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#1
11-01-2008, 12:36 AM
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So you want God to use you?
So you want God to call you? Is there any of you that want God to call you to do something for Him? Maybe preach, sing, witness or just talk to someone about the Bible. Well, as Christians in order to God to call us we need to be in the position to be called. I was listening to a sermon by Dr. Ruckman about a week ago talking about God calling people. He said something like maybe some of you are wondering why God has not called you…maybe you are not in calling distance. AMEN to that. I believe if we want God to call us we should first be in a place to be called. That means we need to get our testimony straightened up. We need to sow to the spirit and not the flesh. Get right with God! Do away with the things that are keeping you from reading your Bible and praying to God. Is your life consumed with politics? Are you worried about who will win the election? Is it keeping you from having fellowship with God? Do not worry about it. God is in control. Pray about it and do not let that TV have control over your life. Instead of watching McCain and Obama rant and rave, why don’t you get in that King James Bible and study it or pray for those Missionaries that your church supports. To those who are not married and maybe even to the married. Maybe lust is taking control of you. Maybe you have a woman or man that is straying you away from God…or maybe you are straying them away from God. Straighten up that relationship and know that God is watching. Avoid those sexual ads and TV commercials that show half naked women in their bathing suit. Quit putting yourself in the position to sin. Call on God when you are faced with things you cannot handle yourself. God can handle it. Quote verses when you are faced with temptation. Submit to God! James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Maybe you are consumed with reading secular books, video games or worldly music. Why read books about witchcraft, lust and worldly things that will not amount to a hill of beans when you die when you could be studying the word of God and getting blessings that will stick with you all of your life. Maybe you get in your car and the radio comes on and there is a secular song that satisfies your flesh. Turn it off and get yourself some Gospel Hymn tapes and CD’s. How is God going to call you to do something for Him if you are living in the world and enjoying the things of the flesh? Run to God and give Him your life completely. Consume your life with God and His word. Who are you serving today, Christian? God or the world Matthew 6:24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” The next thing you need to do for God to call you is simple. You need to want to be called. Pray that God uses you. Pray that God helps you straighten up your life, so you can serve Him without any interruptions. Do you want to preach? Do something about it! Study the Bible and pray that God shows you something in it. Do you want to witness? Go out on the streets, knock on doors, make conversation. This next verse is a blessing... Acts 22:10 "And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do." You see what the Lord said to Paul? Arise and Go! Then God will give you something to do and He will provide. Quit sitting around and do something. Get right and do something for God. You might not have long to do it because the Lord might come tomorrow. Revelation 22:20 “.. Surely I come quickly..” I hope this message will be a blessing to those that read it. I encourage you all to live for the Lord and keep a good testimony. Love in Christ and God Bless you all,
Your Brother in Christ, Cody |
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#2
11-01-2008, 08:31 AM
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cody1611 has "...well spoken..."(Deut. 18:17).
