Gen.12:1 – Now the LORD said to Abram,
“Go forth from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you;
Rom.1:1 – Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle,
The Bible is filled with this concept of being called by God. In today’s verses we see the calling of Abraham and the calling of the Apostle Paul. They both had encounters with God, both were called out of their world, and both were given a task by God. Christianity is all about the calling of God. We are called out of the world, called to be with Jesus, and called to a specific task. Actually the word used for church in the New Testament literally means the called out ones. That is who we are. This is how Barclay describes God’s calling on the Apostle Paul.
“Paul describes himself as called to be an apostle. In the Old Testament, the great figures were those who heard and answered the call of God. Abraham heard the call of God. Moses answered God’s call. Jeremiah and Isaiah were prophets because, almost against their will, they were compelled to listen to and to answer the call of God. Paul never thought of himself as a man who had aspired to an honor; he thought of himself as a man who had been given a task. Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You did not choose me but I chose you’. Paul thought of life not in terms of what he wanted to do but in terms of what God meant him to do. He had received a task. He was set apart to be the apostle to the Gentiles. Paul knew himself to be chosen not for special honor but for special responsibility. He knew that God had set him apart, not for glory but for toil.”
So how does this effect us? We are called out of the world; its culture, its attitude, its sinful practices; this is no longer where we live. We are called to walk with Jesus. He has brought us out of the world first to just be with Him. Finally, we have a specific role to play in His kingdom. As you embrace Him and His word His kingdom plan for you will become clear. We are the called out ones chosen by God to follow Him at this critical moment in history.
2 thoughts on “CALLED BY GOD”
Funny, in that initial yes Lord response we have very limited understanding, yet the new sense that is awakened wants very much to go do some exploring. As the seasons of our life continue to unfold, our experiences place challenges on our resolve which James 1 says is meant to strengthen our bond with the Lord. Not from His aspect, but from ours, and a necessary part of our growth producing a greater understanding about the chosen, set apart application.
Amen!!! I love ❤️ the simplicity, but yet the profoundness, and powerfulness of we are called HIS he choose us !!! Thank you JESUS 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🎶🎶🎶🎶🎵🎵🎵🎵