Here I am LORD...

What is a calling? Some may think only our pastors, the clergy receive a call. But that is far from the truth.  Looking back over Scripture, reading the stories of the great people who were touched by the Hand of God we realize God calls many of us to join Him in His work.

"Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence..." Ezra 7:23

When we feel the call of God on our lives, it is time to pray diligently and with purpose. How can we recognize a call; what does it feel or look like?  It would be nice if we simply woke up one morning and knew without a doubt God was up to something and immediately we understood what to do next.

God doesn't often work that way.  We might get out of bed, go through our day and not have a clue why we have feelings of unrest or anxious moments. We might think we are only having side-effects from the extravagant dinner the night before. But sometimes, it is much more significant than that.

Some of us sense an urgency or a nudge to pray and ask God for answers to the unrest in our souls. When there is a deep longing in our hearts for something undefinable God may be calling us to move out. When God begins to move us in the direction he wants us to go, it can be unsettling until we recognize and open up our lives to the possibilities He is setting before us.

We must understand that whatever it is God is preparing us for, it will be life-changing; our lives and others will be impacted by our ability to discern and our willingness to trust and obey.

"Because the hand of the LORD my God was on me, I took courage." Ezra 7:28

Oh, be sure to journal this adventure because one day you will want to look back and see just how God spoke into your life and then you will want to tell others.

Ezra 7:21-28

Ready or Not...

Matthew 4:19-20 (NIV)  "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."  At once they left their nets and followed him.

When I was a kid, my father used to call me to the house by whistling.  He was able to emit a loud, piercing; almost siren like sound and all four of us kids would come running when heard.  We might be on the other block, but we would hear it, in fact we would subconsciously listen for it.  There were big consequences when we didn't respond in a timely manner.

Do we still hear those in authority calling us? Do we respond in the same way, running toward the voice and shouting as we do, "Coming."

A call from Jesus can come at any time in our lives.  We might be fresh out of college and ready to enter the workplace, putting our degree to work for us. We are excited and think we are prepared for the next phase of life.  We might hear an inaudible, "come follow me," and are stopped in our tracks.

The question now or the take-away from today's Word is this, has there been a calling on your life? Have you responded yet?  Did you recognize it, or are you still trying to decipher it?  Maybe there is some denial going on and you are still hedging.  Our calling isn't always clear.  Sometimes God spends years preparing us for the work He created us for.

But, to use a saying I heard years ago, "God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called." When God calls us into service, when he convicts us to step out in faith and follow a dream and use our gifts, he doesn't close the door behind, but goes with us.


Matthew 4:18-25

Matthew 4:18-22

When my sister and I were kids we were known in the neighborhood for the way our father called us in for supper.  He would whistle loudly and we would come running.  I always wanted to learn how to whistle like that, real loud, but never mastered that art.  But, when I would hear the shrill sound over the back yards I knew better than to tarry.

Often we would go home, but once there we would attempt to negotiate and see if we couldn't convert our reasoning into some more playing time. It usually didn't work.

"Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him." (Matthew 11:22)

The scripture today is talking about a different type of call.  Jesus is calling His disciples, not by a whistle, but by love and trust and faith.  Jesus called them and they immediately followed.  Wow, immediately they followed Him.  What does that say; what does that tell us about the character of Jesus and of the men he selected.  I have no doubt but that Jesus spent time praying over the men He was to call.

I love the word 'call' and the context it is used.  Many do not believe in being called, but if you have ever had a job you loved and felt so content, happy, equipped and satisfied you know what that is.  When you get up in the morning anticipating the joy you will experience on your job; sensing that you are exactly where God wants you to be, you my friend have been called.

Read Matthew 4:18-22 here.  Listen to Matthew 4:18-22 here.