As most have realized, by viewing my posts, I have a tendency to "ramble on and on and on and........" However, I thought the following article I wrote, perhaps a year or so after the LORD God saved me from "...the wages of sin...death"(Romans 6:23), might be germane to the thread discussion, and I thus provide FYE(For Your Edification): Priorities By John M.Whalen (bold/underline my emphasis) The world "compartmentalizes" the LORD God in the priorities in life. The investment/business world refers to this as the "Wheel of Life", typically dividing priorities into broad classes such as, 1. Financial and Career, 2. Physical and Health, 3. Family and Home, 4. Mental and Educational, 5. Spiritual and Ethical, and 6. Social and Cultural. This idea is usually conveyed/pictured as a "pie chart". I provide the following quote from a sales seminar I attended that I feel best characterizes this view, which the Bible refers to as "...the spirit of the world...."(1 Corinthians 2:12), and is a trait of the unsaved, those who are "...in Adam..." and not "...in Christ...."(1 Corinthians 15:22), walking "...according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.... fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind...."(Ephesians 2:2,3): "Your God-given potential gives you the right and responsibility to choose goals and set priorities in all areas of your life. That is why YOU is placed prominently in the center of the Wheel of Life. No one else knows which goals are most appropriate, and no one else should dictate your priorities.....You lose control over what happens to you if you allow decisions to be made for you by someone else." -from "Effective Personal Productivity", by Paul J. Meyer What is wrong with "this picture?" Everything, according to the word of God! Notice that "I" is at the center of priorities. And notice the 5 "I"s of Isaiah 14:13, the sin of Satan, which has as it's root pride-a desire for independence and self-glory/self-exaltation instead of focusing on dependence on God and the exaltation of God to bring glory to him. The first sin, and all subsequent sins, was rebellion against authority-the imparted right to bring the power of another into operation-"Who gets to rule whom? Who is in charge? Who has the final say?" The primary trait of our sinful nature is thus self centered ness, or pride, as manifested in the sin of rebellion against authority, which is a satanic principle: "...I will ascend into heaven....I will exalt my throne above the stars of God....I will set my throne upon the mount of the congregation....I will ascend above the heights of the clouds...I will be like the most High". Isaiah 14;13,14 "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king." 1 Samuel 15:23 Pride is pre-occupation with self and focuses on the concerns of one's well-being, thoughts, interests, comforts, and pleasure. Reflect on the root of all the problems that are in the world now and in the past. That root is pride. Man's sinful nature, his "flesh", is in rebellion against God and his authority. Man's inherited sinful nature and inclination is to: -rule his own life(independence): "Shalt thou indeed reign over us?" Genesis 37:8(to Joseph) "...Who made thee a prince and judge over us?" Exodus 2:14, Acts 7:27(to Moses) "We will not have this man to reign over us". Luke 19:14(to the Lord Jesus Christ) "We have no king but Caesar". John 19:15(to Pilate) "...now make us a king to judge us like all nations....they said; Give us a king to judge us....And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them". 1 Samuel 8:5-7(to Samuel) -collect treasures for himself -praise his own strength and ability -trust in his own wisdom, and not God and His wisdom as revealed in His written word(which is the only source for truth and authority) "In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes." Judges 17:6, 21:25 "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise". Proverbs 12:15 "All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits". Proverbs 16:2 "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts". Proverbs 21:2 "There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness". Proverbs 30:12 "Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight"! Isaiah 5:21 Jeremiah 9:23,24 answers these characteristics of the proud person, the focus on "I", as it is written: "Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD". Riches, fame, power, pride of owning "stuff", physical beauty, career ambition, etc., are priorities that the Bible terms as the affections and the lust of the flesh(Galatians 5:16,5:24; Ephesians 2:3, 4:22; 1 Timothy 6:9; 2 Timothy 2:22, 3:6; Titus 3:3), "worldly lusts"(Titus 2:12), and are contrary to the Spirit of God(Galatians 5:16,17), as it is written: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." 1 John 2:15,16 "...And be not conformed to this world...." Romans 12:2 " If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." Colossians 3:1-3 None of these " worldly priorities" give our lives any purpose and meaning-nor can we find any eternal satisfaction in them, for "...the eyes of man are never satisfied"(Proverbs 27:20). Regarding our purpose and meaning, understand that God's definition of purpose/meaning, or "success" is opposed to man's definition of success. Man's conception of success perhaps is best summarized by the old saying "eat, drink, and be merry", or by the apostle Paul's conclusion (if there is no resurrection) "...let us eat and drink...."