TUESDAY 29TH AUGUST 2017
TOPIC: WHEN GOD CALLS YOU (4)
TEXT: Romans 8:18 “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us…”
Sometimes we view the call of God upon our lives through rose-coloured glasses. Hearing His call isn’t the same thing as falling into your dream career. When God called Jeremiah to preach to a people who refused to listen, he cried so much he became known as ‘the weeping prophet’. Our first response to a God-sized assignment is generally – fear. This is a complete opposite of His call. His, is about blessing, healing, honour etc. A profound writer said; ‘many Christians say, “God will never ask them to do something they can’t do.” He has come to the place in his life that if the assignment he sense God giving him is something he knows he can handle, he knows it’s probably not from God. The kind of assignments God gives in the Bible are always God-sized. They’re beyond what people can do, because He wants to demonstrate His nature- all powerful; His strength and His kindness to a watching world.
Saying yes to God’s call often means putting in hours of effort when you’d rather not, and it doesn’t always reward you with the kind of recognition you’d hoped for. People may disapprove of what you’re doing and try to block you. Yes, it’ll involve trial and error and some false starts. By and large, natural talent alone isn’t enough to honour your calling; you’ll need ideas, strength, and creativity beyond your own resources to do what God requires of you and these come from Him alone- The alpha and omega. This expresses God’s fullness, comprehension and all- inclusiveness. The source of all things we need when He calls you and I. Paul says, ‘We are labourers together with God’ (1 Cor. 3:9), because in order to succeed it has to be God and you doing it together. He doesn’t just call you to work for Him; He calls you to work with Him! This is indeed an amazing principle of God. Beloved work with it.
MEDITATION: Isa 43:1-2, Rom 8:30
BIBLE STUDY
1 Sam. 21&22, 1 Cor. 3, Ezk. 1, Ps. 37