02/25/2017
When I am called by God do I respond with reservation in my voice? Do I tremble as I step forward? Or, does my fear for self prohibit me from stepping forward at all? These are the things I contemplate this morning.
In order to gauge my willingness to serve God with total confidence in His provision, I only need to look at the life of Jesus. He was born to nothing and had nothing. God provided for Him... He sent the Magi with gifts that might sustain Him in His youth, and thus began God's provision. Jesus received as He needed... all this He did that we might receive riches in glory.
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”
2 Corinthians 8:9 ESV
So if Jesus trusted so completely then what am I to do? I am to trust in God likewise. When I think of trusting in the Lord, I can't help but think of my Mother in law's favorite scripture. She quoted it over and over again in her final days and it not only gave her strength, but it strengthened the entire family...
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”
Proverbs 3:5 ESV
Maintaining absolute trust in God gives us courage to do the hard things in life. It reassures us that God is good and will protect and provide for us in those things He calls us to do. In trusting God we find calm in the midst of the storm and a light in the darkest night. Oswald Chambers was speaking of a pastor responding to God's call when he wrote these words, but he could have been speaking of any one of us...
""Suppose God wants me to go there - what about the salary? What about the climate? How shall I be looked after? A man must consider these things." All that is an indication that we are serving God with a reserve. The apostle Paul had no reserve."
Paul followed his call to teach the gospel of Jesus into the storm, and to places of desolation, and of danger; but, he never wavered and gave of himself freely, without concern for his safety.
“I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less?”
2 Corinthians 12:15 ESV
Answering the call of God requires us to trust him. We must have total confidence that he will provide and save us in the face of eminent suffering, or death.
“"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation."”
Isaiah 12:2 ESV
If we believe these things then there is no call that we can't answer. If we believe in these things then there is nothing we can't face with courage. If we believe in these things God's peace will be with us before the Pharaoh, in the Lion's den, or at the cross. God's will should be paramount in our lives, and if so, all else falls away in the face of it. If we remain in that will... our fears never surface and God's glory shines from within us; there will be no reservation in our voice, and we will boldly step forward at His call.
Prayer:
Father, teach me to be courageous and give me confidence in your provision for me. When my voice quivers, whisper strength in my ear and calm my spirit. Lord, never let me doubt that you are with me and that your hand is upon me. Guide me in your will and from that place give me peace and joy with which to face every challenge. Holy Father, I praise your name and thank you for the example that is Jesus Christ; He instructs me in your ways and is my model in life, in trusting you, and in all righteousness. Help me Father to cling to Him and walk through my life with the same confidence in you that He demonstrated. Give me all things, each in its time, and as I need them to accomplish your will for me.
Rich Forbes