Day Five

Encouragement in the Call of Jesus

Review:

  • We are not called to a position, a place, a livelihood, a category or a title. We are called to Jesus!
  • Every believer that wants to be used by God for something significant should prioritize staying intimate with Christ.
  • Jesus calls ALL sinners to HIMSELF, because in HIM we find ALL that we need: Salvation, Guidance and Purpose in Life and Ministry.
  • The three-fold calling of Christ must be viewed as such.
  • Though we may not fully understand the magnitude of God's gift to us through Jesus Christ and the responsibilities that come with it when we accept Christ, all of it is ours at salvation.
  • Through Jesus and for Jesus, we received salvation and discipleship so that God can accomplish His purposes in the world through us!

It's so exciting to watch God work in our lives, to know that He is leading and guiding us and to know He will use us in an eternal way if we surrender to Him. There are times in our lives that we are keenly aware of His activity and then there are times that we, for whatever reason, may feel as though we have lost a bit of the "spiritual electricity" that kept us going before. It's so important during those times of waning emotion or energy to rely not on what we feel, as it can be so fragile, but to rely on what we know in our hearts and minds to be true: that we belong to God (John 10:27-30 ), that He chose us (2 Thessalonians 2:13 ), that He loves us (John 3:16 ), that He will never leave us (Matthew 28:20 ) and that He will accomplish His purposes in us (Philippians 1:6 ).

Over the last few days, you have taken a closer look at "the call" of God and what it entails. Hopefully, you have gained a clearer vision of how God has been working in your life and are excited to see what lies ahead of you as you continue to enjoy your salvation, grow in discipleship and minister according to God's purpose. Hopefully, you have been surrounded by supportive people who want only to encourage you and confirm God's activity in your life; however, it is very unlikely that this is the only type of feed-back you have received following your surrender to God's will for your life.

If you have experienced discouragement, take heart! What a compliment to you! Do not allow Satan to rob you of your joy. Instead, recognize his attacks as what they are, the feeble attempts of a defeated enemy to discourage one to whom victory has been promised. (John 10:10 ) Look back at what God has done for you and study to prepare for the future.

One of the best ways to prepare yourself for times of spiritual attack is to keep a journal of God's activity in your life, thoughts, feelings, questions, emotions, etc. as you walk with Christ. This is exactly what you have been doing over the past week in response to your daily Bible study. Keeping such a journal will encourage you when you are feeling defeated, redirect you when you have lost your way and help you interpret God's activity in your life over time as you revisit lessons learned, scripture that has helped you and experiences that you have had.

In the future, there may be times that you doubt your call, that you have questions or that you feel discouraged. During times like those, it will be helpful to be able to look back at the fresh emotions, thoughts, insights and experiences that you are having right now at this time of surrender to God's will for your life. Make sure you are keeping careful track of such things. If you haven't put much time, energy or thought into your responses up to this point, begin now. Someday you will be thankful you did.

Take a few moments and write your thoughts, concerns, and questions in your journal. Allow the following thought suggestions to guide you:

Taking Paul's advice, "…think of what you were when you were called (1 Corinthians 1:26 )."

Briefly describe your life before Christ.

How did you come to understand you needed Jesus?

Describe the events surrounding the moment you accepted Jesus into your heart and gave your life to Him.

What became yours at the moment of salvation? (Explore this question. Consider things that you may have even been unaware of at the time of your salvation.)

Describe the days immediately following your decision. Read 2 Corinthians 5:17 . How did this occur in your life?

What is God teaching you about calling?