I Thank God for His Call
Rom 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
When I was growing up….when my parents called me…if I were in hearing distance or they knew I were in hearing distance…..then my job was to answer. If I hem-hawed around and pretended not to hear them because I wanted to play a little longer…and they found out about it….then I would be facing some kind of trouble. It didn’t matter how “sorry” or repentant I was at getting caught, the punishment was swift and I learned to quickly answer the next time they called.
We have many CALLS in our lives. The call to repentance, the call to holiness, the call to “Go Ye”, the call to unite with the Body of Christ through Covenant”…. and as we have “heard” each and every call, there were times we may have wanted to “play” a little longer and pretended to ignore the Spirit’s call to lay down this world’s playthings and pick up the tools of spiritual maturity. And pretending not to hear usually brings trouble into our lives….trouble caused by our own hands.
Have you ever had a crisis in your life when you needed immediate help, only to find a barrier standing in your way? In real life, it may have been a dead cell phone battery right when you had a flat tire. The dead cell phone battery is not the fault of the persons you are trying to call for help, but of the person who neglected to keep the battery charged. The Holy Ghost is calling us to draw nearer to God and each time we pretend not to hear, our spiritual spark dies a little more without our even noticing it….until we suddenly look around and wonder what happened to our connection?! It wasn’t God that moved; we had caused the disconnect.
Now that I am called to preach, I looked back to see if I had ignored the call. I didn’t think I did. I guess I thought I probably was called to teach (with an occasional preach thrown in when a leadership position required it) but didn’t see myself as precisely a full time “minister”. I had often marveled at how ministers had confidence in asking congregations to invite them to preach. I just really thought, there was nothing I could offer anyway and didn’t feel comfortable filling the space behind the pulpit unless I had an auxiliary appointment to go with it, so I probably did push aside the gentle call of the Spirit a few times because I wasn’t willing to investigate too deeply.
Rom 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
When I was growing up….when my parents called me…if I were in hearing distance or they knew I were in hearing distance…..then my job was to answer. If I hem-hawed around and pretended not to hear them because I wanted to play a little longer…and they found out about it….then I would be facing some kind of trouble. It didn’t matter how “sorry” or repentant I was at getting caught, the punishment was swift and I learned to quickly answer the next time they called.
We have many CALLS in our lives. The call to repentance, the call to holiness, the call to “Go Ye”, the call to unite with the Body of Christ through Covenant”…. and as we have “heard” each and every call, there were times we may have wanted to “play” a little longer and pretended to ignore the Spirit’s call to lay down this world’s playthings and pick up the tools of spiritual maturity. And pretending not to hear usually brings trouble into our lives….trouble caused by our own hands.
Have you ever had a crisis in your life when you needed immediate help, only to find a barrier standing in your way? In real life, it may have been a dead cell phone battery right when you had a flat tire. The dead cell phone battery is not the fault of the persons you are trying to call for help, but of the person who neglected to keep the battery charged. The Holy Ghost is calling us to draw nearer to God and each time we pretend not to hear, our spiritual spark dies a little more without our even noticing it….until we suddenly look around and wonder what happened to our connection?! It wasn’t God that moved; we had caused the disconnect.
Now that I am called to preach, I looked back to see if I had ignored the call. I didn’t think I did. I guess I thought I probably was called to teach (with an occasional preach thrown in when a leadership position required it) but didn’t see myself as precisely a full time “minister”. I had often marveled at how ministers had confidence in asking congregations to invite them to preach. I just really thought, there was nothing I could offer anyway and didn’t feel comfortable filling the space behind the pulpit unless I had an auxiliary appointment to go with it, so I probably did push aside the gentle call of the Spirit a few times because I wasn’t willing to investigate too deeply.
I knew that anointing came with an appointment….I just didn’t realize the enormity of the anointing (and the compelling) that came with the call. I underestimated that one.
Last night during a CPMA Thanksgiving service I shared that when I was called to preach (when it finally came to my attention and I said yes) that I have felt something different. The only way I can explain it is that I feel like I did when I was first “born again”….like the song says “It feels like I’m born again, It feels like I’m living…for the very first time. It feels like I’m breathing, It feels like I’m moving… for the very first time.”
That probably sounds very dorky or very suspicious. I have been saved, sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost for a long time and have been actively, cheerfully, willingly involved in The Church of God for a long time….so how do I feel “born again”? Perhaps someone with a wiser head can explain that one to me. I hope this lasts for a long time.
I’m still not confident and still fairly shy about filling that space behind the pulpit. I was somewhat despondent at the Minister’s Convention (my first one as a lay-minister) upon hearing all the good preaching and wondering what in the world I’ve gotten my self into!!! Then I was given the little certificate that gave me the authority to be a licensed minister and I felt that feeling again! Yep, that’s what I am to do!
So when I consider my utter lack of experience, wisdom, and abilities...I console myself with these scriptures.
1Co 1:26-29 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.
Well, there we go ; ) ….....To God be the Glory!
Last night during a CPMA Thanksgiving service I shared that when I was called to preach (when it finally came to my attention and I said yes) that I have felt something different. The only way I can explain it is that I feel like I did when I was first “born again”….like the song says “It feels like I’m born again, It feels like I’m living…for the very first time. It feels like I’m breathing, It feels like I’m moving… for the very first time.”
That probably sounds very dorky or very suspicious. I have been saved, sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost for a long time and have been actively, cheerfully, willingly involved in The Church of God for a long time….so how do I feel “born again”? Perhaps someone with a wiser head can explain that one to me. I hope this lasts for a long time.
I’m still not confident and still fairly shy about filling that space behind the pulpit. I was somewhat despondent at the Minister’s Convention (my first one as a lay-minister) upon hearing all the good preaching and wondering what in the world I’ve gotten my self into!!! Then I was given the little certificate that gave me the authority to be a licensed minister and I felt that feeling again! Yep, that’s what I am to do!
So when I consider my utter lack of experience, wisdom, and abilities...I console myself with these scriptures.
1Co 1:26-29 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.
Well, there we go ; ) ….....To God be the Glory!
Tammy Washburn - Thanksgiving Devotion - #2
3 comments:
Praise God for yet ANOTHER new birth! ;-)
That last Scripture has brought great comfort to me, the past 3 years in particular. And when Sister Bishop starts in with her moaning how insufficient she is for her work and how unqualified, I start quoting this verse to her again. We're actually better off having no strength, wisdom or might of our own--we're much more usable that way.
So you are basically telling me that there is no hope. ;) Ha! Just kidding. Sis. Bishop is the best....so if Bro. Ard can still feel nervous at the Assembly and Sis. Bishop still feels unqualified...then I can be in good company!
You said you prayed for new souls and new members added to TCOG for every lie told....perhaps we're gonna get new ministers too. Cool huh!
AMEN!!! Praise God for His faithfulness and always providing what is needed for TCOG AND for individual members. TCOG needs new souls, members and ministers and individuals need to be saved, join the church and get active in a ministry--whether it's preaching, teaching, music, prayer warrior, raising godly children, door-to-door witnessing, fund raising, or any of a host of other ministries!
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