1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen people… that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
The needs are everywhere, and sometimes overwhelming. The call is to everyone, but sometimes I choose to disengage. After all, I can’t do everything, so why set myself up for failure by trying to do anything? Engaging is painful, so rather disengage and protect myself. I’ve got enough issues of my own to deal with as it is…
I think many of us reason like that, but then we miss God’s call on our life. And yes, we are all most definitely called! As William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army declared: “‘Not called!’ did you say? ‘Not heard the call’, I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father’s house and bid their brothers and sisters and servants and masters not to come there. Then look Christ in the face – whose mercy you have professed to obey – and tell him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish his mercy to the world.”
That’s a rallying cry I want to respond to! As Paul exhorts the Ephesians: “Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them”(5:8-11).
As you go about your life today, ask God to show you what he wants you to get involved in, who he wants you to encourage, where he might use you to bring righteousness, goodness and truth.
Lord, I choose to live fully engaged today. Amen!
Leave a Reply