Responding to God's Call

 July 27, 2024

Saturday

Have you ever thought that putting yourself down is an act of humility? Well, it isn't.

Putting yourself down can be as arrogant as telling others how great you are. Both are a focus on self. Humility is selflessness.

That's not the same as a description of your strengths and weaknesses. There are times when this is called for. It only needs to be announced when you are assessing whether you can accomplish something.

Okay, but are your strengths and weaknesses what you think they are? Do you evaluate these by what you like to do or do you evaluate them by what others tell you or do you evaluate them by the results? The answer is: None of the above.

Moses was called by God to lead His people out of Egypt. Moses looked at his abilities and determined that he couldn't do it. Yet, Moses abilities were given by God for a purpose. The abilities would change with the purpose. 

Some people say that Moses stuttered. This is an embarrassing disability that affects many. Yet, there are preachers who stutter who have done remarkable things. There are preachers with cerebral palsy who have given messages of hope and salvation to millions. Our abilities are given by God for a purpose. The very thing we think is disabling may be the very thing that enables us to do what God has called us to do.

Gideon was called by God to lead God's people against the Midianites. He saw his abilities in his family's stature. He was from the smallest of the small, how could he lead the people. After making sure that this was indeed God's call, he did exactly what God called him to do. 

How many people have come from impossible backgrounds to accomplish impossible things for God? They did so because God had a purpose for them that was beyond their background. DL Moody was uneducated but believed God called him. He often preached with bad grammar to thousands of people. Ultimately, God used him mightily. His uneducated background did not hold him back.

Joseph told his brothers and parents that they would all bow down to him someday. That was a vision given to him by God in a dream. He believed it. He did not know God's purpose in this at the time. It was arrogance to dwell on himself. Yet, God used even this to cause events that would lead to Joseph being the second in command in Egypt and ultimately save his family. In the end Joseph was a very humble man but it came after he had gone through severe trials. When he was brought before Pharaoh he did not claim an ability on his own but said that God would give Pharaoh the answer to his dreams.

Who we are in terms of our abilities, backgrounds and visions are inconsequential to God's purpose for us. Whether we write the "Purpose Driven Life" to be read by millions or clean a small country church is inconsequential to our value before God. God can make a donkey speak. It isn't about the speaker but God who calls and enables through the obedience of those He calls.

I have said many times: God has great things planned for His people. This is true but I failed to recognize what great things are. Great things are doing what God has called each of us to do. Whatever that is, we simply do it for His glory and His glory is always a great thing.

Each day we either ignore or answer God's call. The answer is not according to our abilities. God calls us to give Him glory today.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NASB 2020) ¹¹ For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.