THE CALLING

The calling of a Christian will change your life. The calling of a Christian? What is that? Here is my take on it. The calling of a Christian is to be Christ Like. And what was Christ like? First and foremost, He was loving and kind. He went about daily things talking with people about God’s love for them. It didn’t matter what He was doing, His priority was letting people know God loved them. Yes, He was different! Yes, He stood out! Yes, He was weird in His day! People either loved Him or hated Him. His calling was to reach the people with the news of salvation through grace. But what about you?

How do you get to have a calling? I know I ask a lot of questions. But they need answering, don’t they? I wondered, how do I get a spiritual calling? First and foremost, you must have the Holy Spirit. You receive the Holy Spirit when you confess your sins to God and ask Jesus to forgive your sins. He is always waiting and willing to accept you, right where you are, and embrace you with His love and forgiveness. This is why He came, this is why He suffered, this is why He died. This was His calling. But that is not the end of the story.

Once you have been received and forgiven, He has a calling for you. Read about Paul in Acts and Romans. He was chosen and received an unbelievable call. After following the above steps, you are ready to receive a call too. So, what do you do now?

Here is my answer: you pray, you wait, you listen, and it comes. This may take an hour, or it may take a year. The answer will come. Your calling can be as simple as volunteering in the children’s ministry. It can be as complicated as becoming a missionary to other parts of the world. For most of us it is something we can do while living our normal lives. As with Jesus, who was living life and preaching to any who would listen.

It is not always comfortable. It is not always easy. It is always showing the love of God and leading people to the baptism of faith and forgiveness. God is love, my friend. Show it! Live it! Be it! YOU ARE LOVED! Your calling awaits.

 

LOVE ONE ANOTHER

The more we study God’s word and learn who we are supposed to be a change begins. The more we find out about how we should act, behave, and be the person God wants us to be, we begin to become more like Him. The more we become Christ like something happens inside our finite thinking. We become elevated in our own minds. We pat ourselves on the back and look around at others. Yes, we begin to compare ourselves to others in our circle. And yes, we come out on top!

Our thinking goes a bit astray as we evaluate our own behavior. We’ve come a long way, baby! Or have we? It is human nature to compare ourselves to others. We do it from grade school. Who has the cutest hair, the sweetest smile, who is the tallest, the smartest, the most fun. So why not follow that human trait and compare our spiritual growth to other believers, now that we have arrived, or think we have.

Here is the danger: We don’t know anyone’s path but our own. We don’t know how God has worked in their life, how their family life was before they walked with God. We don’t know the plan God has for them, the struggles and battles they face. We only truly know our own. They may have moved an inch when we think we have moved miles from where we started. An inch for them may be more in God’s eyes than our miles are in our own. We are warned about judging others in God’s word. Here is what Paul imparts in Romans.

Paul writes in Romans 14:10 Why do you pass judgement on your brother? Or why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.

And in Romans 14:12 Do not cause another to stumble. Therefore, let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

We are encouraged to love one another in God’s word. We are instructed to embrace our oneness in Christ and move from elevating ourselves to elevating our brothers. If you are not doing this then rightly judge yourself. You haven’t come as far as you think you have. Just a thought!

Let God know where you are and let Him be the judge.

MJ Gillespie