God Calls Us All

God calls the foolish, weak, dishonorable and despised person in order to shame the wise, strong and important, so that we will not boast in our abilities and take credit for what God accomplishes in and through us (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).

Satan will attempt to influence us to take the credit, but it belongs to God (Ephesians 2:8-9). When we hear Satan's whisper in our mind, we realize the lie that it is and humbly thank God for using us.

Gideon was an illegitimate son in an insignificant clan of the tribe of Manasseh, and he even called himself the least in the family. Yet, God called Him to deliver Israel from the Midianite bondage.

David was a little shepherd boy when he killed Goliath. Moses was a murderer and could not speak well. Paul was very educated and had many accomplishments to his credit.

Yet, they all realized they were nothing without our Almighty God (Philippians 3:7-8). God even uses children and babies to prove His existence and to silence the God-haters (Psalm 8:2).

God foils the plans of the wise, exposes the supposed miracles of false prophets and plainly reveals the nonsense of pseudo-intellectuals (Isaiah 44:25; Jeremiah 8:9).

God shows us the foolishness of the wisdom of the world, and saves us through what the world considers the foolishness of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 1:20-21, 2:12).

God chooses the poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the riches in His Kingdom, which He promises to those who love Him and keep His commandments (James 2:5; John 14:15).
Prayer:

Father God, You expose the lofty who take credit for what You do for us and You continually do marvelous works on our behalf (Isaiah 26:5-6; 29:14, 19). The poor are always with us, to remind us that we are just a breath away from destitution, unless we trust in You (Matthew 26:11; Zephaniah 3:12).

You give us wisdom when we ask for it and hide Your treasure within us, in order to prove Your authority and Kingship over our life (James 1:5-6; Luke 19:39-40; 2 Corinthians 4:7). Then you give us weapons that are not for carnal warfare, but spiritual; so that we can triumph over all of our enemies (2 Corinthians 10:4, 5, 10).

Thought for the Day:

In the Kingdom of God, there are no big "I's" and little "U's", but we are all equal with the same Holy Spirit residing within us and leading us throughout every moment of our day.

Assume the Position

God made sure to provide us with many Biblical examples to follow. Jesus came down from heaven, not to do His own will or to seek His own glory, but to follow only our Father’s will for His life (John 6:38; 8:50). He did not do or speak anything by His own effort, but only as our Father instructed Him (John 8:28-29). He willingly laid down His human will and lived to please our Father. God wants us to adopt the same mindset as Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:1-11). He laid down His glory and came to serve at our Father’s pleasure, even to the point of death (Philippians 2:5-8).

Another instance is our dear brother, Job. He lost every one and every thing that was dear to his heart. He ended up in an ash heap with boils and ill health, but he would not curse the Lord and die (Job 2:9). In His graciousness, God gave Job abundantly more than he ever had before his trials began (Job 42:10). Just like Jesus, Job reaped the blessings of God in return for submission to God’s will, and so will we (Philippians 2:9).

Stephen, a man full of God’s grace, wisdom and power performed many signs and wonders during his service to God (Acts 6:8,10). During his trial, his face shone like an angel with the peace of God (Acts 6:15). Even while threatened with death, Stephen preached his finest sermon. As he kept his focus on Jesus, the heavens opened up before Him and He viewed the scene in Heaven as he slipped from his earthly existence into eternity (Acts 7:1-60).

Paul lived his life dedicated to the Jewish religion, rising to the top with his self-efforts. He persecuted the followers of Christ with a vengeance. Then, he encountered the risen Christ on the road to Damascus and formed a union that gave him courage to face future deprivation and persecution with joy (Acts 9:4; Philippians 4:4). He surrendered everything to gain a deeper walk with Christ (Philippians 3:8). James must have had this same experience, because He advised us to count it all joy when we experience negative circumstances in our life (James 1:2).

Life is not about you! It is not about me either. Life is all about the will of our compassionate Father for each of us. In our stubborn, self-centered efforts to live our life, God allows us to go our own way, waiting patiently for us to exhaust our resources and fail in devastation. This is when, like Stephen, we finally look up from our pit of doom into His glorious face. Once we completely surrender to Christ in us, God shows us great and mighty things (Jeremiah 33:3) and fills us with His peace and joy (Romans 15:13).

