Don't Draw Back!

"As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee,

he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter

and his brother Andrew.

They were casting a net into the lake,

for they were fishermen.

'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 

'and I will make you fishers of men.'

At once they left their nets and followed him.

Going on from there, he saw two other brothers,

James son of Zebedee and his brother John.

They were in a boat with their father Zebedee,

preparing their nets.

Jesus called them,

and immediately they left the boat

and their father 

and followed him."

Matthew 4:18-22

"I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them.  I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.  So make yourself an ark of cypress wood;" (Genesis 6:13-14a)

"Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." (Genesis 12:1)

"Flee for your lives!  Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain!  Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!" (Genesis 19:17)

So now, go.  I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt." (Exodus 3:10)

"Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." (Jonah 1:2)

"Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt.  Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him" (Matthew 2:13)

"Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."  (Acts 9:6)

God has placed a calling on each one of our lives.  Sometimes, it comes as a direct command.  Other times, it more of an impassioned plea or an inclination of my heart.  Whatever method God uses to enlighten me of His plan for my life, it's up to me whether or not I obey.

 In the above examples, some of those who were called did what God said to do, following His instructions without hesitation.  Others faltered, questioning their fitness for the job.  Still others outright disobeyed, doing what they wanted to which was the exact opposite of God's purpose.

God has placed something on my heart; it is a job He called only me to do.  I feel completely inadequate to accomplish that mission.  It seems way out of my league and there's no way I have time for it.  To be honest; it's completely ridiculous to think I could even do such a thing!  

But God has called me just the same.  And He says, "To obey is better than sacrifice." (1 Samuel 15:22) As I study the calling of Jesus' disciples, I can better understand what it looks like to obey.

No Need to Know

"Come on, ya' wanna go for a ride?"  

The moment the words were out of my house, my black-lab mix was jumping up and down with excitement.  When I open the door to my van, he leapt up onto the front seat without hesitation.  He took his position by my side and hunkered down for the adventure.

Coal used to come with me when I ran errands back in Washington State.  Temperatures were much cooler there so I could easily leave him in the vehicle while I ran in to pay a bill or grab some groceries.  

What I love about dogs is their enthusiasm for life and their eagerness to please their master.  His only desire was to be in my presence.  The moment I said the word, he was ready to go wherever I was going.  He didn't care how long we'd be gone, where we would go or if there'd be food and water along the way.  He just wanted to go along. 

I want to have this same attitude when it comes to my Master.  The moment He calls, I want to leap into position by His side.  Unfortunately, I'm all too many times caught up in thinking about the practicality, the feasibility or the details.  I want to know who, what, when, where and how long.  I don't want to take a step until I'm comfortable with all the particulars.

Faith, however, ". . . gives us assurance about things we cannot see." (Hebrews 11:1 NLT)  Faith is not so much about the "what" as it is about the "Who."  Or, as Oswald Chambers put it, "The reality of God's presence is not dependent on any place, but only dependent upon the determination to set the Lord always before us.  Our problems come when we refuse to bank on the reality of His presence."

When God told Abram to pick up everything and move to a new place, it took faith in a God who was real and a knowledge that God would be with him every step of the way.  

When God calls me, there is no need for me to know anything except that God is present.

No Pressing Issues

I am all about the list.  I have a plan for each day.  Sometimes it's a plan in my head, other times it's written down in my planner.  Either way, I live by the plan.

The thing is, God does not work according to my plan.  He operates completely within His own blueprint.  When Jesus called James and John, they were getting ready to go fishing with their father.  This was their livelihood; nothing else was more important.

Nothing, that is, until the Son of God showed up.  He had another plan for their lives, to fish for men instead of seafood.  They could have told Him to wait until they finished their job for the day, or at least until they got their father set up so he could finish the work himself.  Instead, these two men recognized the importance of putting God and His plan first.  They seemed to understand Deuteronomy 13:4 which said, "It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere.  Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him."

That means if He sends someone my way who needs encouragement but I'm too focused on the task at hand, I'll miss out.  When I'm running late but God shows me a hurting person who is hurting others, I can either choose to stick to my schedule or follow Him.  While I'm trying to figure out how I can finish all my jobs for the day, God may have a different idea that throws a wrench into my plans.  My schedule is not the plan, it is actually a distraction from God's plan.

When God calls me I must set aside all other matters and show that nothing is more important than Him.

No Interview

Common sense dictates that when I need to make a decision, I make a list of pros and cons.  Then I analyze these lists and determine which side has the most entries and the most compelling case.  After that, I make a choice based on my findings.

The problem with this process is that it leaves God out of the equation.  Moses made the mistake of basing his ability to accomplish the calling God placed upon him squarely upon his own shoulders.  When God said he was to go to Pharaoh and demand that he let his people go, Moses questioned his own qualifications and wondered whether someone else might be better suited.  

God's response was, "Who gave man his mouth?  Who makes him deaf or mute?  Who gives him sight or makes him blind?  Is it not I, the LORD?  Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." (Exodus 4:11-12)  Since God made me, He can enable me to do whatever it is He has called me to do.

When God calls, it is tempting for me to ask a million questions.  "What will I be doing; exactly?  What is expected of me?  How will I be trained?  Am I capable of doing this mission?  What if I fail?"  Every question I ask, however, is a strike at God's sovereignty and power.  If He called me, He will work through me to complete the mission.

The Apostle Paul suffered from some kind of affliction.  Three times he asked God to take it away but God said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)  There is nothing God can't do through me, not because I'm so great: I'm not!  There is nothing God can't do through me because He is so great!

When God calls me I must trust Him enough to know that when I am weak, then I am strong in Christ's power.

