Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye
MEMORIZE: “No man can come to me, except the Father which
hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:44).
READ: John 6:43-46
God calls His children to separation, consecration and
distinction. When God calls a person, he turns everything in the person’s life
around for good. Hence, Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according
to his purpose”. God’s call will eventually end you in goodness and not
anywhere else, unless it was not God who called you. This does not, however,
exempt you from unpleasant events and experiences such as hard times, delays,
trials of faith or certain challenges, as they have their place in God’s
overall plan. For instance, Israel as a nation is a tough skinned diehard
nation today because of the several wars and difficulties that it has gone
through. If you are constantly facing battles, a time will come when, after
adapting to that situation, you will learn to make progress and do several
healthy things in the midst of wars. In other words, war will no longer be a
hindrance to you, but will now facilitate stable and lasting progressive
strides. If you are truly called by God, all the unpleasant events that God
allows to come your way will eventually contribute something good to your life
and destiny.
“And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom
he would: and they came unto him” (Mark 3:13). Another fact about God’s call is
that He calls sovereignly. God is a sovereign God. He does what He likes
without receiving a query from any one (Ps. 115:3). He decides on whom to call.
He also decides on those to be left behind. While the Lord was selecting among
His disciples, some who were not chosen must have had a question in their
hearts: ‘What about me?’ In John 6:44, this same truth is emphasized when Jesus
said, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:
and I will raise him up at the last day”. This tells us clearly therefore that
God’s call is not by volunteering. You are not the one to offer your service to
God. It is God who will decide to pick you or not. You will be amazed to know
that quite a number of ministers in the church of God virtually called
themselves. They offered to work for God. Be mindful, however, that when you
volunteer like that, God reserves the right to accept or reject your offer. Were
you called of God or did you, in your zeal, call yourself into full time
ministry?
KEY POINT
For a call to be worth its salt, God must be the Caller.
Examine your ministry and your call.
Bible in One year: Psa. 87-88
Comments
Post a Comment