God’s Call

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#898 Lessons from Jonah – God’s Call

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

God has a plan for each of His children that He expects us as Christians to obediently follow; however, we as humans often decide otherwise.  When God called Jonah, His Old Testament prophet, to go to the wicked city of Nineveh, Jonah decided he could change God’s plan for His life.  He may have rebelled against the thought of ministering to the Gentiles in Nineveh, they being of another nationality, or he may have rebelled because he knew God would forgive them and spare the city, something he did not want to see happen.  We sometimes use the same type of excuses to avoid following God’s plan for our life, but God did not accept Jonah’s excuses, and He does not accept ours.  When God calls us, we need to obey without question, regardless of whether we like His plan or not.

Make sure you are following God’s plan for your life!

“Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before Me.”   (Jonah 1:1-2)   

May God Richly Bless You Today

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#687 Ready for Service

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

 

As it is God that calls us to service for Him, we must acknowledge that our ministry for the Him requires His strength, not only to accomplish the task for which we are called but also to be physically enabled to perform the task.  While we are to keep our bodies prepared for the Lord’s service, there are other disciplines that are required in order to be ready to serve Him as He calls us.  We first must know and understand God’s will for our lives which requires us to know His Word, the Bible, so we may be able to apply the Scripture to our ministry.  Seeking His wisdom, strength and guidance to proceed with and perform God’s called service should be a part of our continuing prayer life.  In other words, what we do in our daily walk with the Lord should not only be with the aim of making us more Christlike but also with the aim of being constantly prepared and ready to serve Him when He calls us.

 

Are you prepared for God’s call and ready to serve Him when He does call?

 

“For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”  (Romans 11:29)

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#667 Today’s World and Bible Times – Following God’s Will

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

 

Haran, in the land of Mesopotamia, was where Abram and his family initially settled.  Following the death of his father, Terah, Abram’s continued faith in and devotion to God was again evident when he recognized and obeyed God’s will that he leave his kindred’s land and journey to an unknown land.  From the beginning Abram had followed God’s will, and after a time of transition in Haran Abram continued to follow God’s will.  Possibly the time in Haran was a time of renewing and refreshing for Abram, a time to prepare him for the continuation of his journey, but it may have also been that Abram’s obedience to God’s will allowed him to honor his father’s wishes by remaining with him in Haran for a season, then continuing into the land of God’s choosing.  When we stay close to and have faith in God, He will reveal His will to us, and when we obey His will, we will find that He provides all we need, from our physical needs to personal needs.

 

Remain close to God and He will reveal His will to you; then obey and follow His will, and He will truly give you a great blessing!

 

“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, ‘Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from they father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee:’ So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him;” (Genesis 12:1, 4a)

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#651 Today’s World and Bible Times – No One Excluded

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

 

Situated on the great Via Maris highway (for which there is still a milestone standing,) the bustling fishing village of Capernaum was a stopping location for caravans to resupply with produce and fish during the time Jesus was ministering.  It was here that customs taxes were collected, and the tax collector when Jesus ministered was Matthew, a person who was loathed by the travelers as well as the local citizens.  Tax collectors were considered quite lowly as far as occupations were concerned; yet, Jesus befriended Matthew, for which He was greatly criticized, and called him to be one of His disciples.  Jesus was about changing the heart of people and making them useful in His service, not turning His back on them.  It is not our place to determine who can be useful to our Lord; it is our place to tell them of the One who can and will change their hearts and make them useful in His service.

 

Have you been hesitant about witnessing to someone because of the occupation or character?  Remember, God’s love and grace is for everyone!

 

“And as Jesus passed forth from thence, He saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom; and He saith unto him, ‘Follow me.’  And he arose, and followed Him.” (Matthew 9:9)

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#498 Judgment and Promises (Isaiah 65) – Lessons from Evil Doers V

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

God not only accused the Israelites of not answering His call, but also of not hearing Him when He spoke.[1]  God had previously told them that “I have spread out my hands…unto a rebellious people.”[2] He had called them and spoken to them, but they deliberately rejected Him by not answering His call and closing their ears to Him.  Today the rejection is of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God’s call to accept Christ and to serve Him, and failing to hear Him when He speaks.  Often, we have shut Him out of or drifted so far away from Him in our daily lives that we cannot hear Him call or speak to us.  A part of our daily walk with the Lord should be a time of Bible study, prayer, and worship; and when we fail to take the time for those disciplines we cannot hear Him as so often He calls and speaks to us through the Bible study, prayer, and worship.  When we are in deep fellowship with God we will hear His call and will answer, and hear Him speaking and be ready to do His will.

How closely do you listen to God’s voice as you pray, worship and study His Word?

“Listen to Me, My son!  I know what I am saying; listen!”  (Proverbs 5:1 – TLB)

May God Richly Bless You Today

[1] Isaiah 65:12

[2] Isaiah 65:2

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#497 Judgment and Promises (Isaiah 65) – Lessons from Evil Doers IV

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

God called Israelites to believe in Him, He calls unbelievers today to believe in Him by accepting His Son as Savior.  He also called the Israelites to serve and obey Him as He calls Christians today to serve and obey Him.  God calls every Christian to Christian service and ministry.  Ministry does not mean that He calls every Christian to be a minister, teacher or missionary; however, it does mean that every Christian is called to serve God in a way that would win others to Christ or strengthen fellow Christians.  It may be as simple as opening our homes to small groups for the purpose of a Bible study, or distributing pamphlets about our church services, or greeting people in front of our churches on Sunday mornings.  It does not matter where we minister for the Lord as the glory goes to Him, not us.  The key is answering His call to serve Him while the real danger is refusing His call as the Israelites did.

When you hear God’s call for Christian service, do not make the mistake of ignoring it and failing to answer!

“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.”  (II Timothy 1:9)

May God Richly Bless You Today

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#496 Judgment and Promises (Isaiah 65) – Lessons from Evil Doers III

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Just as He did in Old Testament times with the Israelites, God continues to call us, and just as during that time there are many who do not answer.  God called the entire nation of Israel to believe in Him, to serve Him, and to obey Him, and they refused to answer His call, thus bringing judgment upon themselves.  Today, God calls people to believe on Him, to serve Him, and to obey Him, and still people refuse to answer His call.  Although God gives various calls, there is a call more important for eternity than any other, and that is the Holy Spirit’s conviction and call of an individual to accept Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord.  An individual’s place in eternity is determined by whether he or she accepts Christ as Savior since accepting Him is the only way of salvation and salvation is the only way of spending eternity in heaven with God.  Not answering this call brings eternal judgment of separation from God.  This is this most important lesson one can learn from the Israelites who failed to answer God’s call.

Have you answered the Holy Spirit’s call of salvation?

“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”  (I John 5:11-12)

May God Richly Bless You Today