We are all called us to assume the position of a helpless child, living in the nurture and with the direction of our benevolent Father (Matthew 18:3). Pursuing our earthly dreams and goals will never bring us true happiness. A surrendered life brings contentment to the inner core of our soul and to the depths of our heart, regardless of the circumstances in our life (1 Timothy 6:6, 8; 2 Corinthians 4:17). As we follow the will of God moment by moment throughout our day, He fills us with His peace and His Spirit until we glow with the face of an angel like Stephen, we enjoy material blessings like Job, we have an effective ministry like Paul and we live in the anointing of Jesus.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You lived a surrendered life to the will of our Father, giving us Your example to follow. Help us to shed the burdens of this world and to walk in Your freedom now and in eternity. Use us as instruments to shed Your peace abroad in the earth as we share Your gospel with those humble enough to receive You into their hearts.

Thought for the Day:

Constant denial of God’s call on our life will harden our heart and cause us to walk away from His Truth.

 

Thank you, Michael D. Perkins, for the use of your photo.

God Has No Grandchildren

 

Read: Matthew 24:4-12

“Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.” - Jude 1:24

The truth of the fact that God has no grandchildren is found in Biblical, as well as current life scenarios. No one can inherit their faith from their parents or grandparents. They must answer God’s call on their own. Two people can believe in the one true God and live to worship Him in spirit and in truth as they teach His principles and precepts to their family; yet, one or more of their children may fail to live in the Truth (Joel 1:3). This happened to King David. His own son even plotted to kill him so he could take over his kingdom.

In Old Testament times, whole nations forgot that God raised them up to fulfill a specific purpose, even when God’s prophets tried to remind them (Judges 2:10). In the New Testament, Jesus explained that false teachers were already in the world and were expected to continue to come into the world throughout the Church Age (Luke 17:1). The Spirit clearly claimed that in the end times some would even abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and lies taught by demons (1 Timothy 4:1). We see this happening rampantly in our world today. In modern society, we cannot find even one Godly nation left in the entire world.

In our present day, it is even rare to find a church with more than a remote comprehension of who Jesus is. They worship with sad faces and fail to preach God’s Word. They spend more time as social volunteers than as God’s Army. There are very few people who call themselves Christians who actually follow Christ’s teachings or have a personal relationship with Him. It takes humility and courage to call upon Him; but once we do, He lives in us through every step of our future. It is our privilege and calling to share with others what we have in Christ. God calls us to give everyone we know the opportunity to reject or to receive God’s gift of Eternal Life (Hebrews 10:24; Ezekiel 3:18).

The love of God provided Paradise for us to enjoy forever. Adam and Eve believed Satan’s lie and aspired to be as wise as God. Their sin brought condemnation on the whole world. Sin also brought sickness, pain, suffering and death. However, God sent His Son to redeem everyone who is willing to believe in Him (John 3:16-18). Jesus freely gave His life to ransom all of mankind from eternal damnation (Mark 10:45). He rose again and proved that, because of the power of Christ within us, any tragedy which befalls us will exalt us in due time (Romans 8:35-39).

If we trust in Him alone, He purifies us and gives us the privilege of living as His children now and in eternity (1 John 3:2-3). Living in a personal relationship with God, we no longer need to understand everything that occurs. We live in faith that God is trustworthy, because He proves Himself to us over and over again. As we walk by the Spirit and crucify the deeds of the flesh, God provides us with a life that flourishes with His constant blessings (Galatians 5:16; Romans 8:14). He will also restore everlasting love to the world during His eternal reign over His Kingdom. His forgiveness is only a prayer away.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, may we never forget the sacrifice You made on Calvary’s cross to pay our sin debt and to provide us with everlasting life. Give us the desire to share the Gospel with everyone we meet. Help us to let everyone know what a mighty God we serve and to give a reasoned response for our faith (1 Pete 3:15). Make us salt and light in this world that is dying in decay and darkness (Matthew 5:13-16).

Thought for the Day:

"Many people today do want to serve God, but only as His advisors."