There is A Calling On Your Life

There is A Calling On Your Life

“Called by God.” (Heb_5:4 KJV)

I was invited to speak at a historic church in the North East, a church that was facing a defining moment in their long history. I realized that showing up and simply preaching a sermon would not be the thing to do –  they were desperately needing a word from God, and they were fully expecting me to bring it. I could sense what the Lord was stirring me to say, and on the plane ride to my destination I took a napkin and wrote down these words.

 “There is a calling on your life; a purpose that God has assigned to you. Thus, you can make a difference. However, this calling is not uncontested. To answer it one must be ready to contend for it against challenges great and plenty. The key will be in keeping your heart open and responsive to God. In the end a great work will have been wrought, and a lasting legacy endowed with the grace of God. Shudder, therefore, at the thought of saying no.”
Sunday arrived I preached a message about answering the call of God upon our lives, and during the sermon I took out the napkin and read what I had written to the congregation. It was a dramatic moment. I could tell immediately that the Lord was speaking to many.

Perhaps He is speaking to you even now.

There is a call of God upon your life; a purpose He has for you; an assignment for which you are uniquely suited. Your life matters. You can make a difference in some way that counts. There are no inconsequential people – and certainly this is true of you. 
History is upon us now in its full measure, and the time has never been more certain than now for men and women to answer the call and deliver the goods.

However, you must know that there is an enemy engaged in war against your soul. The call on your life, and you answering it, pose a great threat to this enemy. Thus, he will oppose you in every way – seen and unseen; subtle and spectacular – so as to turn you from your call, deter you from your cause, and diminish your life’s effectiveness and potential. Do not cooperate with him! Fight the good fight to become the man and woman God created you to be, to fulfill the purpose for which you were born, to achieve the goal toward which you press. Submit yourself to God and He will exalt you. Resist the devil, and he will flee!

Open your heart to God and let Him fill it with His Spirit. He will give you the desire to go the distance once you decide to do so. 
He will honor your dedication by granting you success day by day — here a little, there a little — until at length a great work will have been achieved in you and through you for others.
He will garner your determination with His supply of strength, so that no weapon formed against you will prosper, no lie spoken against you will prevail, no bandit sent to rob you will succeed, and no word or work you do will fall ineffective to the ground. You will triumph as He takes hold of your hand and secures your labors in His Name.

Even now as you read these words the Lord makes this offer to you.

“Here am I, Lord; send me!” This was how Isaiah responded. Won’t you follow his example and do the same? After all — there is a calling on your life.

The world is crucified unto Me, and I unto the world

“The world is crucified unto Me, and I unto the world.”
Luke_14:25-35
Luke_14:26
Jesus did not wish to win disciples by mistake. He would not have men follow him without knowing the terms upon which he would receive them as disciples. 
He therefore told them plainly that he must be everything or nothing; he claims the first place in the heart; even parents and children must be second to him. He must be so paramount that for his sake all other dear ones would be abandoned, if need be, and life itself would be relinquished for love of him. 
Less love to Jesus than this is no love at all. Do we love him with an all-absorbing, masterly affection? If not, we have not yet learned to be his disciples.

Luke_14:27
Still further, our Lord proceeds to lay down the terms of discipleship. His followers must suffer loss and shame, and be willing to do so, or they have not learned the first elements of the faith. 
Jesus denied himself for the good of others, and for the truth’s sake, and so must we, or we cannot be his followers. What say we to this?
Luke_14:28-30
To make a profession of religion and not to consider what it will cost us is to subject ourselves to ridiculous failure. We must give Jesus all our heart, and be willing to suffer for his sake. Can we carry this out by the Spirit’s help? If not, it is better not to profess to be Christians.
Luke_14:33
We may not be called actually to do so, but we must be quite ready to lose all for Jesus’ sake, or else we are not his true followers. What martyrs have actually done we must be willing to do, or we have not the grace of God in us.
Luke_14:35
If Christianity itself could become powerless, of what good would it be? If a man renewed by grace could become like other men, how could he be saved? If the Spirit of God and his regeneration could fail, what would remain? Blessed be God, such a failure shall never occur; but if it could, the result must be final and total destruction.
Php_3:7-11
The apostles and the first believers were ready to sacrifice all things for Jesus; they did not ask to walk with the truth in its silver slippers, but were willing to go through the mire with her. Paul is a notable instance of this, for he says,—Php_3:7-11.
Php_3:11
Better far to die for Christ than live by apostacy. Gain by selling Christ would be deadly loss; loss for him is gain. May the Lord enable us calmly to choose Christ and His cross and to forsake sin and its transitory pleasures. Amen.

