When we hear the call of Jesus in our hearts and choose to follow Him our faith is the drip that becomes, or should become, a roar in our lives. God uses the Holy Spirit to touch our hearts and plant a seed that will grow into a new creation. It is our responsibility to help that seed to grow by watering it with the Living Water of God’s Word.
Some people tend toward watering it occasionally, like once or twice every year. Some who feel God leading them into a deeper relationship will water it a few times every month. Those who demand to be His disciples and want an intimate relationship with Him will water that seed every day regardless of what is going on in their lives. On the drive to work, while they are at work they will listen to Bible readings when they can. They will listen to praise and worship music and be in the spirit of worship on their way home.
I’m sure there are some different people who fit into a category in between those that I spoke about in the paragraph above and there are a few who dive deeper into the Scriptures than the disciples I spoke about as well. My point is that we, as Christian believers, fall into all sorts of slots and categories. Some are deeply involved in the mission field, some teach classes at the church, some lead Bible study sessions/classes at their homes and then there are some who have received Jesus and are confused about their role so they don’t do anything with it except attend church…sometimes.
There were people in all of these areas even in the early church but not many. Why do I say this? Because, most of the people in that early church just fifty to one hundred years after Jesus was taken up to Heaven were Jewish converts to Christianity. They had the Scriptures that were taught in their synagogues and had learned to have faith in God from their history and the prophets and had been persuaded that their Messiah was Jesus Christ! While it was true that there were also many pagans who had come to know Jesus as their Savior, a good percentage of the early church were, like Paul, converts from Judaism. Their faith was built on the Old Testament and what they had heard from the disciples and Paul himself. Most of them had unshakable faith.
The church today has become more “flexible” in their teachings and in their faith which can be a good thing but in some areas of the “message” flexibility can be a bad thing. Because it can lead many to believe that they can live like a Christian and not commit deeply to it. Being “like a Christian” is like being “sorta pregnant”, it doesn’t work that way! You either are or you’re not!
When God invites you into an adventure it’s a special moment, a divine moment . . . an eternal moment. You won’t get many. So, be prepared. Be ready with a quick, “Yeah, dad. Totally.”
If you have ever felt that God was calling you to do something…do it. Don’t argue with Him like so many children do with their parents and grandparents today. Sometimes what He calls us to do for His Kingdom doesn’t feel like a “safe” thing to do. Consider what Moses did or what David did. One had left Egypt because he had committed a murder of an Egyptian. One came to bring his brothers some food from home and found a giant of a man mocking the army of Israel and their God. Both of them felt the Spirit calling them to do something that was dangerous and outside of their comfort zones. In David’s case, the need was apparent and immediate. He did something about Goliath with God’s strength and help the stone that he sent toward Goliath’s head killed the giant.
Moses had lived away from Egypt and the plight of his people for many years before God called him to go and free the Jews from captivity. He didn’t want to do what God asked and he argued with God about his ability to do it but eventually, he did go and God freed the Jewish people from bondage that had lasted for four hundred years.
What does their example tell us today?
Both of them were chosen by God for their purposes and we are as well. Our purpose…your purpose may not be so grand as theirs but to God, it is still important. Each of us has a purpose and sometimes it takes a while for us to be ready for it even if God called us many years ago. Sometimes we run from God the way Jonah did. Sometimes…we just ignore the call and hope that God will choose someone else. But God knows our strengths and our abilities and our calling may be to live our life before someone else so that they will hear Him one day. Our example of living our Christian life every day could be our calling and it could be yours.
Each of us has someone in our circle that might only listen to or pay attention to our example. We might not know who it is but one day in eternity we will. Your calling may be for a large ministry but you don’t think you have the ability. God can take your ability and your resources and multiply them in ways that you can’t imagine. I never imagined that my website would draw as many readers as it has and I pray that it will continue to grow until Jesus comes to set up His Kingdom on Earth. Look around on my site and see if you could do this. If you don’t know Jesus as your Savior, please seek Him out soon because none of us is guaranteed another day.
I don’t know Jesus as my Savior? When Jesus called His disciples, they didn’t know Him either.
I’ve done so many things wrong in my life. Will God even consider saving me? Jesus saved the thief on the cross next to Him. He didn’t ask what he had done or if he was willing to change, he didn’t have time. The thief just asked Jesus to “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus told him “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
I don’t go to church and I’ve never read a Bible. Would God want me? Yes! Jesus came to save the lost, not those who thought they didn’t need Him. God calls us to be His. He chooses us to become His disciples so when you feel His touch in your heart, answer His call because that Is what you are feeling. All it takes is your willingness to say, “Jesus, come into my heart and change me to be Yours.” Then, go to church and read the Bible so you can learn more about your Savior.
I’ve been in church since I was little. I already know Him. But…I feel empty inside. Why? If you still feel an empty feeling inside, even if you’ve been in a Bible-teaching church since you were young, then you may still need to get to know Jesus as your Savior. Being in the church can give us a false sense of safety because we sing the songs and we’ve heard and read most of the Scriptures and you might have felt Him convict you of your need for a Savior, you might’ve just brushed the feeling away. This is when you need to seek Him in the gospels. Pray about your feeling of emptiness and ask Him to come into your heart and fill that place up.
God is moving in the world today bringing many people to Himself for their salvation. Even in places where they can’t go to church or maybe they don’t own a Bible. He is still making a way for them to come to Jesus and know Him as their Savior. If you don’t know or you’re not sure, seek Him at a Christian friend’s house or at a church. Get a Bible and read the gospels of Luke and John and pray that He will show you Who He is and that you need Him. We are very close to the time of the Tribulation foretold in the book of Revelation. Don’t wait. Seek Him today.
The Living Message of Christ 