Called By Name

I remember at 12 years old walking up to a list posted on the snack bar at Western Little League field in El Cajon.  I was elated to see my name included upon the list of "All-Stars" which would represent the league at upcoming tournaments and (should we prevail) even the Little League World Series!  It was a great honour to be an All-Star because only a select few were chosen out of the whole league.  To see my name among other players renowned for their skills which exceeded my own was humbling and a proud moment at the same time.  In retrospect I'm not exactly sure why donning that All-Star uniform and being part of a great team was so special, but it was.

Being chosen by God is a far greater honour than being selected for an All-Star team.  Should our adoption into the family of God and inclusion in His eternal plans stir up even an inkling of pride, something is dreadfully wrong.  We are often wrong and praise the LORD He reveals the truth to us through His Word and the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  Pride is so natural and ever-present in our flesh it can be hard - no, impossible on our own - to recognise and repent.  Players were selected for the All-Star team because of their quality play, yet every Christian is a sinner chosen by the grace of God.  We worked hard to earn a starting position on a baseball team, but it is God's goodness which has drawn us to Him.

The call of Jesus has gone out to all the world, yet this inclusive call does not lessen how special each of us are in the eyes of God.  We who have been brought near by the shed blood of Jesus through faith find ourselves in exclusive company as children of God.  A wedding invitation sent out to an entire nation of people likely would not make anyone feel special for being invited.  But if the wedding invitation was sent by a notable king signed in his own blood, attending would be a priority.  Being called and accepted by God by grace is special because there is no one as great as our God.  His goodness is infinite, and His wisdom is without limit.  We who are worthy of death have been invited into the presence of the Almighty for eternity!

Little League baseball is only a memory for me now 30 years on, but the "glory days" of abiding in the presence of God will be experienced by a child of God now and forever.  I feel special to be included in that rare company not because it is an exclusive group but because of the greatness of the Saviour who has called my name.

Christ's Leading for Life

According to his website, Tony Robbins is described as a "World Authority on Leadership Psychology" and the "#1 Life and Business Strategist."  An article on his site says, "Whether you lead a Fortune 500 company or simply lead yourself as you strive to attain your goals, leadership qualities are absolutely essential to your success. It helps you surmount obstacles, take risks, and find ways to live joyfully and thrive even during the most challenging times."  The article lists six qualities to cultivate in the lives of leaders:  confidence, focus, honesty, being positive, decisive, and inspirational.  Whilst the qualities of good leaders are subjective and this is hardly an exhaustive list, they illustrate well the point:  man's concepts of leadership differ greatly from God's ways.

Allow me to illustrate from a passage of scripture when King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah were threatened by a great army.  Based upon the aforementioned list which has no mention of God, King Jehoshaphat was an obvious failure.  He did not bother to put a brave face on the threat, nor did he rally the troops with an inspirational message.  He directed the people to fast and they gathered for a prayer meeting.  This is a king with fortifications, strategists, valiant fighters, and weapons of war.  See what Jehoshaphat prayed when the nation gathered before the LORD in 2 Chronicles 20:12-13:  "O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You." ¹³ Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the LORD."

Jehoshaphat did not tell his advisers in a private meeting behind closed doors, "Gentlemen, I don't believe we have a chance."  He said "We have no power" nice and loud for everyone to hear, in front of the army, the women and children!  He said, "We have no power against this threat, nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You."  This is a remarkable admission!  Parents feel they must put on a bold front for their children so they will not be alarmed.  They will lie if it will make their children feel safe.  Jehoshaphat refused to do so.  As king he publicly admitted he did not have any power or resources able to save, he was totally overwhelmed, and could only look to God.  And that, I believe, is a reason why God took charge the way He did, miraculously routing the enemy the following day and brought about a momentous victory.  A hopeless and helpless leader looked to God - rather than attempting in vain to comfort the people or rally his men - and every enemy warrior was destroyed without losing a single man, woman, or child.

The best leaders are those who are led by God.  Their confidence is not in themselves or past victories but in the God who delivered their souls from death.  The godly leader's focus is not the advancing enemy or the formulation of a strategy but on the Living God who is able to save to the uttermost who cry out to Him.  Honesty before God and men is paramount, and bowing our hearts before God is the most positive step we can take in seeking His will.  We must decisively seek the LORD's directives without fear of man, for the way that seems good to a man ends in death.  Finally, Jesus Christ is to be our inspiration.  The only thing more inspiring than a person who commits themselves to God when their life is on the line is the one who faithfully lives for His glory when his life isn't at immediate risk.  That can be you and me as we follow Christ's leading for our lives.

Wrath Upon Us

The Bible often makes me think.  Whilst thinking was allegedly "a dangerous pastime" for Gaston in Disney's "Beauty in the Beast," careful thought is most necessary to read the Bible with understanding.  The Christian life often today is tragically whittled down to catch-phrases and cliches which are totally inadequate to convey God's truth contained throughout scripture.  The strides taken in producing translations for modern readers cannot reduce the complexity and necessity of sound theology.  The Bible is comprised of 66 books, and we need every single one of them for the full revelation God has provided.

