When God calls, do you offer excuses?
I do.
I’m in good company:
Their excuses didn’t change God’s mind. In the end, all three answered the call. As should I. And you.
Do you remember the story of Peter and Cornelius? You can read about in the book of Acts, chapter 10.
God used a vision to get Peter’s attention. Three times a sheet filled with forbidden food came down from heaven. Three times, God said, “Rise and eat.”
Acts 10:14 (NLT)
“No, Lord,” Peter declared.
Here’s the catch: once you ask God to be Lord of your life, there’s no more “No, Lord.”
Our Sunday sermon, “Honoring God’s Call,” was taken from the book of Jeremiah. It got me thinking: What should I say when God calls?
Jeremiah 1:5 (ERV)
Before I made you in your mother’s womb,
I knew you. Before you were born,
I chose you for a special work.
God chose me. Before I was born.
I can’t say no.
I memorized this verse when I was a college student (back then, it was the King James Version):
2 Timothy 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God,
a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth.
Lately, I’ve turned it into a prayer for students I know and love.
Lord, may their study habits
and the content they study
meet with your approval.
I know it takes the verse out of context. Even so, I think God’s OK with it.
I’m back! Family fun time is a sweet memory. I’ll soon be back to work.
I work part-time with special-needs students. My thoughts and prayers wander back to the classroom.
The Bible offers this memorable prayer for Jerusalem, and I apply it to my school.
Psalm 122:7 (ESV)
Peace be within your walls and
security within your towers!
I pray as I pull into my parking space. I pray as I drive by neighborhood schools. Pray with me:
May there be peace within these walls,
Lord, and safety in these buildings.
Praise.
Per Merriam-Webster. “the attribution of perfections.”
“Perfections.” Plural.
Hebrews 13:15 (NASB)
Let’s continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God.
“Continually.” All the time.
Perfect in every way, every day.
“Whenever you get a blessing from God, give it back to Him as a love gift. Take time to meditate before God and offer the blessing back to Him in a deliberate act of worship . . . it has to be given back to Him that He may make it a blessing to others.”
Oswald Chambers (1874-1917)
Be blessed — bless God and bless others.
God told Moses,
“This is how I want you to bless my people.”
Deuteronomy 6:24-26 (AMP)
The Lord bless you, and keep you
[protect you, sustain you, and guard you];
The Lord make His face shine upon you[with favor],
And be gracious to you
[surrounding you with lovingkindness];
The Lord lift up His countenance (face) upon you
[with divine approval],
And give you peace [a tranquil heart and life].
Blessed: protected, sustained, guarded, favored, loved, approved.
Beautiful words.
