Gleanings From The Word

Tag: Christian living

  • The Calling

    Image of a wayerfall with the text "THE CALLING"

    Every human being has a purpose. Above and beyond that, every Christian believer has a divine calling from God. We are literally on a mission from God. There are specific callings to certain ministries, but every believer has a calling on their life.

    In Ephesians, Paul speaks of our calling. Ephesians 1:3-12 is a blessing that traces salvation from God’s eternal plan to its realization in Christ.

    In the balance of chapter one, Paul prays that we will understand the depth of our calling. In chapter two, Paul speaks of our calling into one nation, Jews and Gentiles alike, saved by grace and faith in what Christ has done.

    In chapter three he asks that believers be strengthened inwardly, rooted in love, and able to comprehend the vast dimensions of Christ’s love that surpass knowledge. The section closes with a doxology, affirming that God’s power is able to accomplish far more than human expectation.

    It is God’s power that enables us to deal with the practicalities of the calling.

    Starting in verse 4, Paul reminds us how to live out our calling as children of God, called to serve Him and bring Him glory.

    Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, exhort you to walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond Ephesians 4:1-3

    In a short list, reminiscent of the Fruit of the Spirit, Paul reminds us of how we are to live. It’s Spirit-powered and impossible under our flesh to do.

    It’s a more powerful list than any checklist of dos and don’ts. It cuts right to the heart of the matter, our changed nature. Walking in a way worthy of our calling causes us to evaluate every situation through the lens of Jesus and live appropriately.

    It runs counter culturally to everything the world declares. It’s radical, upside-down thinking. It stands out in a crowd, pointing people to the God who changes us.

    None of us has yet reached the point of living this way every moment, but it is a process that’s being worked in us. God promises to finish it.

    Are you living a life worthy of your great calling from God?

    Be blessed
    Kevin

    A related post: Our quest, a holy calling

     

    Key Takeaways

    • Every Christian has a divine calling from God, as outlined in Ephesians.
    • Paul emphasizes understanding our calling and living it out in unity and love.
    • The calling requires humility, gentleness, and patience while reflecting Christ’s love.
    • Living worthy of our calling is a transformative process that God will complete.
    • Evaluate your life: Are you living in a manner consistent with your calling?

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  • He Left the 99 Behind — and He Was Looking for You 

    He Left the 99 Behind — and He Was Looking for You 

    Night time urbam scene with man with flashlight - text He left the 99 to find me

    There’s a familiar story in both Luke and Matthew’s gospels. If you have been churched any length of time, you’ve heard sermons on it. Even non-Christians have often heard the story. It’s about a shepherd who has 100 sheep, but he left the 99 behind to go and find one lost sheep.

    So He told them this parable, saying, “What man among you, if he has one hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’7 I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. Luke 15:3-7

    For most of us, it’s become so familiar that we think, “Of course he left the 99 behind, that’s what Jesus does.” We might not ever think of it at all.

    It’s actually quite amazing to have the shepherd care that much for the one lost sheep.

    What we fail to truly personalize is the fact that he left 99 behind to find me and you. Think about that for a moment. The LORD loves you and me so much that He came searching for us while we were still lost sinners and His enemies. I mean. Who does that? Apart from Jesus, no one!

    Luke goes on to record Jesus’ parables of the widow searching for her lost coin and the lost (prodigal) son. Jesus is making a point: He cares for lost people.

    It’s more than something we can infer. Jesus said it directly.

    For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost. Luke 19:10

    That is incredible love. It is an astonishing mercy. You and I both know we have no merit on our own to deserve salvation. We know we can never earn it by our works.  We would be forever lost if it weren’t for the fact that he left behind the 99 to find me and you.

    When we truly grasp that truth, not just with our minds, but deeply into the fiber of our souls, it fills our hearts with joy. Ever struggle, every temporary inconvenience ought to fade into nothingness with the joy that He saw we were lost and came to find us.

    Joyfully praise His holy name. Give thanks for His perseverance and love.

    Be blessed 

    Kevin 

    SUMMARY

    Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep reveals a God who doesn’t wait for the lost to find their way home — He leaves the 99 to search for the one. That one is you, and grasping that truth personally transforms every struggle into joy.

    KEY POINTS

    The shepherd leaving 99 to find one lost sheep pictures the extraordinary, personal love God has for every individual sinner. 

    Jesus didn’t just illustrate this love in a parable — He declared it outright: “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” 

    When we move this truth from head knowledge to soul-deep conviction, it produces a joy that puts every trial in its proper place.

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