God's Calling
Feb 1, 2021 at 6:22 AM
‘For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.’ (1 Corinthians 1:17, NIV)
I’ve spent too much time on my personal ‘salvation and sanctification,’ especially the ‘sanctification’ part (becoming like Christ’s holiness). It’s clear that personal salvation and sanctification are basic and important. However, they’re not the purpose or mission of life. Salvation and sanctification seem to be about renewal, equipping oneself, becoming a ‘useful vessel’ for the purpose of glorifying God, exalting Christ, and making disciples of all nations.
After the reminder from Oswald Chambers, I realized I’ve been overly ‘obsessed’ with my own ‘sanctification,’ to the point of ignoring everything outside my window, focusing only on myself and my family in my prayers. This too has become ‘idol worship.’
The gospel of Jesus Christ is powerfully transformative; my life has been changed by it. Yet now, I’m limiting the power of the gospel within myself. I’ve truly benefited from the ‘gospel of Jesus Christ,’ but why don’t I have that zeal to share these benefits with those around me? Though over the years I’ve shared the gospel with colleagues and friends, I know it’s far from enough. There are still so many relatives, friends, and coworkers I’ve never shared the gospel with, not to mention strangers.
Paul said ’to preach the gospel not with wisdom and eloquence.’ This Scripture gives me great encouragement. I don’t need to worry about the limits of my knowledge, wisdom, or eloquence—I should just preach. The ability to make people listen and accept the gospel doesn’t rest on me; Jesus Christ will naturally carry out His work.
It seems, once again, this morning’s reflection is more ‘armchair strategist’ with no immediate action. However, such strategies are important. During this time of devotion and reflection, my perceptions and ideas are slowly being changed. Action comes from changed perceptions.
Thank God:
Thank God for His protection, allowing me to start again with morning devotions at 5:30 AM. On Saturday and Sunday morning, due to laziness and relaxation, I wanted to escape the ‘heaviness’ of devotional life from God and return to worldly ‘rest,’ so I paused. But honestly, neither my body nor my soul felt relaxed or rested. From now on, there’s no ‘rest’ even on weekends, I’ll keep up with devotion;
Thank God for YT’s Sunday sermon. In the most important relationships in life—marriage, parents and children, workplace (leaders, coworkers)—we need to be renewed in heavenly values and understanding, to put to death our earthly nature. Especially at work, we need to kill the ‘hired hand’ mentality; work isn’t about realizing personal ambitions or even personal value, but about demonstrating God’s glory. For human work is an imitation of God’s creation and management;
Thank God for the young brothers and sisters caring for our family. They’ve planned to help us by watching the kids for a day, giving my wife and me time alone together for conversation;