Monday, November 10, 2008

God Called us to vOcation not vAcation- Pt. I


One week ago today we saw history being made. The United States of America elected its first black president. Barack Hussein Obama will be the nation's 44Th president. I never in a million years thought that I would be able or even witness such a historic event in my lifetime. But I am so blessed that I did.

Many men and women fought for civil rights and equal treatment for all people. Some of them were fortunate enough to see the fruits of their labor. Some of the civil rights activists were blessed and lived to their"change" actually come in the government. Many more didn't. We as a people began a work. And although we have gained monumental ground, there is still yet More work to be done, which brings me to the title of the message that the Lord has given me for this day: God called us to a vocation not - not a vacation.

Ephesians 4: 1-6
1I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;One Lord, one faith, one baptism,One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.


We cannot just stop reaching for more and walking out the assignments that God has given us just because we've made some progress or things are okay for the moment.

Suppose Moses stopped midway in his journey because he and the Children of Israel were out of Egypt and they saw Pharaoh's army drown in the Red Sea: The Children of Israel would have never made it to The Promised Land. Or suppose Moses decided to abandon his position in leadership because he was tired of listening to the people grumble and complain? What if JESUS would have decided not to go to the cross because the people didn't receive Him or believe that He was who He said He was? Where would we be then?

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Romans 8:18)


But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. (1 Corinthian 2:9)


So we do have hope. We must not be discouraged when the task that lies ahead looks more challenging than we think we are able to handle or even during those times when we have no vision at all and are waiting for God to reveal to us what lies ahead. Instead, we can take comfort in the fact that God knows what lies ahead and that He holds our hands. Whatever we have to go through in this assignment, He is going to be right there with us.

Mr. Obama told us in his first press conference as the president-elect that he could not guarantee us that he would be able to fix the country's economic crisis in one year or possible even one term but he did guarantee us that he would continue to work his best in this new vocation to which he has been called. We didn't elect Obama. God appointed Him just as he did our present president. All authority comes from God (Romans 13:1).

Like Obama, we must maintain the "Yes We Can" attitude in our spiritual lives as well as in our natural lives. When the task looks daunting and the situation looks bleak, we must remember that "yes we can" do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens us. We too must remember that some things just take time to accomplish. Delay does not mean denial. Hope that is seen is not hope at all. We have to have faith that God will do what He said He will do. What is faith?

Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Why do we need faith when we can see our own way? Sometimes we not only have to wait for God to perform in us what He said that He would but also for instruction on what it is that He wants us to do to activate our faith so that we will be in position to receive the blessing. Faith without works is dead. We have work to do.
We have to wit for instruction. Instruction doesn't always come in a flash or over night. There is no mystery as to where we should look for instruction.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:105)
.

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)


Jesus Himself said it best when He told us that some things come by fasting and praying. We must remember that the race is not given to the strong or the swift but to he that endures to the end. That's exactly what we must do: We must endure - not take a break. God called us to a vOcation not a vAcation.

I encourage you to reflect on your life and the areas you may have been slacking in. What is it that's holding you back from completing your assignment or reaching your goals? Maybe you aren't slacking in any particular area but you know that you have the potential to do greater works and come up to another level. What's holding you back? This is not a time to become stagnant or complacent.

God called us to a vocation - not a vacation.





11 comments:

A Free Spirit Butterfly said...

Thank you for this post. I have been slacking at work and I'm ashamed to say that considering the amount of unemployed Americans in the coutry today. I am very grateful to have my job but I don't get any satisfaction out of it. Yes I do get a paycheck but I want to make a difference. I guess in some way I am because this is where God has placed me. So thanks to your post, I'm going to change my attitude and get back to being a great Supervisor, the one that people admire and respect. So with that being said, I've got to stop blogging and get back to work (smile).

Love, peace & blessings!

Shanita Waters said...

@ Free Sprit - Praise God! The Word of God quickens us and causes us to take action. I think I'll get back to work now too. I am so happy that you were blessed. God gave me that Word a few weeks ago for myself and now I'll be sharing it today and decided to share snippets of the message on my blog.

Blessings!

luvmy4sons said...

Great exhortation. It is so easy to think life is all about our own pleasures and our leisure, but we are here to serve!

SLC said...

As always thanks for the Word and the boost/kick in the tail. I'm reminded of the scripture where Paul says, you did run well. Who hindered you?

A little success is often times followed by a lot of complacency. I'll do my best to avoid that path.

Thanks again.
SLC

Shanita Waters said...

@ luvmy4sons - thanks for stopping by. It's good to have you. Be sure to come again. You are absolutely right. Jesus said that the greatest among us is the servant.

@ SLC - nice to see you. I knew you would have a scripture or two for this one. There were more I wanted to add but I've been hearing (reading) a lot of comments about my long posts. LOL...

I also thoguht of the scripture where Paul speaks of pressing toward the mark of the prize. I thought of Neimiah too but I think I'll be talking about him toward the end of this week or next week.

The funny thing about this message is that the whole time I was writing (and speaking) it, I knew that it was for "me" first. Yes, it is a call to action. No more "out of office auto reply messages".

Blessings!

SLC said...

Hi Sis.
In this season I NEED long posts like these. You provide inspiration and cause me to here scriptures tucked away in my heart.
I mean when was the last time I received too much Word?
God bless you more and more......

SLC

Shanita Waters said...

SLC - thank you SO much for your encouraging words. Your comment truly blessed my soul. I love reading a log blog and a long comment - it helps my day go by and it helps me to meditate on His word both day and night.

I originally started this blog privately to record what I was studying. It was sort of my way of making sure that I made an entry every day even if it was just a prayer but then one day God led me to make it public and share it with the world in hopes that others might be encouraged, saved, delivered, healed and set free ALL to His glory!!!

On Purpose said...

While I am here I will "vocation"...but I am SO looking forward to my "vacation" with Jesus!

Love to you!

B His Girl said...

Thanks for stopping by Turtle Tuesdays Shanita. You are an encourager. I see your gift. I loved the reminder, "Hope that is seen is not hope at all" We all have to finish our race. Sometimes I want to rest in the shade like the rabbit in the Tortise and the Hare tale.

Fitts said...

You are a very good writer. May the good Lord, our God continually bless you!!!

DeAntwan

Shanita Waters said...

@ Onpurpose - that's the Sprit! The great vacation to come will never end so all of the vocation we have to do here is more than worth it!

@ B His Girl - thank you so much for the words of encouragement. Thanks for stopping by and I'm headed over to your page again in a few.

@ Fitts - thank you so much for the encouragement. God bless you!!