(1 Cor. 15:32), the commercials "Rock on!", or "go for all the gusto". Man spends almost every waking moment attempting to achieve this end, this "success"- on seeking that which pleases the flesh, on focusing on how much he can gather during his short stay on earth. This is man's idea of "success", of "accomplishment". The world bombards us with the message "Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps", "Make something of yourself", "Get Ahead"............................ You may ask, "What could be wrong with this"? And the reason most ask this question(instead of asking "Is this right?") is that most have been "brainwashed", deceived by Satan, "...the god of this world....(2 Corinthians 4:4), "...the prince of this world....(John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11), "... the prince of the power of the air....(Ephesians 2:2), with this message all their life, primarily through the medium of television(did you ever think about the purpose of TV: to get you to want something you do not have, through advertising/commercials?=covetousness-read Colossians 3:5). Is not it important to "climb the corporate ladder", "make something out of myself"? According to the LORD God of the Bible, there is everything wrong with you("I") trying to make something out of yourself. In the eyes of the LORD, the only success He considers worthy of mentioning is that which He makes a success in and through you for His glory, and only as it is relative to and "...concerning his Son Jesus Christ....(Romans 1:3). Notice: "And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." Genesis 11:4 vs. "And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:" Genesis 12:2 We read in the first chapter of Genesis that God created man in His own image, i.e., man was created to reflect the glory of God. The glory of God centers on who He is and what He does-it is the true demonstration of His character, His attributes, His moral purity and perfection. This glory of God is revealed when we see His mercy, grace, love, kindness, forbearance, righteousness, holiness(the most prominent attribute of God's character as revealed in His word-not love)...........Therefore, when the Bible testifies that the LORD God created man "...for my glory...."(Isaiah 43:7), this means that man was created to be the vessel, the channel, by which and through which God would display His glory- we were made to reflect the greatness of God(not us) through our praise of Him, our exaltation of Him, our satisfaction in Him, our believing what He says, our dependence on Him, our faithfulness to Him, and understanding that He can satisfy our needs and desires far better than we can, and that He Himself is ultimately the satisfaction of our needs and desires. . Adam rebelled when he took delight in his own wisdom("...ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil"(Genesis 3:5), declared independence from God, and doubted God's goodness, and thus belittled the glory of God-when he sinned, he stopped reflecting God's glory, and thus the purpose for which he was created. And since this time Adam's sin has been passed on to all, for "And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness..."(Gen. 5:3), and is termed in the Bible as "...in Adam...."(1 Cor. 15:22). Paul expounds upon this theme when he says: "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God". Romans 3:23 The glory of God also refers to God's exalted standing, reputation, value, or esteem in other people's eyes(see Jeremiah 13:11). We glorify God when we acknowledge, by words or actions, that He is more important than we are, and that what he wants is more important than what we want, i.e., His will be done, not ours. This should be the abiding principle of our lives-choosing His way rather than our way. When someone tells me "I do not have enough time", I wonder if the person who says this realizes that almost everyone says "I do not have enough time". It seems that nobody has enough time. Ponder this: What if God were to say to me, "I do not have enough/any time for you". There is never "enough time"-there is always more that we want to do than there is time to do it. Glorifying God means setting aside what we want to do, or feel that "we need to do", in order to do what the LORD God wants us to do. And part of this is getting to know Him through His word-his revelation of Himself to us. This means setting priorities-making God's glory your main priority, even if that means separating yourself from the hustle/bustle and time pressures of this fast-paced world to spend time with God-worshipping Him, praising Him, thanking Him, walking with Him. Is not God Himself much more important than the things of the world which He created? Is not God Himself more important than anything we can do for Him? True, sometimes we display His importance by what we try to do for Him, but always we should demonstrate his value to us by choosing to walk in fellowship with Him. What is your priority? Nobody seems to have enough time, money (ever notice that this includes millionaires?), entertainment..............Glorifying God means relying on Him, trusting in Him, not only for our salvation, but for satisfying our needs. Viewed in this light, the "tribulations"(tribulation in the Bible means "pressure") we face are should not be disheartening. Rather, they are an