ANSWERING GOD'S CALL

 

I Corinthians 1:1-2 "Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:"   Answering God's Call, Part 2   Last week [check the firstlight archives link given below], we saw from I Corinthians 1:1-2 that there is always great blessing when you answer God's call. We saw God's call in salvation ("saints"), and this morning we will look at a second way that God calls.   There is great blessing when you answer God's call in service. Paul had confidence in his ministry because God had called him "to be an apostle . . . through the will of God." God called Paul-it was God's idea-and Paul answered that call. When contention arose from some folks about Paul and Apollos, Paul did not have to wonder about his calling.   I remember my first summer as a counselor at the Bill Rice Ranch. I was 18 years old, and that summer I had some campers that were older than me. Some of my campers smugly asked me, "How old are you?" (They did not care a lick about my birthday; they were looking for an excuse to be a rebel.) I politely told them it was none of their business! That may sound like a cop-out, but it was the honest truth! My authority in the cabin that week was not based on my age, intellect, or personality. My authority was delegated to me by the Bill Rice Ranch.   In your work today, if you have answered God's call for whatever it is that He wants you to do, you can have the confidence to know that God called and you answered. And there is great blessing when you answer God's call. If God called you, you have an unlimited resource of wisdom, power, comfort, and peace because God is One Who called you!   When you consider men in the Bible like Moses and Jeremiah, or a great preacher of yesteryear like Moody or Sunday, or a preacher you admire today, at least one thing is true: they were not called because they were gifted; they were gifted because they were called! When there is great willingness by you and great enabling by God, there is great blessing in answering God's call.     Prayer Requests: 1. Health, safety, and provision for staff 2. Campers to be helped this week (Family Week II, Sign Language School, Deaf Adult Conference)      Camp Quotes: "The ability to be led by the Spirit of God belongs to those who are the children of God." -Pastor Jeff Redlin   Missed a First Light devotional? Check out the First Light archives on our website: billriceranch.org

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