Believe it or not, God has already placed a call to you.
Dare 2 Share - And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. (Romans 8:30)
Caller ID might be one of the coolest things ever invented. For years I was a slave to the incessant ringing of the phone at my house, having to answer each and every call just in case it was important. Consequently, I was under the fear of constant interruption, and I found myself unable to concentrate on Bible study and prayer. My meal times were disturbed on a daily basis, and on many occasions I gave into sales calls and purchased worthless stuff that I never knew I (supposedly) couldn’t live without.
Then came the creation of that enchanting little box that sits by my phone, keeping it company and keeping me informed of who is on the other end of the line. All the guesswork has now been completely eliminated- I know which calls to ignore, and which calls I have no choice but to answer.
Picture this scenario- you are sitting around at home with a ton of distractions. The T.V. is on, you are trying to do homework, eat a snack, and watch your favorite program. Suddenly the phone rings, and answering it is the last thing you want to do. Yet you decide to check the caller ID screen just in case it’s someone who really needs to talk to you. As you look at the letters and numbers that show up, you are a bit surprised and suspicious. The display reads:
God, Jehovah
777-777-7777
At first you think it’s a joke, but each ring motivates you more to pick up the phone and just see what’s going on. Do you think you would eventually answer?
Believe it or not, God has already placed a call to you. Not through the phone to your brain, but through His voice to your soul. The Bible describes it as the call of salvation, and if you have trusted Christ as your Savior- you already responded to His appeal.
However, did you know that He has placed another call to Christians? It is a summons to holiness, and it is definitely one that you should answer. Paul describes it as “sanctification”, which essentially means “to be set apart”. Believers are called to be different in every aspect of our lives. We don’t think the same, act the same, speak the same, or feel the same way as those that live in darkness. When we trusted Christ, we gave up the right to have life “our way”, because we were purchased by His very life.
Many Christians today were glad to take the call to salvation, but for some reason they have decided not to answer the call to sanctification. If you’re in that category, I’ve got bad news- the phone is never going to stop ringing. Perhaps today is a good day for you to stop what you’re doing and start over with right living.
Questions:
1) How has God been speaking to you lately?
2) Why do we sometimes ignore the call to holiness?
3) What is one change you need to make to be more “set apart”?