opportunity to glorify God in a way that we could not before. Is not it easy to trust God, or at least say you do, when you have a lot of money, good health, good family, etc.? But are not you placing Him in higher esteem, glorifying Him more when you thank Him, praise Him, and worship Him, when you are in difficulty and pain? Did not the Lord Jesus Christ praise His Father in heaven even when He was on the cross? It is no great feat to give God your time when you have "a lot of it", but you exalt him higher when you give Him time while you feel absolutely crushed by the seemingly un endless, urgent demands surrounding you. What is your priority? The ultimate demonstration of His glory is demonstrated in the attributes of His love and righteousness as displayed at Calvary. He sent "...his only begotten Son...."(John 3:16), the Lord Jesus Christ, to both vindicate the Father's name(Romans 3:24-26), and to pay for the wages of sin, which is death(Romans 6:23), by dieing in our place for our sins(Romans 5:8, 1 Cor. 15:3, Galatians 1:14). The "ultimate" success, the Lord Jesus Christ, was a success on earth for one reason: He gave Himself unreservedly to be used of His Father for His glory: " Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name...." John 12:27,28 " I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do". John 17:4 "Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work". John 4:34 The Lord Jesus Christ's joy was knowing that he was finishing the work His Father had given Him-he delighted in doing His Father's will(Psalms 40:8,Matthew 26:39, Hebrews 10:7), all for the glory of God. It was not just His duty, His obligation- it was His food, His delight, to do the work His Father had given Him-and that work was to glorify His heavenly Father. The Lord Jesus Christ on earth, by his own admission, did nothing of His own volition: "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works". John 14:10 True success is no different than it was for the Lord Jesus Christ, when He humbled himself and allowed the Father to work in Him and through Him for 33 years on earth, depending on His father for everything, and all for one end-the glory of God. We are only a true success when we are used as vessels to outwardly display the life of Christ in us to a dying, cursed, evil, sinful world, all to the glory of God. It is not "...I , but Christ liveth in me..."(Galatians 2:20, Romans 8:10, 2 Corinthians 13:5, Ephesians 3:17, Colossians 1:27) is doing this through us, "...all to the glory of God"(1 Corinthians 10:31), which we do "..all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him"(Colossians 3:17). God is glorified when "I" stays in the background. The apostle Paul stated this truth this way: " According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death". Philippians 1:20 . This is the only time we are successful-anything we do apart from Christ doing it in us and through us for God's glory is nothing. "I" is not the issue. The issue is spreading His glory. Notice that in glorifying/magnifying God, Paul found a worthy reason for living that transcended death, and tells us, in no uncertain terms, that glorifying God should be the goal of our life: . " For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 1 Corinthians 6:20 " Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31 Paul places God's glory as the motivation, the touchstone, by which we should decide what we do. When a purpose is your rationale or basis for what should be done or not done, it is"de facto"( De facto is a Latin expression that means "in fact" or "in practice", commonly used as opposed to de jure [meaning "by law"] when referring to matters of law or governance or technique [such as standards], that are found in the common experience as created or developed without or against a regulation) what you live for. For example, when you decide your actions by what will bring you the most money, you are living for money. Paul, then, is telling us that we should be living to glorify God. This is an alien concept in a world that seeks to place man and his needs above God, whether that is the secular world promoting a "social gospel", or the so-called Christian world that promotes a "prosperity gospel"-both are focused on "pampering the flesh", and not on bringing glory to God through the gospel of Christ. The Bible's testimony is also clear that the LORD God is the only source of real joy and meaning in life-He is the giver of life, the sustainer of life, and the fulfiller of life-He is life. Only in Him can a man be satisfied, and only in Him does man find life and meaning.(Psalms 37:4, 145:15-19; Ecclesiastes 2:11; John 10:10, 17:3). And He has created us to find true joy and satisfaction only in Him through a relationship with Himself. As we seek to place Him at the center of our lives, above our family, above our friends, above our jobs, above our material possessions, and, most importantly, above ourselves("I"), and not place him in a "compartment" to be visited once a week at "church", as we seek to live for His glory, our lives take on real purpose and significance, and we experience real joy, "...joy in the LORD...."