08/06/2020
Jesus calls our name, but do we hear Him, and do we respond to His call? Those who recognize His voice, and know who He is will most certainly respond to Him. Some worry that they will not hear, others fret over whether He will call them at all, but all those that He calls will recognize Him, so there is one question we alone must answer... will we choose to join His flock by obediently following His call?
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
John 10:27 ESV
If we do not follow Jesus we are not one of His sheep. Even though we hear His gospel, and perhaps even recognize His voice; even though we hear Him calling our name, while knowing it is Him, the choice remains ours to make... will we follow Him, or will we hear the allure of the world wooing us, and calling us back; will we hear the darkness urging us to turn towards its tempting call? One thing is for certain, and that is this... we must choose. We can’t serve two masters.
“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.”
Matthew 6:24 KJV
Politicians are experts at straddling the fence when it comes to decisions on issues. Their desire is to make both sides of an argument, and then convince everyone that they are serving them alone, but this is a fool’s game; either they themselves are fools because their constituents see through their ruse and lies, and thus begin calling them fools, or because those that blindly follow these men and women have become fools themselves. You see, those who Jesus calls to Himself must make a definitive decision, they must decide to be one of His sheep, or else they are not. Making no decision at all Is the same as choosing the other flock, Satan, and the world.
““‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”
Revelation 3:15-16 ESV
If the world continues to love you then you are still of the world, and this is the key indicator of your true decision. In trying to please both God and the world, it is only the world that will accept a “maybe“ as a valid choice, because although Satan would like for you to follow him, he is perfectly satisfied with you simply not following God.
““If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”
John 15:18-19 ESV
So in our lives of faith two choices are required... Jesus must choose to call us, and we must choose to follow Him. There is no maybe in this equation. When Jesus calls our name, as He is calling yours right now, then God is 100% ready to make every promise documented in His Word available to us. What He expects in return is our complete commitment, our answer to be that we will follow Him through Jesus Christ. He wants us to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength... He wants us to be counted among the sheep belonging to His Son Jesus, and never be lost.
“Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”
Psalms 37:3-5 KJV
How did we choose, or how will we choose? If we call ourselves Christians are we 100% committed to God, and Jesus Christ, or are we still attempting to straddle heaven and earth? If we are are just now hearing the voice of Jesus calling to us, and are standing at the threshold of choice, are we prepared to choose Him completely? Think and pray on this today.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for calling out to us through your Son Jesus, and thank you for every blessing and promise that you will pour out on us if we will only answer His call, and follow Him completely. Help us Father to see the choice that is before us, and to make our decision wisely. Guide us towards you, and away from the world of sin that seeks to devour us. Open our ears to your Son’s voice, and our understanding through your Holy Spirit, so that we will not only hear His voice, but know Him when He speaks. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who chooses us, and calls out to us. Great are you whose promises are extended to all who believe, and who have complete faith in a Jesus. Wonderful are you who opens your ears to our prayers, and answers according to you will... giving us our good desires. Praised be your name Father for not only calling us once, but calling to us repeatedly as you wait patiently for our choice. Glorious are you, and amazing is the grace that you extend to us through Jesus. Help us to lean on you for our understanding, and choose to love and obey you completely. In this way show us your mercy, and forgiveness, then open up eternity before us as we choose to enter it, and abide there forevermore with you, Jesus Christ, and your Holy Spirit.
“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
2 Corinthians 5:18-21 ESV
Rich Forbes