You’ve been called by God

2017-07-28
Jeremiah 1:5 NKJV

God told Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…sanctified you [set you apart]…I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Observe: (1) God knew you. The word knew means “to have intimate knowledge of.” When your delicate fingers were just a web, before your heartbeat registered on the monitor or the doctor could predict your gender, God knew all about you. “You…scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe” (Psalm 139:16 TLB). God knew what you were born to be, and provided everything you’d need to fulfil your life’s purpose. (2) God sanctified you [set you apart]. He fixed it so you wouldn’t fit in, and designed you so you couldn’t rest any place He didn’t want you to be. He intended you to wander and feel lost until you found Him. That’s why you’re uncomfortable in certain places and around certain people. It doesn’t matter how hard you try, you won’t fit in because God has set you apart for Himself. (3) God ordained you. Men may ordain, but only God can foreordain. Stop worrying about who does or doesn’t recognize your gifts. John Mason says, “Each person has been custom-made by God the Creator. Each of us has a unique and personal call on our lives…to be our own selves and not copies of other people.” God told Jeremiah, “Go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you” (Jeremiah 1:7-8 NLT). So the word for you today is: You’ve been called by God.

Soul food: Ezra 3-5; Mat 28:1-10; Ps 78:9-16; Prov 19:24-26

Lessons from the life of David (1)

2017-07-21
Romans 8:28 NKJV

God said, “I have found David…a man after My own heart, who will do all My will” (Acts 13:22 NKJV). When God says that about someone, you’d be wise to observe that person’s life. David started out as a shepherd and ended up as king. The chances of that happening were zero. Shepherds were so low on the social totem pole they couldn’t testify in a court of law because their word wasn’t considered reliable. Yet David ended up writing the most widely read psalms of all time. Understand this: When you invite God into your life, He cancels the liabilities of your past and rewrites your future. But you must choose what God has chosen for you! There’s an interesting contrast between Paul and David. Paul lived his chapters of disobedience before he met Christ, then went on to live an exemplary life. David became king at thirty, and during his forty years in leadership experienced devastating failure, including adultery and murder. There are two important lessons here: (1) Don’t rush to judgement. It’s not over until God says it’s over! David’s story is a warning to the transgressor, a rebuke to the self-righteous, a verification of God’s justice that won’t allow you to escape your consequences, and a testimony to His love that will never let go of you. (2) God can bring good out of what seems like a bad situation. He can take every experience you’ve been through and make it work for good – either your own good or the good of others. Bottom line: He can make “all things work together for good.”

Soul food: Nah 1-3; Mat 27:1-10; Ps 65; Prov 19:5-8