
tent-maker by trade. Though he did practice his craft after
he was called, it was NOT his priority. He didn't do this to
maintain a living, he did it only so that he wouldn't be
held accountable by anyone for his support. The Lord was
Paul's first priority.
Another
thing to remember is that if writing or speaking with
eloquence is not one of your strong points, you need not
worry, because it doesn't matter. God will speak through
you. Moses was slow of speech:
|
Exodus 4:10-12
And Moses said unto the LORD, O my LORD, I am not
eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast
spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and
of a slow tongue. And the LORD said unto him, Who hath
made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or
the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? Now
therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach
thee what thou shalt say. |
Jesus
confirms that your own talents are not a concern in
answering your calling, the Holy Spirit will work through
you:
|
Matthew 10:19-20
But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or
what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that
same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that
speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in
you. |
Paul also
claimed that he didn't have a way with words, but we all
know how powerfully the Spirit worked through him.
|
2 Corinthians 11:6
But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge;
but we have been thoroughly made manifest among you in
all things. |
In fact,
the rumor was that Paul's speaking abilities were
"contemptible" (2
Corinthians 10:10).
By
answering God's calling to you, you're showing Him that you
trust Him with your life, and He will lead you into doing
His will. Don't answer your calling halfheartedly, but with
an attitude like Paul had. He rejoiced especially in the
trials and tribulations of his calling. He was beaten,
whipped, imprisoned, stoned, shipwrecked, robbed, hungered,
cold, and a fugitive ... Just to name a few things (2
Corinthians, Chapter 11).
BIBLICAL GIFTS / GOD GIVEN GIFTS FOR YOU
WHAT ARE THE GOD GIVEN TALENTS IN THE BIBLEWill there
be rough times ... Yes. Will it be worth it ... Absolutely.
Don't forget, Jesus said,
|
Matthew 10:39
... he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. |
Do you see
the hidden meaning in this scripture?
Most
Christians don't die defending the name of Christ, they die
from accidents and natural causes.
But this is something deeper
... Giving up your life-STYLE for His sake.
That
doesn't mean that your life will be sad. He wants to make
you happy.
|
Psalms 37:4-5
Delight thyself also in the LORD: and He shall give
thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto
the LORD; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to
pass. |
Because
society has dictated that people must practice a certain
standard of living, today's generation spends most of their
waking hours dedicated to work. Preparing for, traveling to
and from, and performing their jobs is what most people
spend the majority of their lives doing. What if you put God
first, instead of your job? Will He not take care of your
food and clothing and other necessities?
|
Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added
unto you. |
I'd like to
direct your attention once more to the fact that God does
move pieces into place in our lives in hopes that we will
recognize His calling to us. Is it any surprise that the
divorce rate is so terribly high in today's world? How many
marriages do you know of, in which the foundation is the
Lord? In a marriage, you become united in serving the Lord,
but you'll find that for most couples, one or neither have
answered their calling and the Lord WILL take away anything
that is more important to people than serving Him.
If the Lord
is calling you, and you feel apprehension in answering His
call ... Beware of who is putting the hesitation in your
mind. The "practical" world has no place in spiritual
matters, so start thinking spiritually, and answer your
Father with welcome and gladness, and embrace the rewards
that He promises His servants.
|
Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to
them that love God,
to them who are the called according to his purpose. |
CONSIDER WHAT
JESUS SAID ...
|
Matthew 10:37-39
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he
that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. |
BIBLICAL GIFTS / GOD GIVEN GIFTS SUMMARY
GOD GIVEN TALENTS IN THE BIBLE ARE REAL
Consider this ... Is
it not strange that if one's country asks them to step up,
walk away from their family for months and even years at a
time and even to sacrifice their life for their country, in
the military ... It is normal and even to be deemed as being very noble, which it
very well may be in many cases. I choose to bow and allow God to judge such matters. God is in control.
BUT, If Jesus asks
Christians to be willing to do the same for HIS CAUSE, as He
did in the above Bible Scripture ... Some Christians find it to be an extreme
request and any who choose to do so without question are seen as Jesus freaks
or extremists.
Are you CALLED to be
one of the few, the humble, the CHOSEN?
Be not as Jonah and try and hide from your calling. The darkness of the whale's belly is the darkness of being out of the
presence of God and it is utterly unbearable.
Are YOU called to be a shepherd which is an overseer of His flock?
|
Acts 20:28
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the
flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you
overseers, to feed the church of God,
which He hath purchased with his
own blood. |
Peter shares a little tip with us
...
|
1 Peter 5:2-4
Feed the flock of God
which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not
by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre,
but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's
heritage, but being examples to the flock.
And when the chief Shepherd
shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that
fadeth not away. |
Pretty cool promise huh? Shepherding for God has the best eternal life insurance policy that
money cannot buy. Do you feel called to serve the Lord by tending His sheep? If so ... Prove it to Him. Many are called but few are chosen because few choose.
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STEP #5
To complete this ... Biblical Gifts and God given gifts and God given talents in the Bible step you must CHOOSE to look within yourself and see which God given gifts and God given talents that you have within to help you to better serve God as to REPRESENT
Him.
Continuing in EACH step daily is so very important.
Go back over each step often to
be sure you have not missed anything.
If you
have any questions about the program, you can contact us at: webservant@ChristianityOasis.com
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