The Call

"Then he said: 'The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.'"
Acts 22:14&15

Saul had just been confronted by Jesus while on a mission to Damascus to arrest Christians there. He was blinded and went to stay with a man named Judas. God sent a messenger to him. Ananias went to him and spoke the words God had given him. Those words are referenced in these scriptures. In this short statement, Saul (later called Paul) was given instructions that would mark the rest of his life. These same words also mark our lives and the call that each of us have to spread the good news.
    This is not difficult. It doesn't take a great deal of education or Bible study. It is the natural flow of a life that is submitted to Christ. When we give up our own agenda and allow him to govern our lives, we get to know his will. We begin to understand what he wants and the things we desire become less important. It is important that we know God's will. How can we follow what we do not know or understand?
    We have been called to see the Righteous One. We need to experience God. It is not enough to know about him, we need to really know him. We have been given the great privilege of being allowed to see his glory in our lives. As we experience him, we begin to fill ourselves with his character. Our own shortcomings begin to fall away and we are more consumed by the presence of God. What a tremendous blessing we have been given that we may experience the fullness of Christ.
    We are also blessed to receive words from the mouth of God. We have his written Word that guides us and helps us through any situation. Even more than that, we have the blessed Holy Spirit who brings his Word to life within us. If we will listen, we will hear wonderful things. God wants to reveal himself to us by allowing us to experience him and hear the things he speaks to us. The Holy Spirit is always speaking to us. Are we listening?
    All of these things, God has given us for one purpose: that we will testify to others about him. We are effective when we are sharing what God has done in our own hearts. This isn't the result of intense study or years of education, it is the result of spending time with God and opening up our spiritual senses to hear and experience him fully. Then we simply share what we already have seen and heard while being with God. This becomes a testimony unique to each one of us.
    This is the high calling of God. We need to experience him and his glory. We hear his voice as he speaks into our lives. His voice will change us and instruct us. Then we simply tell others what we already know. It is indeed, a high calling. But it is not one that only a few may have. We all have the call. God equips each one with exactly what he wants us to have that we may be his ambassadors to the world. Think about it today. Seize the opportunities to allow him to spill over from your life and touch others.