A Series on God’s Call to Ministry
Deuteronomy 7:6-9
(Use the link below to read the verses.)
[Preface: How do you know what your calling
in life is? Will you know from a big bang experience? Or will it come quietly,
almost imperceptible? Will you be inspired by the stories of a visiting
missionary; or a book that opens your eyes to the needs of a specific people
group; or from your own life experience? This series is about God’s call to
ministry for your life; what it means or doesn’t mean.]
Choosing sides for
a baseball game was pretty much a rite of passage for boys when I was growing
up. If you were chosen first, or near the beginning, you felt pretty good about
yourself. However, if you were chosen towards the bottom, or especially last,
you wished that you could run and hide.
6 For
you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the
people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his
own special treasure. NLT
Quite unlike my
experience of choosing teams for a pickup baseball game, Israel was chosen, not
because it was big and powerful, but because the LORD loved them. In fact,
Israel was one of the smallest and weakest of all nations. But the LORD had
made a covenant with Abram, and the LORD was faithful.
In my New Living
Testament Bible, the preface for Deuteronomy states the following:
“Deuteronomy
summarizes the events that led up to that moment in Israel’s history; the eve
of Israel’s entry into the Promised Land. Moses exhorted the Israelites to
remain faithful and obedient and called them to rededicate their lives
to the task God had given them.
Clearly, Israel
was not only a chosen nation, but they were also a called nation. They were called
to be a “kingdom of priests”. They
were called to enter the Promised Land. They were called to be a blessing.
So, are you chosen
by God, or called? The answer is yes!
“But you are a chosen people, a
royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare
the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful
light.” 1 Peter 2:9 NIV
It feels good to
be chosen first for a pickup baseball game. It feels even better to be chosen
by the LORD as his own. But the LORD also calls you to action. He calls you to
be a priest; holy and obedient. He calls you to be a blessing to others. He
calls you to be a light in the darkness.
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