This man receiveth sinners

“This man receiveth sinners.”
Luke_15:1-10
Luke_15:1
Then drew near unto him all the publicans or tax-gatherers
Luke_15:1
They filled the inner circle, being anxious to catch every word. The Lord Jesus was so kind and affable, that they felt at home with him. He had none of the repelling pride of the Pharisaic doctors, but his loving interest in the fallen classes, like a loadstone, drew them around him.
Luke_15:2
They formed an outer ring of grumbling spies, carping at all that he said and did. In their zeal to find fault with him, they uttered that which has ever remained as his highest praise. It is for us poor sinners a signal mercy that Jesus does receive the guilty, and commune with them. Let us ask him to receive us again at this moment, and eat with us, for it is still true, that “this man receives sinners.” The cavilling of the Pharisees drew from our Lord that richest of all his gospel parables, which we are now about to read. It is but one picture, though painted in three panels.
Luke_15:7
This first picture describes the joy of the Son of God in mans salvation. He is the Good Shepherd, and cares for each one of his sheep. To rescue the lost, he left the saints and angels in heaven, and traversed this wilderness world. He finds those who are not seeking him, and, with hands of love and shoulders of power, brings them home, making himself and all holy beings glad at the finding of the lost. If for us to be saved gives to the Saviour so muck joy, there must be hope for the very worst. Is it not so?
Luk_15:10
The second picture of the one great parable sets forth the work of the Holy Spirit through the church. Man is a precious thing; he bears the image of God; but he is lost. The Spirit, by the church, seeks the lost treasure. The candle of truth is brought, and much trouble is taken by the preaching of the searching word to seek for the lost. Lost souls are found, and then the church is glad, and God himself, before whom angels stand, is full of rejoicing. Whatever we may do, he values the pieces minted in his own mint, and has no pleasure in their being lost. What comfort it ought to be to anxious souls when they learn that their salvation will give joy to the heart of him whom angels adore. One repenting sinner is more joy to God than a new-made world. Let us return to our loving Lord, and grieve him no more. Those who are once found by divine grace are saved, for the angels would not rejoice prematurely over one who might yet be lost. Heavenly joy is never rash; angels cannot be supposed to have rejoiced too soon. True penitents are saved, and therefore, before they enter heaven holy beings rejoice over them with unalloyed delight, expecting to see them ere long in glory.

To see a sinner saved,
Makes glad th’ angelic choir;
O’erwhelmed with mightier ecstasies
They lift their praises higher.

From every golden string
Sublimer praises sound,
The dead restored to life they sing,
The wandering sinner found—

Found, to be lost no more,
Alive, in life to stay,
And love, and wonder, and adore
Through one eternal day.

“Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies

“Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies.”
- Psa_5:8

Very bitter is the enmity of the world against the people of Christ. Men will forgive a thousand faults in others, but they will magnify the most trivial offence in the followers of Jesus. Instead of vainly regretting this, let us turn it to account, and since so many are watching for our halting, let this be a special motive for walking very carefully before God. 
If we live carelessly, the lynx-eyed world will soon see it, and with its hundred tongues, it will spread the story, exaggerated and emblazoned by the zeal of slander. They will shout triumphantly. “Aha! So would we have it! See how these Christians act! They are hypocrites to a man.” Thus will much damage be done to the cause of Christ, and much insult offered to his name. 
The cross of Christ is in itself an offence to the world; let us take heed that we add no offence of our own. It is “to the Jews a stumblingblock”: let us mind that we put no stumbling blocks where there are enough already. “To the Greeks it is foolishness”: let us not add our folly to give point to the scorn with which the worldly-wise deride the gospel. How jealous should we be of ourselves! 
How rigid with our consciences! In the presence of adversaries who will misrepresent our best deeds, and impugn our motives where they cannot censure our actions, how circumspect should we be! Pilgrims travel as suspected persons through Vanity Fair. 
Not only are we under surveillance, but there are more spies than we know of. The espionage is everywhere, at home and abroad. If we fall into the enemies’ hands we may sooner expect generosity from a wolf, or mercy from a fiend, than anything like patience with our infirmities from men who spice their infidelity towards God with scandals against his people. O Lord, lead us ever, lest our enemies trip us up!

