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Reading this article Spiritual Man is Mad, by Chip Brogden this morning opened up a whole can of worms for me. It was and continues to be something that relentlessly drives me to want to know the Truth for myself.
This whole thing of ‘calling’ and how it is perceived and interpreted has been something I’ve been working through for a very long time, consciously and unconsciously, trusting in Fathers’ wisdom to settle this matter, at least for me.
There was a definite time when I saw calling to be something far different than I now see it today. Then it was a ‘calling’ into the ministry, doing whatever it took to see this materialize in my life, and in the process, leaving a trail of debris, hurt and pain and frustration.
I have to laugh now in looking back how our loving Father uses ALL things to bring us to a place of seeing so much more of His heart and in this particular case what ‘calling’ just might be all about.
I love the heart-beat of the Father in this, especially this part, “so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you.”
Equally I love the authority of this established order in Jesus saying, “I have called you and ordained you to be my witnesses, to be fruitful etc.”
Because of not knowing our hearts and the hidden motives therein it seems to be far too easy to jump to very (in most cases) erroneous conclusions about the way the Lord works.
For example, my wife was with a friend the other day and found out her daughter was getting married, long story short this all came about because of different ‘prophetic words’ spoken over her (the daughter) that she would be married soon, within this year, wonderful, I rejoice with her.
The Father is NOT limited in his ability to use anything at any time anywhere to get our attention, but unfortunately more often than not it seems when he uses something, whatever, it inadvertently turns into a validation of what he uses rather than what or Whom He is pointing to, and in this case, the whole ‘prophetic’ world.
It appears to me that hidden from our understanding within our ‘flesh’ there is an innate proclivity towards spiritual adultery and idolatry. This exhibition is in my opinion heart reliance upon ‘something’ or ‘someone’ other than the Father of our spirit.
What did the prophet Jeremiah have to say about this, and for conversation sake, has the corrupting influence of the ‘flesh’ lusting after the spirit in man ever changed? “For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.”
Wasn’t it an over preoccupation with his beauty (reflection), and position that Lucifer imbibed in becoming the reason for his demotion, his plummeting fall to earth later to become a prisoner within what man had become, ‘flesh’?
Surely one would think man was smart enough to be able to distinguish between what is real a reflection of ones self, verses a real and living person as in the case of Narcissus.
I have not come to any hard fast set in stone conclusions on any of this but only to offer this, that maybe being called, a ‘calling’, has produced within me an even more wide eyed wonder of being called unto Him, my Redeemer, Deliverer, King, Lord, Abba-Papa, Father and for His life to be seen in and through me as it was through Jesus of Nazareth!
Was Jesus the word made flesh merely a reflection of the invisible God and Father, or was he in fact, God in the flesh?
All I know is that no matter how great, insightful, or wonderful any experience we can receive from our Father, it will never negate the continued need to plod, trudge, move onward/forward in the faithfulness of Him who has called us to BE His!
Rich
This whole thing of ‘calling’ and how it is perceived and interpreted has been something I’ve been working through for a very long time, consciously and unconsciously, trusting in Fathers’ wisdom to settle this matter, at least for me.
There was a definite time when I saw calling to be something far different than I now see it today. Then it was a ‘calling’ into the ministry, doing whatever it took to see this materialize in my life, and in the process, leaving a trail of debris, hurt and pain and frustration.
I have to laugh now in looking back how our loving Father uses ALL things to bring us to a place of seeing so much more of His heart and in this particular case what ‘calling’ just might be all about.
I love the heart-beat of the Father in this, especially this part, “so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you.”
Equally I love the authority of this established order in Jesus saying, “I have called you and ordained you to be my witnesses, to be fruitful etc.”
Because of not knowing our hearts and the hidden motives therein it seems to be far too easy to jump to very (in most cases) erroneous conclusions about the way the Lord works.
For example, my wife was with a friend the other day and found out her daughter was getting married, long story short this all came about because of different ‘prophetic words’ spoken over her (the daughter) that she would be married soon, within this year, wonderful, I rejoice with her.
The Father is NOT limited in his ability to use anything at any time anywhere to get our attention, but unfortunately more often than not it seems when he uses something, whatever, it inadvertently turns into a validation of what he uses rather than what or Whom He is pointing to, and in this case, the whole ‘prophetic’ world.
It appears to me that hidden from our understanding within our ‘flesh’ there is an innate proclivity towards spiritual adultery and idolatry. This exhibition is in my opinion heart reliance upon ‘something’ or ‘someone’ other than the Father of our spirit.
What did the prophet Jeremiah have to say about this, and for conversation sake, has the corrupting influence of the ‘flesh’ lusting after the spirit in man ever changed? “For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.”
Wasn’t it an over preoccupation with his beauty (reflection), and position that Lucifer imbibed in becoming the reason for his demotion, his plummeting fall to earth later to become a prisoner within what man had become, ‘flesh’?
Surely one would think man was smart enough to be able to distinguish between what is real a reflection of ones self, verses a real and living person as in the case of Narcissus.
I have not come to any hard fast set in stone conclusions on any of this but only to offer this, that maybe being called, a ‘calling’, has produced within me an even more wide eyed wonder of being called unto Him, my Redeemer, Deliverer, King, Lord, Abba-Papa, Father and for His life to be seen in and through me as it was through Jesus of Nazareth!
Was Jesus the word made flesh merely a reflection of the invisible God and Father, or was he in fact, God in the flesh?
All I know is that no matter how great, insightful, or wonderful any experience we can receive from our Father, it will never negate the continued need to plod, trudge, move onward/forward in the faithfulness of Him who has called us to BE His!
Rich
1 comment:
So maybe, the only calling we need be concerned about is that of being His witnesses.
Like it or not, my kids are "called" , or "wired to be" a witness of me. Sometimes, what they witness, I wish they hadn't. But not so with Papa. While it makes me cringe that someone is a witness of me and my behavior, I don't think Papa is sweating it.
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