When I put my faith in God, I will know that God is with me, that there is nothing more important than Him and that His power is made perfect in my weakness.  Then, when He calls, I will be able to drop my desire to know the details, forget all the pressing issues that distract and fail to see the need to question His wisdom in choosing me.  

When He calls, I can then say with confidence, "The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back."  (Isaiah 50:5)

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can keep my eyes on Him as He calls me to shed His light in a dark world.

When do I depend upon my own wherewithal instead of realizing it all depends on God?

How do I show a lack of faith in Him when I hesitate to obey Him on the spot?

Expect the Unexpected

"When (Jesus) had finished speaking, 

he said to Simon,

'Put out into deep water, 

and let down the nets for a catch.'  

Simon answered, 'Master, we've worked hard all night 

and haven't caught anything.  

But because you say so, 

I will let down the nets.'  

When they had done so, 

they caught such a large number of fish 

that their nets began to break."

Expect the unexpected when following Jesus.  He doesn't work in ways I anticipate.  He doesn't do things the way they've always been done.  Jesus is unpredictable.

I live in a physical world created to behave in a predictable way.  Every morning the sun rises and every evening it sets.  The cycle of the moon phases can be used to tell time and fishermen know the tide schedule like they know the back of their hand.  

Knowing what to expect makes me feel like I'm in control, and I like to be in control.  The problem is. . . I'm not in control.  God is.

Trusting Jesus means letting Him work in supernatural ways that push the limits of my common sense.

Implausible Position

Joseph, favored son of Jacob, found himself in an Egyptian prison after a series of unfortunate events.  But God had a plan for good, and after spending several years in prison and some thirteen years after he was first sold into slavery by his brothers, Joseph found himself to be placed in a position of second-in-command in all of Egypt. 

How does a foreign slave end up being put in charge of the whole land of Egypt unless it is by the supernatural work of God?  Joseph found himself in this position not for his own glory or comfort, but in order that God could use him to draw His people to Egypt for help during a time of drought and famine.  Ultimately, this would be the mechanism by which God's people would become enslaved in Egypt and would eventually need a savior to rescue them.

What position do I hold that could be used for God's glory and to further His Kingdom?  Community leader?  Mother?  Teacher in a seemingly hopeless situation?  Mail Room Clerk?  CEO of a large corporation?  Mechanic in a dead end job?  Father?  Wherever God has placed me, he has chosen that position for a reason.  He has put me in contact with particular people for His purposes.  He has a plan that will defy common sense. 

If I find myself in a position I never dreamed I'd hold, it's time to look for where God is working and join in.  

Improbable Calling

Flash forward 400 years and witness a middle-aged man, self-exiled from his once lofty position in the Pharoah's palace to Midian, where he lived as a lowly shepherd.  As he was tending the flocks one day, Moses encountered the Lord in the unlikely location of a burning bush on a hillside.  Curiously, the bush burned but was not consumed.

It was there that Moses received his calling from God.  "I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt." (Exodus 3:10)  The Lord spent some time reassuring Moses, giving him several signs he could use to show that his message came from the Lord.  

Still, Moses could not get over his logic which told him, "Hey. . . you can't speak worth a lick!" Apparently, Moses had experienced some embarrassing or awkward incidents which left him with the impression that he wasn't any good at talking to people.  Especially large crowds of people.  Or leaders of powerful countries.  

It's easy to get caught up in my past experiences, snagged by my flaws and unable to move forward out of the fear of failure due to my own imperfections and weaknesses.  

But, as God said to Moses, "Who gave man his mouth?  Who makes him deaf or mute?  Who gives him sight or makes him blind?  Is it not I, the LORD?  Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."  (Exodus 4:11-12)

God is well aware of my flaws when He calls me to a certain task.  He made me that way, defects and all.  And He is not calling me because of my impeccable qualifications or my flawless record.  No.  He is calling me so that in my weakness, He will get all the glory.  He will supernaturally work through me to overcome those flaws.  And people will know that only God could do something like that!

Common sense says to pick he best person for the job, but God says the best person for the job is the one He picked.  

Incredible Strategy

Forty years later, the next generation of Israelites now led by Joshua, finds themselves on the cusp of a new adventure.  They finally get to enter the Promised Land they've been hearing so much about!  But there is one problem.  First, they must conquer the might city of Jericho.  This metropolis is surrounded by a lower retaining wall that measured about 12-15 feet high supplemented by a 20-foot wall built on top of that.  Further up the hill stood the inner wall, rising about 46 feet about ground level.  

Leveling this mighty fortress would not be easy.  But God had a plan. . .an incredible strategy. . . for the Israelites to leave the battle in His hands while they simply walked around the walled city, day after day.  On the seventh day, the wall collapsed as they finished their seventh trip around the city and, "every man charged straight in, and they took the city. " (Joshua 6:20)

What impossible feat has God placed before me today?  Waiting for a husband or wife?  Climbing out of debt?  Controlling my tongue?  Loving my enemies?  Healing a sick body?Whatever it is, God is up to the challenge!  

The biggest acts are not the ones accomplished with good strategy and common sense but which are left in God's hands and consequently give rise to spectacular endings.

My expectations can get in the way of God's supernatural work in my life.  If I only expect ordinary things from God, I will miss the implausible positions He places me in, the improbable ways He calls me to action, and the incredible strategies He uses to topple unbreachable foes.       In a nutshell, I should expect the unexpected when following Jesus.

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will leave the battle in God's hands and stop limiting the scope of His work in my life.

How do I minimize the power of God in the way I expect Him to work?

When do I show a lack of faith in not giving a problem completely over to God and let Him solve it?