Discover the Distinction of Your Call
April 27, 2008
Scripture:
Isaiah 51:1-3 - “Listen to me, you who follow after righteousness, you who seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you. For I called him alone and blessed him and increased him. For the Lord will comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places. He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in it; thanksgiving and the voice of melody.”
Synopsis:
According to Romans 8:28, “…all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” This is a confirmation that all believers are called by God, however not all of us realize we are called and that we each have our own unique call. It’s vitally important that every believer know they are called, because when times are tough and all else fails, each of us need to be able to fall back on the assurance that we are called by God.
Today’s text instructs each of us to never forget where we came from. All of us have “BC” or “before the call” memories of our lives. They are not good and therefore should not be something we dwell on, but they are there to remind us of God’s grace and unmerited favor given to us with our call. They also remind us of how individual our call is to our circumstances. Just like Abraham, God called each of us alone. He didn’t consult with anyone or ask their opinion; therefore His is the only opinion that counts when it comes to our call. And like Abraham, each of us had to answer God’s call by separating ourselves from our past. Only then can we fully realize our call and the blessing and increase that come with it.
Galatians 3:29 says, “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed…” As the seed of Abraham we are not only heir to God’s call but to the promises spelled out in Genesis 12 which says we are blessed to be a blessing. This is the only thing that intimidates and infuriates the devil. He is not impressed with our call or our gifting, but he is in constant fear that God will bless and increase us so much that it will overwhelm what influence he has in the earth. There is nothing that the enemy can do to stop God’s blessing, but he can cause us to curse ourselves by deceiving us into getting out of rhythm with God’s Spirit. In these times, the quickest way to get back in the rhythm of righteousness is to worship God. Worship reconnects us to God, who is the source of our call, and to His promise of blessing and increase.