Be ye separate.

“Be ye separate.”
- 2Co_6:17
The Christian, while in the world, is not to be of the world. He should be distinguished from it in the great object of his life. To him, “to live,” should be “Christ.” 
Whether he eats, or drinks, or whatever he does, he should do all to God’s glory. You may lay up treasure; but lay it up in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, where thieves break not through nor steal. You may strive to be rich; but be it your ambition to be “rich in faith,” and good works. You may have pleasure; but when you are merry, sing psalms and make melody in your hearts to the Lord. 
In your spirit, as well as in your aim, you should differ from the world. Waiting humbly before God, always conscious of 
His presence, delighting in communion with him, and seeking to know His will, you will prove that you are of heavenly race. And you should be separate from the world in your actions. If a thing be right, though you lose by it, it must be done; if it be wrong, though you would gain by it, you must scorn the sin for your Master’s sake. 
You must have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. Walk worthy of your high calling and dignity. Remember, O Christian, that thou art a son of the King of kings. 
Therefore, keep thyself un-spotted from the world. Soil not the fingers which are soon to sweep celestial strings; let not these eyes become the windows of lust which are soon to see the King in His beauty-let not those feet be defiled in miry places, which are soon to walk the golden streets-let not those hearts be filled with pride and bitterness which are ere long to be filled with heaven, and to overflow with ecstatic joy.
Then rise my soul! and soar away,
Above the thoughtless crowd;
Above the pleasures of the gay,
And splendours of the proud;
Up where eternal beauties bloom,
And pleasures all divine;
Where wealth, that never can consume,
And endless glories shine.

The Reversions of Jesus

The Reversions of Jesus
When he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me— John_21:19

The First Command
It is deeply significant to notice the reversions of our blessed Lord. The last command that Peter got (John_21:19) was the first that ever broke upon his ear. When Jesus was walking by the sea of Galilee He saw Peter busy at his fishing. It was not the first time that they had met, as we learn from the Gospel of St. John (John_1:42). The Lord had met him and seen his latent strength and given him his new name of rock, but hitherto Peter had been free. It was of that our Lord was thinking when He said: Once thou "walkedst whither thou wouldest" (John_21:18). Peter had no Master then. He was free to go wherever his heart took him. And the first command that Jesus laid on him was "Peter, follow Me," and Peter left his nets and followed Him. Then the Lord of Galilee was risen. In a little while He was going to the Father. He was laying His last commands on the disciples in view of the years that were to come. And the last command He gave to Peter, in that never-to-be-forgotten interview, was the first command that Peter ever got.
The Same Command Came at the End with Deepened Meaning
One thought which springs from such reversions is how words are deepened by the years. How beautifully in this instance is that illustrated. When Peter first heard that word of Christ he was a young man, dreaming the dreams of youth. Conscious of power, he was growing restless at the thought of spending a lifetime dragging nets. And when the Lord said, "Peter, follow Me, and I will make you a fisher of men," He struck home, with His unerring touch, to that slumbering and uneasy discontent. That was what following meant for Peter then. It meant the realization of his dreams. It meant a loftier and nobler service than he could hope for by the sea of Galilee. Peter was like a Highland lad, rebelling at being a tenant farmer all his days, and then one comes and calls him to the ministry. Now the years had passed, and life had come. Peter had been in the Garden of Gethsemane. He had witnessed the suffering of Jesus and learned the necessity of cross-bearing. What a depth of meaning now in the words "Follow me," a depth that he had never dreamed of once, when he first heard the call beside the lake.
And when we come to think of it that is what life does with every one of us. It does not give us new words after the years; it fills the old words with a deeper meaning. Think of the word war, for instance. How little it meant to us twenty years ago. It was a word of history and far-off battlefields, in those quiet and peaceful days. Then came the Great War, pouring its tides into our hearts and homes. And what a depth of meaning we never dreamed of once is wrapped up for us now in the word war. Think of the word mother. When we were young we took the word for granted. We never saw the patience and the sacrifice sleeping in that word mother. Now with the flight of years we understand, and the word is richer by ia thousand times than when it was uttered by the lips of childhood. Life does not come to us with new words. It comes to us with old familiar words. By joy and sorrow, by suffering and striving, it fills them with meanings which once we never saw. And that is just what Jesus did with Peter, when at the end, infinitely deepened, He gave him the first command he ever got.

