Our Special Calling!

Is there someone you can share God’s Love with today as a result of your faith, and in spite of your feelings?
*  “And if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.”
Luke 6:32

Satan diverts many people by getting them preoccupied with what others are doing for the Lord. Comparing ourselves with others, whether we come out better or worse, is unwise (2 Cor. 10:12).
We need to be so single-minded following the Lord, that we don’t look to the right or to the left to see what others are doing.
It doesn’t matter if we are doing as much to serve the Lord as someone else.
The question is, are we doing ALL that the Lord wants us to do?
* We have to move forward and set priorities and focus on them in and out of season.

I encourage everyone to take the closing days of the year to plan how you are going to read the Bible in the new year. Don’t leave it to chance. One of the main reasons we don’t read God’s word is that we don’t plan to.  Take a step of faith and daily put time on your schedule for your Savior, King, Lord, friend, King, Counselor….

“A Vision without Action is a Delusion”

God’s love is electric, and when we allow Him to love through us, we become “supercharged” with the radiance of His Life. We heal as we help others out wit our testimony.
* “And it came about when…he was coming down from the mountain… Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him.”Exodus 34:29

Paul’s identity was not based upon himself, but upon the person of Jesus Christ. Each and every day we must remind ourselves: It’s not I…but Christ.
**  “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Philippians 3:20

“Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him.”.1 Corinthians 7:17a
1 Thessalonians 5:24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
*** You’ll be strengthened by your dependence on Him—whether trials or a flood of blessing comes.
*It’s actually when life gets rough and rugged that the sweetness of God’s faithfulness makes itself real in your heart. As you walk through those storms in complete reliance on His strength, your trust in His character becomes part of who you are and strengthens from within.

Compassion for self and others is the evidence of God’s Love.
***”But  a certain Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion…and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he…took care of him.” Luke 10:33-34

Each of us is called to relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
* We are called BY Him, TO Him, and FOR Him.
*Once we enter that relationship with Christ, we are called into the physical expression of that relationship.
*This is where our vocations are manifested as a result, not as an end in themselves.

Additionally, there are examples of special callings in the Bible in which individuals have a direct communication from God to do a specific task for Him. Moses, Paul, Peter, and many others had direct communication about what God was calling them to do.
Not everyone receives this “special” calling. This is not to say God is not personal with each of us. Some have had extraordinary supernatural encounters with God that led to their calling being specific to a task ordered by God.
***ALL of us have been called to follow Christ and live our lives in Obedience to Him.  Trust the words of Scripture. They are Truth and Alive today for you and me.
* Many of us have a sense to go in one direction or another based on our life experiences and giftedness. This, too, is God’s calling.
*Calling goes beyond our work and includes our Relationships to others: our spouse, our children, our neighbors — and our co-workers. We must remember this in order that our “work calling” does not become elevated at the expense of the other important aspects of our lives. This is an accurate approach to the gospel in which God made ALL of LIFE equally important.

Therefore, the next time someone says, “I was called into the ministry” or “I am in full-time Christian work,” stop him or her and tell him or her WE ARE ALL in full-time Christian work. There is no secular and religious in the economy of God.
I have a dear friend who often says, “I am a servant of the living God masquerading as a cop.” So, too, are we first a servant of the living God.

Fruit is something we can easily see. The evidence of Godly fruit is not found in word, deed, talent, success or accomplishment, but rather in the humble qualities of:
* “…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” Galatians 5:22-23
When we think of the works that Jesus did, we think of love, compassion, mercy, giving of ourselves, caring, selflessness, healing and teaching.
* Jesus did these things on a daily basis, with people He came  in contact with as a normal part of His day, and usually in ways that were not exceptional or highly dramatic.
I believe we all have different callings and different interests, BUT each of us as followers of Christ can be daily living in the love of God and doing the works that Jesus did, through faith.

Paul wrote to the Philippians, “In
lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Philippians
2:3b). Paul doesn’t say not to esteem yourself, your vision or your life
mission. But he does say others also have vision, purpose and a mission. If you will esteem them, you will not just be helping them but also strengthening them in their calling—and perhaps affecting many lives.

Think about the power of Paul’s statement. Imagine what might happen if every Christian radically obeyed this truth. We would all have deep, world-impacting interests in others—and none of us would be immersed in our individual goals. We in Unity would be moving forward for God’s Glory.
The whole body of Christ would be so other-centered we would empower one another in our many varied callings.

If each of us is looking only to interests of our own making, our testimony
will be limited at best. BUT if we all are looking in love to build up others,
every God-ordained mission will have more than ample support to be
accomplished.
John 17:20 I’m praying not only for them But also for those who will believe in me Because of them and their witness about me. 21 The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind-Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, So they might be one heart and mind with us. Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.
**Right here, in this verse, Jesus prayed for YOU.
*He prayed for all those who would believe in him through the apostles message. That is you and me 2000 years later. And what does he pray for, that we would be ONE. That there would be UNITY among his followers. Because then the world would believe God sent Jesus. Do we have any more important task than this?
Thank You Jesus for each one of our giftings to bring Unity to the Body for Your Glory and our Joy!  Lord direct and speak to everyone to take the closing days of the year to move forward and plan how we are going to read the Bible each day in the new year and take time to Listen to Your Voice speaking through Holy Scripture. And once we hear–we put into Action for the good of the entire Body for Your Glory.
Amen