May 2010 Issue

 

               The vehicle of transportation for His calling is continuity.
 
CONTINUITY
Whom He calls, He will always send. He has a clear and defined purpose in His calling and sending out. In every of His calling, regardless of the magnitude of the assignment, there should be in place a vehicle that will carry the called through. The vehicle of transportation for His calling is continuity. Answering God’s call will not be established in the life of the called if there is no continuity. Continuity is to be constant and consistent in focusing on God. The journey of life is like racing towards a mark, and the rule of the race is continuity. Having a purposeful mind is the officiator. When God called on Isaiah, he responded and there was no record of Isaiah falling short in continuing to answer the Lord. “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”” (Isaiah 6:8) From the time of Isaiah’s calling to the end, there was no record of discontinuity recorded against Isaiah. Daniel, despite the challenges of being held captive at a young age, was never recorded against him any iota of complaining against his God. There was no excuse for him to discontinue in serving the Lord; rather, he continued serving the Lord with his heart, and serving God became an identifiable custom in the life of Daniel. In Daniel’s life, it is clear that as a captive, continuity was carrying him and a purposeful heart became an officiator in the life of Daniel. Have you in anyway received the calling of God or you have decided to call yourself? God is not a failure and He will never fail.
POWER IN SALVATION
When He places His call on any of His creation, He will back it up with power. He alone called the children of Israel out of the bondage of over four hundred years. The Lord chose Moses to lead them out of Egypt. God frustrated the plan of Pharaoh with plagues upon plagues before Pharaoh could let them go. When it was time for the children of Israel to be released and go forward to the land that has been promised to them, they left with boldness. “And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with boldness.” (Exodus 14:8) Despite the threat of Pharaoh the children of Israel entered into the calling of salvation and deliverance of over four hundred years with boldness. Indeed, the Old Testament is a shadow of the New Testament. Just as the children of Israel received salvation from bondage so we have received salvation from bondage of the devil and the world of wickedness. At the time of salvation we entered into His calling with boldness.
BOLDNESS AND CHARACTER
Every new believer always starts the race with boldness that is rooted in the word of His promise. However, in the course of the journey, different scenes start to unfold. The children of Israel left with boldness but it did not take long before it evaporated and fear became incorporated in the life of the children of Israel. The Bible recorded in Exodus 14:10, “And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD.” Boldness turned into fear. When He places His calling, it has to be answered with boldness and character. The children of Israel believed, but they could not behave what they believed. The word that took them–the word that brought us–to the saving knowledge of God is with power and it generates boldness. However, when there is a failure to be living the word, there will be no character of the word in place in the life of the believer. Boldness and character are the winning combination. Complaint is the root of rebellion and the substitute of disobedience. The children of Israel had boldness and complaint instead of boldness and character. They could not hold on to the victory the Lord placed in their hand. As a result, they became lost as a nation. God said to them, “The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.” (Numbers 14:29) Without any doubt, the race is for those that finish it. If you have received the grace of His calling, continuity is the rule of the game; a purposeful heart is the officiator. Run the race with boldness and character and you shall become a winner to the glory of God. He will back you up if you will not back yourself out of the race. 

Continuity is to be constant and consistent in focusing on God.
Complaint is the root of rebellion and the substitute of disobedience.
Tunde