Heed God’s Call

Paying special attention – part 1

     God told me that his people need to heed his call. This simply means that we need to pay special attention to his call. The church tends to ignore God’s call.  Are you ignoring God’s call or are you giving it special attention? God recently told me that I am not being bold enough in my blog. I am here to step on some toes and to cause you to ponder. 

    God calls us. It is sometimes similar to a phone call. He sends the Holy Spirit or an angel even to prompt you. He has been prompting you to talk to that coworker who you know is struggling even though they haven’t told anyone. He is prompting you to take action and report the abuse you know about but are too scared to report. He is prompting you to make the intervention needed to get your friend or family member off the drugs that are using and abusing. He is prompting you to stop cursing and to be in but not of the world.

     Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (NKJV) We are given the directive to not be conformed to this world. We need to renew our minds daily, multiple times a day even. We renew our mind by staying focused on the things of God, reading the Bible, having an attitude of worship, and by praying without ceasing. All of which the Bible directs us to do. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (ESV) We are to stand out and show the world who God is, to show the world God’s will is good, perfect and acceptable. If you blend in and sin with the sinners, how are you showing them God? Don’t be conformed to this world. Stand out! Be set apart! 

     That brings me to 1 Peter 2:9 “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” (NLT) He called you out of the darkness and into his light. He has given you a purpose. He has given you a hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans that I have for you, says the Lord, plans for peace and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (MEV) 

     We can’t fulfill the great commission of spreading the good news of salvation if we aren’t in the world. We are called to be the salt and the light of the world. I heard an analogy about salt today. The ocean is full of salt water. The salt is in but not of the water. The salt changes the water though. It changes the buoyancy. It changes the plants and animals that can live in the water. The salt can also be extracted from the water. The water is our world. You are the salt. Are you changing the world around you? Have you been extracted from the world? What are you hiding from? Move into the world and change it in the ways that only you can. Heed God’s call to be the salt and the change that he has asked you to be. Matthew 5:13 “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.” (MSG) or in the (NIV) “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” Do the people around you know that you are salt (an agent of change)? They should! If you don’t stand out and if you don’t continually renew your mind you can’t heed God’s call. 

     Heed God’s call today. Be the Salt in your world. Be the change you want to see happen. Spread the good news.

For further exploration I suggest reading https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/christian-worldview-what-does-it-mean-to-be-in-the-world-but-not-of-the-world/