(Isaiah 29:13). You cannot have a relationship with God unless you know Him. Think on this. How can I have a relationship with my dad if I do not know him? How can I have a relationship with my Brothers and sisters in Christ, if I do not know them? I cannot. Likewise, I cannot have a relationship with God if I do not know Him. And you cannot know the LORD God apart from His revelation of Himself in the written word, and the revelation of Himself in the living word-the Lord Jesus Christ. The main purpose of salvation , according to scripture, is God's glory. One of the "means to an end" of salvation is eternal life: Jn. 3:15,16, 3:36,4:14,5:24-29,5:39-49,6:33,6:40.10:28,11:25-26,14:6,17:2-3,; Acts 13:46; Romans 5:9-10, 5:17-18,5:21, 6:22-23, 11:14-15; 2 Tim. 1:1, 1:8-10,Hebrews 5:8-9). And one of the goals of eternal life is so that we might have all eternity to know the one true God and His glorious Son, the "...Lord of glory...."(1 Cor. 2:8), the Lord Jesus Christ: "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent". John 17:1-3 This is a constant theme-read Romans 11:33, Eph, 3:17-19. The knowledge of God as a purpose for man, with the ultimate "end" of this goal being God's glory is all throughout scripture. Read Isaiah 11:9, Hab. 2:14, Jeremiah 31:34. I ask all believers, and non-believers: "What is your priority"? What do you delight in? What do you find yourself talking about the most? What do you orient your life around? What is it, or who is it, that determines your activities? Who is the object of your love? Is the answer the LORD God? In Christ and with Christ, In the Lord, John M. Whalen |
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#3
11-01-2008, 10:23 AM
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Through my personal trial, God has taught me that the Christian life is not in my “doing,” but it in my “being.” Being a follower of Christ results in doing, even from a wheelchair! I am truly blessed and thankful to be in a literal position of not being able to do very much, because it has stripped me of self and taught me to trust in the sufficiency and the preeminence of Jesus Christ. The passage He used to speak to my heart at my lowest point in life was in John. John 15:1-5 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. The teaching of abiding in Christ is not limited to our initial salvation (receiving Christ), but to our entire Christian life. Abiding in Christ includes both our “positional” relationship and our “operational” relationship. In other words, our being results in our doing. “For without Him we can do nothing, but through Him, we can do all things.” “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Think about His parable in John 15. A branch does absolutely nothing except abide in the vine, receive the care of the vinedresser, soak up the Sun, and bear fruit. In like manner, we should abide in the True Vine, receive care from the Vinedresser, soak up the Son, and bear fruit, more fruit, and much fruit. In our Christian life, we often develop a mindset that it’s our responsibility to “produce” the fruit by doing instead of simply being. We plan, work, strive, labor, and commit to doing our part, instead of abiding in Christ and yielding the fruit He desires to produce in our lives. As a result, we fail to live a life that is simply directed by Christ. I am not suggesting we “will” do nothing, I am saying we “can” do nothing. When we truly comprehend “without Him I can do nothing” we “will” begin doing something genuine and yielding the fruit He desires to bring forth in our life. If we abide in Christ—husband, will you love your wife as Christ loved the Church? Wife, will you submit to your own husband as unto the Lord? Children will you obey your parents in the Lord? And parents will you train your children in the way they should go? Will you tell others about Jesus Christ? Will you love others? Will you have an effective prayer life? Will you possess inner joy? Will you think on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report? Will you rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, give thanks in everything, abstain from the appearance of evil, and hold fast to that which is good? Will you keep His commandments? Would you rather compile a list of duties and through drive and discipline attempt to keep that list? Or would you rather abide in Christ and bear much fruit? So what are we left with doing? Colossians 2:6-10 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: I pray that my “puny” attempt to share this truth encourages you and others to simply, Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. |
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#4
11-01-2008, 11:04 AM
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#5
11-01-2008, 11:40 AM
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I heard it said at a Ladies' Retreat that you can't abound unless you abide. Even in the most overwhelming situations.......for example, a time of fleeing and escape as Moses and the Israelites prepared to cross the Red Sea in Exodus 14:13-14 and a time of war as the Moabites invaded Judah in 2 Chronicles 20:15, 17..... God instructed the leaders (Moses and Jehoshaphat, respectively) to tell the people a)not to fear b)to stand still and c)that the battle was the Lord's. Those instructions run completely contrary to man's "wisdom" and it's hard for most people to do nothing in a crisis. It becomes a faith-building exercise, to rely on our Heavenly Father to protect us. Just a rambling response that brought previous experiences to mind as I read Forrest's post. 
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