Return to the Old and Simple Things
Again how often, after life's experience, do we come back to the old and simple things. That is precisely what Simon Peter did under the perfect handling of the Lord. These three years that he had spent with Jesus had been the greatest years of Peter's life. Old things had passed away; they were years of exploration and adventure. Walking with Christ is always a fine adventure; it is a launching out into the deep, and so had it proved itself with Peter. He had been led to a new thought of God; he had fathomed the secret of his Lord; he had stood on the summit of transfiguration; he had eaten the sacramental bread. And now, in the hour of Christ's departure, when he might have looked for something strange and wonderful, he was led back to the old simplicities again. "Follow me" was the earliest word in Galilee, when the morning was beautiful and life was tranquil. Since then the windows of heaven had opened and all the deeps had been broken up. And now, after that spiritual voyaging, Jesus lays on him anew the first command, and leads him back to the old and simple things.
And so does life do in many different ways, often, for instance, in reference to the Bible. From all the glory and the wealth of literature, life brings us back to that old Book again. Need I recall to you Sir Walter Scott, dying beside the music of bagpipes. "Lockhart," he said, "read to me from the Book," and Lockhart answered, "Which book, sir?" And then Scott, the same great heart in dying as he had been in living, said, "My dear, there is only one book." What a poorer world it would be for many of us without the glorious stories of Sir Walter. What a poorer world it would have been for him without his ballads and his Dryden and his Shakespeare. Yet, when the hand of God had touched him, and deep was calling unto deep, 
"My dear, there is only one book." He was back to the old simplicities again. Mortal needs conspired to bring him back. And what mortal needs conspired to do for him Christ did for Simon Peter. He brought him back to the old and simple word which he had heard in the morning by the sea of Galilee, "Follow thou me."

THE DIVIDING LINE

THE DIVIDING LINE

"Lord, when saw we Thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto Thee?"-- Mat_25:44.

WE CAN no longer serve our Lord as they did in the days of His flesh, when they ministered to Him of their substance. But He has left behind His representatives, and whatever we do for them He takes as to Himself. Therefore we are debtors to all men; to every unit of the human family we must pay back a proportion of our infinite debt to the Son of Man from. (Mat_1:14).
The dividing line hereafter will not be a Credal one--not 
"How much do you believe?" Nor even a Devotional one--
"How much did you pray?" But a Practical one--
"What did you do?" 
The Apostle James shows that our faith is evidenced by our works (Jam_2:14-20). It is not enough to say "Lord, Lord!" We must show the same spirit as our Master in love for our fellows, or we shall be rejected at the last.
The Lord's brethren are spread widely through the world. Whenever we meet the hungry and thirsty, the stranger and the homeless, the sick or imprisoned soul, we encounter one whom He calls "Brother" or "'Sister," and to help any such is to send a thrill of joy through the soul of our Redeemer. We must have the quick eyes of love to penetrate the many disguises that our Lord assumes. It is said that when St. Francis was riding across a plain, he saw a leper standing by the roadside, asking for alms. Dismounting, he not only gave to him, but kissed him on the cheek. As he was riding away, he looked back, and saw Christ Himself standing where the beggar had been, and he knew that he had been permitted to kiss his Lord.
Notice that the saints do not generally realise that they have done anything directly for Christ: "Lord, when saw we Thee?" The beauty of goodness is its modesty and unobtrusiveness, as the charm of childhood is its unconsciousness. Notice, also, that in Christ's eyes, it is a crime not to do. Moses says that it is wrong to do wrong; Jesus that it is wrong not to do right. Some were cast away, as men reject weeds, not because they had violated the Ten Commandments, but because they failed to fulfil the Law of Love.
Let us consecrate ourselves to the service of men, women, and children for the sake of Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.

PRAYER
Help us, dear Lord, to minister to the needs of others, to care for the poor and needy, the destitute and outcast, to show our love to Thee by our sympathy and help to the least of Thy brethren. AMEN.