Home »
May the Lord speak to you in your situation, giving you clarity and perception, as we continue to meditate upon His promise that declares, But those who seek the Lord, lack no good thing. [Psalms 34:10] His gift of salvation that comes to you as you are saved by His grace, is the means by which His goodness becomes your experience and lifestyle. You are being saved by a prospering of your soul, that takes place by a renewing of your mind by which you can recognize and respond to the goodness of His will for you, that is good, pleasurable and perfect. [Romans 12:2] It is with a renewed mind, that you begin to think rightly, and not overestimate, or have an inflated opinion of yourself.
The path to a renewed mind:
For by the grace given to me, I say to everyone of you – Do not think of yourselves more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourselves with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. [Romans 12:3] You know that your mind is being renewed, when you begin to think rightly, without overestimating or under estimating yourself. Over estimating yourself is pride and arrogance. It leads to being self centered, which defines the nature of sin. Wallowing in self pity also leads you to focus on yourself. And in both cases God is no where in the picture.
A general call – saving faith:
It is why understanding grace that He gives to the humble becomes important, for it is humility that leads you to be God focused, be mindful of Him and what He can accomplish, in and through you. Thinking right, involves thinking according to the measure of faith allotted to you, through which you are saved. It is the general call of salvation. For it is through saving faith that you receive the right thinking that you may receive Christ as your Lord and Savior.
A special call – serving faith:
But there is also the serving faith that enables you to think right, in accordance to your function, in your family, your work place, your church etc. And unless you think right, you will not be able to do right in the position that is yours. You need to think in alignment with the special call of God upon your life. For everyone who is called to be saved through the general call of salvation, needs to then become a disciple, which is a special call. You need to be a student of the bible, be disciplined in studying the word of God, for failing to do so will take you away from your godly destiny. Indeed, when God takes His rightful place in you, you will find that everything else will fall in place rightly. It is why,’ seek Ye first, the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you’, was the word of the Lord, as He taught the multitude on the Sermon on the Mount.
A specific call – serving or ministry:
You are not just making up the numbers in the church, for it is the body of Christ. And therefore, every member has a function to perform. It is the specific call for service or ministry that God has called you to, wherever He has placed you, whatever position it may be. A father in a family, must think rightly as a father, according to the measure of faith given to him. And so it is with you and I, in the function God has allotted to each one of us, by His grace, and in alignment with the measure of faith given to each one.
Your call – learning from the apostle:
What is more, I consider everything a loss, compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ. [Philippians 3:8] It is the wondrous way in which Paul’s thoughts have been transformed, by the call of God, to consider all his worldly privileges to be as rubbish, that His will may be accomplished in his life.‘ It is no longer I but Christ who lives in me’, are his words, concerning his call. There is no self made man; rather, the self or the I needs to be subject to the Great I AM, as you say like Paul, ‘It is no longer I, but Christ who lives in me’.
Recognizing & responding to your call:
Paul continues to say about his call, Not that I have already attained it; but I press on to lay hold of that for which Christ has laid hold of me. [Philippians 3:12] Even in your life, it is at this point that you come to a realization that God has a plan and a purpose for your life, a call that is in alignment with the measure of faith in you. And then, He speaks to you through the prophet to say that He has taken hold of your righthand to help you , to lead you and counsel you. [Isaiah 41:13] And as you respond to His call, you begin to think rightly according to His call upon your life, that you may progress rightly towards your godly destiny.
Succeeding in worldly terms:
In the world, you can always see people who with an innate understanding and skill become successful; though they do not have a personal relationship with God. But merely succeeding professionally is not what God wants for you. He wants you not just to think rightly in your function as a father, mother, son, daughter, employee, boss or teacher, but as one who thinks rightly, based on who has called you.
‘Be holy as I am holy’:
Just as He who has called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for itis written, ‘Be holy, because I am holy’. [1 Peter 1:15,16] He is the One who ought to inspire you, that you may think rightly as He does. As a boss you need to be a godly boss, for you have a Boss in heaven! It is where your personal relationship with God comes into play. God was with Joseph in Potiphar’s house. He was a godly slave, yet still a slave. But God lifted him up surely and steadily, in the midst of challenges. And ultimately, with right thinking, as a godly brother, he was able to say to them, ‘You sold me; but God sent me’.
Right thinking & your call:
It is the godly thinking of the One who has called you, that needs to prevail even in you, in your function, the position, that God has placed you. May it become your portion, and your blessing, by His grace that is new every morning, as you draw close to Him, to grow deeper in your walk with Him, to be changed, renewed , transformed to become more and more like Him, for the glory and honor of His Name. In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
