I realize that my last post was pretty long, but another thought occurred to me yesterday while thinking about the Spurgeon quote. The Spartans were also able to make their stand - and fight to the last man - because they believed they were doing what they were made to do. It was their calling in life - not simply their job.
Preachers should share this same sense of calling. Being a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a career choice; it is a vocation - a calling. Consider the words of the apostle Paul:
But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles...(Gal 1:15-16a NASB)
Paul believed that God had set him apart for ministry before he was even born!
Consider the calling of Jeremiah: Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations." (Jer 1:4-5 NASB)
God calls us. If God has not called us, we should not presume to take the office of pastor on ourselves. It is risky. "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment." (Jam 3:1 NASB)
Let us search our hearts and make certain of our calling. Let us remain where God plants us and move only at His command (rather than hold this office while sending out resumes to the next 'bigger and better' position). We are doing what God created us to do!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment