Word for Today, Tuesday, August 5, 2008, "The Bewildering Call of God"
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>
I share with you today a message from the Oswald Chambers' My Utmost For His Highest series. This message has some interesting points. One worth considering is that, assuming we are, in fact, children of God, that is, we have already accepted His provision of Jesus Christ in our lives - the One who saves us - we are called to experience things we simply cannot understand, at least not at the time. Haven't you had experiences, though, at least a few times, where you could not explain what happened right then and there, and you may have even been discouraged or hurt, only later to find out that God was in the midst of working out something wonderful in your life?
Next time you experience some setback, trust that God knows all about it and that He has a plan in mind. Don't expect to understand it all, maybe not much at all, but come to expect God at work in your life, and praise Him even before you see what it is that He has been accomplishing in your life.
I can now look back on many events in my life and see God's hand in them. I still do not know where it is all going to lead precisely, but there is no doubt that God's hand has been there, and that He is building my faith, growing my trust in Him, and cultivating our relationship. For me not to respond to that would be denying God in my life, and instead, I choose to thank Him for having a plan for me. I need not know the plan, only to know that there is a plan, and praise God for that. When God chooses to reveal bits and pieces of that plan, that is all the more reason to rejoice. My desire is to be an active part in the relationship with God. That means reading God's Word, responding to God in prayer, and looking for God in every area of my life - and including Him in it. He is definitely there. The question is will I consistently make room for Him - first place - in my life?
Yours in Christ,
Brian
August 5, 2008
READ:
God called Jesus Christ to what seemed absolute disaster. And Jesus Christ called His disciples to see Him put to death, leading every one of them to the place where their hearts were broken. His life was an absolute failure from every standpoint except God's. But what seemed to be failure from man's standpoint was a triumph from God's standpoint, because God's purpose is never the same as man's purpose.
This bewildering call of God comes into our lives as well. The call of God can never be understood absolutely or explained externally; it is a call that can only be perceived and understood internally by our true inner-nature. The call of God is like the call of the sea— no one hears it except the person who has the nature of the sea in him. What God calls us to cannot be definitely stated, because His call is simply to be His friend to accomplish His own purposes. Our real test is in truly believing that God knows what He desires. The things that happen do not happen by chance— they happen entirely by the decree of God. God is sovereignly working out His own purposes.
If we are in fellowship and oneness with God and recognize that He is taking us into His purposes, then we will no longer strive to find out what His purposes are. As we grow in the Christian life, it becomes simpler to us, because we are less inclined to say, "I wonder why God allowed this or that?" And we begin to see that the compelling purpose of God lies behind everything in life, and that God is divinely shaping us into oneness with that purpose. A Christian is someone who trusts in the knowledge and the wisdom of God, not in his own abilities. If we have a purpose of our own, it destroys the simplicity and the calm, relaxed pace which should be characteristic of the children of God.
Bible in One Year: Job 13–15; Proverbs 13:1-12