Today I want to share again from Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost For His Highest". This is a very vital message for every bron again believer!
Do You See Your Calling?
…separated to the gospel of God… —Romans 1:1
Our calling is not primarily to be holy men and women, but
to be proclaimers of the gospel of God. The one all-important thing is that the
gospel of God should be recognized as the abiding reality. Reality is not human
goodness, or holiness, or heaven, or hell— it is redemption. The need to
perceive this is the most vital need of the Christian worker today. As workers,
we have to get used to the revelation that redemption is the only reality.
Personal holiness is an effect of redemption, not the cause of it. If we place
our faith in human goodness we will go under when testing comes.
Paul did not say that he separated himself, but “when it
pleased God, who separated me…” (Galatians 1:15). Paul was not overly
interested in his own character. And as long as our eyes are focused on our own
personal holiness, we will never even get close to the full reality of
redemption. Christian workers fail because they place their desire for their
own holiness above their desire to know God. “Don’t ask me to be confronted
with the strong reality of redemption on behalf of the filth of human life
surrounding me today; what I want is anything God can do for me to make me more
desirable in my own eyes.” To talk that way is a sign that the reality of the
gospel of God has not begun to touch me. There is no reckless abandon to God in
that. God cannot deliver me while my interest is merely in my own character.
Paul was not conscious of himself. He was recklessly abandoned, totally
surrendered, and separated by God for one purpose— to proclaim the gospel of
God (see Romans 9:3).
So much of the early teaching that I received as a new believer was all about how to 'be a better Christian'. That is SO NOT what Jesus instructed His disciples to do! He sent them out to proclaim the Gospel! Why? Because, as He said Himself in Luke 19:10, He came for THIS reason:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.
We are sent to be the Lightbearers! To be the living witnesses of all that JESUS came and accomplished on our behalf! The only way to effectively do this is to get to know JESUS more intimately, and to do so consistently, day by day. He will lead, guide and direct us by His Spirit in all of the ways to carry out this commission that He has given us. Begin right now to get to know HIM better, and to care more that people see JESUS than what they think of you! Here is Hillsong with "King of Kings":
Shalom in Him!