I have heard people say many times "Christians are not under God's wrath," and this is true - but this hackneyed cliche doesn't tell the whole story.  It is true we are no longer under wrath because Jesus took our punishment on Calvary.  As followers of Jesus Christ through faith, we have been saved by eternal wrath by Him.  We all deserve hell, but Jesus has atoned for our sins.  The wrath of God is reserved for the wicked who will drink this cup to the dregs.  Plenty of verses back up this position.  So what is the problem?

There's no problem, but a verse I read this morning provides a condition everyone who claims absolute immunity from God's wrath ought to know.  Jehoshaphat was a godly king of Judah who was invited to a feast by the Ahab, the wicked king of Israel.  The reason for the special feast?  Ahab wanted Jehoshaphat's help to fight his enemies - enemies God likely had stirred up against Ahab to chasten him to repentance.  Because they were both children of Abraham and Israel, Jehoshaphat agreed to an alliance with Ahab to help him.  After Jehoshaphat returned safe from battle because God helped him 2 Chronicles 19:2 says, "And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Therefore the wrath of the LORD is upon you."  This verse teaches us though God has spared His faithful followers from eternal wrath, should we support evil we can unwittingly place ourselves under God's wrath.  Hopefully these words from God caused Jehoshaphat to think about supporting those who showed contempt towards God through their actions and to repent himself.

How good it is to be circumspect in our reading of God's Word and our lives!  We know we ought to love one another as God has loved us, but in helping his wicked brother Jehoshaphat was heading for judgment and a world of pain and loss.  His soul was secure but he should not have been surprised after making an alliance with wicked Ahaziah his ships sank (1 Kings 22:44-48, 2 Chron. 20:37).  I am grateful God did not give us the "Reader's Digest" version of his Word, modernised and abridged to make it easier for us to read faster.  He has held nothing back we need to know to live righteously and godly in this world, and there is no fine print or hidden charges.  The King James Version can be made plain to us by the Holy Spirit who teaches and guides us into all truth.  When we read with thought, intending to obey, God will reveal new things to broaden our understanding for the purpose of application to our lives.  Praise the LORD we are no longer children of wrath, and God-forbid through our ignorance of His Word we enter into alliances we ought to refuse and bring wrath from God upon us.

The Ride of Your Life

Following Jesus is a personal choice, and those who make the decision discover it can be a wild ride.  I remember very well as a teen my first visit to Magic Mountain, a theme-park filled with roller coasters in Valencia California.  The wildest rides I had ever ridden to that point were in Disneyland, but the Matterhorn had nothing on Revolution or Viper!  When I balked and told my friend I would rather sit a ride out, he said something to me like this:  "You're going on every single ride.  You don't have a choice.  It's going to be awesome."  I did have a choice, but his encouragement was what I needed to discover I loved roller coasters.  I had the greatest time and when new rides were built I was all in.

Roller coasters are specially engineered to safely utilise the force of gravity to thrill.  As you are secured in your seat anticipation builds as the ride slowly clinks up to the highest point.  Some find this slow ascent terrifying and audibly pray before the death-defying drop.  Are you a person who white-knuckles their way through the ride or raises your hands over your head screaming for joy?  I remember a little boy shouting with his eyes tightly shut as we rode "California Screaming" in Anaheim, "I don't like it!  I don't like it!"  After the ride is over, there are basically two responses in people new to roller coasters:  it is either, "Let's do that again!" or "I am never doing that again!"

In my life I can say following Jesus has been a lot like a roller coaster at times.  God has led me to do things I never imagined doing or wanted to do, and He has been faithful all the time.  I used to endure rides before I learned to enjoy them.  Grabbing the seat hard and gritting my teeth didn't stop the ride or make it more safe.  Letting go, raising my arms over my head, and committing myself to the experience with an aim to enjoy it was key to me running back to the front of the line to have another go.  When you choose to follow Jesus, it will be the ride of your life.  There will be waiting which seems to take forever, slow ascents and rapid descents, rushes of feelings good and painful, corkscrews and moments when everything is upside down.  But as someone who has followed Jesus for a while I say by the end, regardless of the trepidation I had when I faced new challenges and seasons, "Let's do that again."  Seeing the happy faces of people disembarking the ride gives potential anxious new riders encouragement.  I want to be one of those happy people! :)

How are you enjoying the ride Jesus has you on?  Know He has designed it especially for you and always has your safety and eternal future in mind.  You can grit your teeth all you want, but how much better it is to turn our eyes towards Him, lift our hands in praise, and commit ourselves to Him completely.  There is joy, peace, and comfort in this posture - without queasiness or a sore neck!