WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO GOD’S CALLING. ( Part 2)
SONG
When He calls me. I will answer. When He calls me. I will answer. When He calls me, I will answer.
I'll be somewhere working for my Lord.
TEXT
"And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth." (First Samuel 3 verse 10).
There are many ways by which we are called into the service of God our Creator. While some of us are called unto special services, others are called unto ordinary, normal services. Whichever category we find ourselves in, one thing is certain, God has an interest in us as His children, to have the use of us. Besides, He desires to have a cordial and intimate relationship with us. Although God desires to have intimacy with us, we barely respond to Him.
From our Scripture reading for today, we see God's call of Samuel unto special services. The Bible says,
"And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth." (First Samuel 3 verse 10)
This may not be so with everyone, but whichever it is, what we need to do is to respond wholeheartedly to Him. Here, the emphasis is on our wholehearted response to God's call upon our lives.
But not all give to God that unreserved attention. Most of us are preoccupied with many carnal and unwholesome activities, posing as hindrances to our wholehearted response to God's call, thereby missing out on the beautiful relationship that God so desires to have with His creatures.
To avoid the catastrophes that can result from not responding to God, I have endeavoured to enumerate, hereinafter some of the pitfalls that can be avoided as we run the Heavenly race.
Oftentimes, the demands of daily obligations can alter our moments of fellowship with our Lord. In actual fact, there are tasks that can be relinquished or delegated to some other people or postponed to some other times, as the case may be so that we can have a good time with God. Martha busied herself in service while Mary chose to sit at the feet of Jesus (see Luke 19 verses 38 to 40) We can discern and choose what truly matters in our lives and settle for the best.
Secondly, the order of the age is what is known as the jet age, where the devices that connect us to the world have become the major instruments of distraction. We've got to set boundaries between our moments with God and other things around us. It's expedient that we cultivate a space for quiet time with God on a daily basis.
Thirdly, we have to be intentional when it comes to our relationship with God. Don't be too busy to get into good fellowship with God. We need to have a clear intention each day to seek the Lord in stillness by creating some quality time for prayer, reading of the Scriptures, or simply sitting in silence.
All these and more can serve to draw us closer to God. It's when we are in constant touch with God that we can have what it takes to fulfill our calling.
PRAYER :
Precious Father, teach me to seek Your presence and glory above all else in Jesus' Mighty name.