cindy davis ministries
Called To Be
For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, has God chosen, yes, and things which are not, to bring to nothing things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. 1 Cor 1:26-29
And Samuel said, When you were little in your own sight, were you not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed you king over Israel? 1 Sam 15:17
God calls those who think modestly of themselves. Those who think they have the answers and know the right way to do things will not follow the shepherd for they will not listen to His voice. Many times Christians have a desire to be in the ministry but the wrong motives. Sometimes these motives are to be noticed, to achieve position, and to be recognized as a great one used of God. There are even those who go into the ministry because their parents are ministers and they don't know how to do anything else. It is sad but many who are active in the ministry today have called themselves while others started out little in their own sight but got caught up in pride along the way.
God called Saul and then had to tell Samuel where to find him because he hid when he heard Samuel was looking for him. Saul was put in a position of leadership and was given the anointing and ability after he was selected. God didn't pick him for his education or his great oratory skills. He didn't choose him because he was a mighty man of war. Saul was chosen because he was a humble man, the son who went looking for his father's livestock and found a position as a king.
But Saul became lifted up in pride and thought he could do the high priest's job. Saul had a lot of acclaim and praise from the people. When he was obeying God, everything went well. Samuel told Saul that God had rejected him as king and chosen another to replace him but Saul was only concerned with his public image. He didn't care about what was going on in his heart as long as he looked good to the people.
And he said to them, You are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knows your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. Luke 16:15
It is so easy to get caught up in trying to please people. We all want to be accepted and confirmed by others. There is within each of us that hunger to fit in and not be different. We see it in teenagers quite readily but it is harder to see as we get older because most of us find a place where we feel comfortable, even if it is not exactly what we desired in the beginning. It is better, we reason, to fit in somewhere than to not fit in at all. So we become good ol' boys or cowboys, executives or ministers, club members or gossips, and we learn to fit in to the image that has already been established by the world...but at least we fit in.
Saul was a man who was chosen of God to fill the children of Israel's demand for a King. He was called out from among the "stuff" to stand in God's place so the people would have a leader they could see. We, as Christians, are called out from among the "stuff" of the world to stand in God's place as leaders the people can see and follow. How often do we get caught up in the flow and end up trying to please and fit in with the people?
We are called to be His hands, His voice, and His character in this earth. The world has a warped concept of right and wrong and we haven't given them a very good example of God's love in the past. Hiding in the "stuff" of religion has become an American pass time that presents a false image of God to those who are seeking answers.
Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. 2 Cor. 8:21
Those works we have highly esteemed as profitable have turned out to be an abomination in God's sight and in the world's also. Are we dishonest? When we say God wants to heal people and then leave them with nothing....yes. When we get so caught up in our rituals and performances that we can't show the world His love....yes. If we say we have the goods, we need to produce them or stop saying we have "it". We are called to be like Him, to speak His words and to manifest His power. Jesus chose to glorify His Father instead of Himself and so must we.
Let us this day choose to lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus (Rom 12:1-2) ...for our example.
We will be truly fulfilled as we turn from the weight of religion and start running the same race Jesus is running.