HELLO? GOD CALLING...

If God was calling you, would you know what He was calling you to do? Would He be calling you to go somewhere, and would you go? Would you even realize it was Him calling? Maybe He is calling you to do something, or be someone you normally wouldn't be? Shall we see some examples in the bible?

Gen. 12:1, 4 has Abraham called out of a land of idolatry to a land of promise. "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, 'Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee.' So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran." Imagine being 75 years old, and making a trip about 1,500 miles! But he recognized that God called him out of his country, and by faith, he went. Acts 7:2-4 also covers his departure from the land of the Chaldeans, as does Heb. 11:8.

God calls sinners, yea, the unsaved, to salvation and to be a chosen generation and a royal priesthood. "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light:..." (1 Pet. 2:9) "Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and He chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day." (Deut. 10:15) "And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." (Rev. 1:6) From the darkness of sinfulness to the light of God into eternity - now that's a calling!

A beautiful calling God has for us all who will listen is this one: "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." (Gal. 5:13) When we see a beggar on the road; you know the ones, with the signs...He calls us to show them love and feed them. Not for some personal gain for doing so, but just for the love of doing so to please Him. See someone without a coat, and you have others at home? He calls us to give them our extra coat, to serve them is to serve Him! Whatever you do, do it out of love for others, and for demonstration to Him obedience and love of Him. But do not make a display of it for the public, because there is no reward in that, as Jesus taught; "Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret Himself shall reward thee openly." (Matt. 6:2 - 4)

If you want to have less turmoil in your life, God calls you to the peace He offers; "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful." (Col. 3:15) As we read the bible and do it His way, we receive His peace in our obedience to the lifestyle He decrees we live by. "But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace." (1 Cor. 7:15) Even in the case of marriage and divorce, if one is found to be married to an unbeliever who chooses to separate, one should be at peace with God that all was done to prevent it.

Jesus calls us from death to life; "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:24) And He does it in more than one place! "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:16 - 17) "And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day...Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life." (John 6:40, 47) "Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep My saying, he shall never see death." (John 8:51) Even His disciples are witness that He calls us from death to life; "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name." (John 20:31) "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death." (1 John 3:14) If we hate one of our brethren, we are ignoring His call!

God also calls us where to go and not go; "And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left." (Isa. 30:20 - 21)

One of the hardest calls to answer is that of the call to suffer unjustly; "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously:..." (1 Pet. 2:21 - 23) I tell you, this is a hard calling, because it is so hard to resist human nature to retaliate injustice realized. Is it not evil doing to retaliate for evil done to you? "Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing...For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing." (1 Pet. 3:9,17) "Recompense to no man evil for evil." (Rom. 12:17) Apparently Peter and Paul both thought so, and Peter states we receive a blessing!

Lastly, I want to address God's calling from an uncertain future to glory in Christ Jesus! "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." (1 Pet. 5:10) "And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." (2 Pet. 1:5 - 11) " I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Eph. 4:1 - 3)

Christ calls us for one more thing; "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." (Matt. 28:19 - 20)

Wherever one is in their walk, one should hear a calling at some time in their lives from our wonderful God; To preach, teach, baptize, suffer injustice, from death to life, from turmoil to peace, to love and serve one another, to salvation, to be a chosen generation, to be of the royal priesthood, out of idolatry to promise, to eternal glory with Christ Jesus!