Called Out By God

"Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, nor a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ Now therefore hear the word of the Lord." - Amos 7:14-16

Do you feel adequate spiritually speaking? Are you content with being saved and trying to be a good person? You don't have to answer that, but you should think about it! Like Amos, you and I are Christians, called out of the natural world. Called to subordinate our affection for those things natural to those things that are supernatural - meaning above the natural - spiritual. The word for "called out" in the original Greek text is Ekklesia (eck-les-see-ah). (I am not a Greek scholar and certainly not trying to impress you. I had to look that up). A synonym for "called out ones" is the Church (capital C) or assembly. We are collectively called out by God the Father through Jesus, the Son.  

"For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”- 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Like Amos, we must be willing to give up our natural agenda - deferring instead to God's agenda for His children. What is that agenda? Living in a way that glorifies God and shouts out the Truth of John 3:16. You don't have to be a prophet, a pastor, a missionary (meaning you leave where you live and go to another place for the purpose of promoting faith in Jesus) or even a Bible teacher. You can bloom right where you are planted, as they say.  God has called you out and will equip you for your role in the Church. When and if you live out your new life, you will be strikingly different from the majority of the people you live around - work with. Not just because of what you say, but because of how you live. By how you treat other people. In short because you look and act like Jesus.

Does that thought take you outside of your religious comfort zone? It should. Fulfilling your eternal purpose is an impossibility apart from the power of God and a surrendered life. Do you understand how remarkable and amazing your new life is or can be? My hope in writing these devotions is to spark your spiritual thinking - encouraging you to take on a spiritual perspective. Remind you of who you are in Christ and the remarkable calling you have from the Creator God. Don't hide your faith under a basket but to let it shine from the hilltop. 

"I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might" - Ephesians 1:16-19

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone