December 27 – Being Faithful to Your Calling. Malachi 3:1c; “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.”
Luke 4:43; “And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.”
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Messenger of the new covenant … Jesus’ focus was unparalleled as He set about doing what God had sent Him to do. Are we as ready to ignore all else for the sake of the calling He gave us? When we examine the lives of those mentioned in the Bible, we see people like John the Baptist who obviously wasn’t too concerned about a dress code, and Jeremiah who broke pottery when prophesying (Jer. 19:10), wore the marred loincloth as a symbol Israel, like the loincloth, was good for nothing (Jer. 13:1-10). And while he used these and other teaching analogies, was always faithful to what God had called for him to do. While Jesus went out to preach the kingdom of God and fulfill scripture, we don’t see any mention of the Lord packing a houseful of ‘must-haves’. The Bible simply tells us He must preach in other cities. Matthew Henry noted He was content in what He had and just went about His work. Are we that content with Him?
I know as a Mormon I wasn’t content at all. I looked and sought out the numerous lists of what I had to do for salvation and then I waited. I didn’t wait for the Lord to show me what He’d created me for, rather, I was waiting for the phone to ring with the bishop’s voice telling me ‘I’d been called’ to fill a vacant position in the ward.
The messengers who call with a chore list for you to fulfill aren’t called of God. Where is the focus with this system or even a reminder that God fulfilled His word through His Son, Christ Jesus?
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Teachings of Presidents of the Church: John Taylor (2001), p 164; “If you do not magnify your callings, God will hold you responsible for those whom you might have saved had you done your duty.”
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Spot on. While I was in the Primary Presidency, years ago…..we pulled out the Ward list to see who didn’t have a ‘calling’…..and reasoned the best fit for the open position. I love being a Christian…seeking God’s direction and then following it. I can approach the pastor or whomever and let them know how I feel led to serve….no dreaded incoming phone call.