Worthy of this Calling

Worthy of this Calling

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of [this] calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of [his] goodness, and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

                I would like for us to be very real and practical today as we consider our calling in Christ Jesus.  We often try and talk spiritual and be spiritual around what we consider spiritual people or environments, but what is every day life like for us?  How does our real faith play out in the everyday activities of our lives?  In the light of that, many of us may not feel too spiritual.  We may see ourselves getting angry, losing patience, arguing with the kids and the spouse.  A lot of times we see some pretty unattractive words and attitudes demonstrated in our lives.  Nothing we could really take much pride in as far as being spiritual or glorifying the Lord.  We may get pretty down on ourselves in the light of our many shortcomings and feel there is really no hope that I could be anything in Christ.  “Look what a mess I am and how totally unchristian I can act.”  Most of us can have those “flesh days” when we are just a mess spiritually.  Our spiritual enemy preys on our vulnerabilities.  I believe situations are often set up by the enemy, just to push our buttons and lead us off into unspiritual actions and attitudes.  You may have really felt that you were drawing close to the Lord and then you are attacked in the areas of your vulnerabilities.  You are tempted in the areas of your greatest weaknesses.  As much as you don’t want too, perhaps you fail and stumble again in those areas where you thought you were experiencing victory.  What follows is nothing less than a barrage of condemnation and discouragement as the devil condemns you for your failures.  Perhaps he even uses those around you to assist in heaping on you the condemnation and failure you already feel.  With feelings of shame, disgrace, added failure and guilt we become discouraged.  We think, “Why am I trying to be something I can never be?”  Exactly the state of mind the enemy wants to bring us too.

               Realistically our lives are a never-ending struggle of flesh and spirit.  We hear about who we are and who we should be in Christ, but then we struggle to live our faith in Christ, often with feelings of being so unsuccessful.  These are the reasons why we often grow weary, discouraged and want to just give up.  You know what?  We all have these feelings, discouragement, and setbacks.  Our God is not just writing us off because we do, but He does want to use them to allow us to recognize our weakness, so that we may better lay hold of His strength.   The Word tells us that the efforts of the flesh can never produce the righteousness of God.  That is why religion is so futile.  It is our attempt at finding and pleasing God in our own works.

               We find in life that we are most influenced by those we associate ourselves with.  If we hang around a worldly and ungodly crowd, it is not long before we find our own actions and attitudes becoming more and more conformed to theirs.  It is that same old principle of sowing and reaping.  What we are sowing into our lives is what we are reaping in our attitudes and actions.  Hosea 10:2 tells us, “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for [it is] time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.”  Galatians 5:25 tells us, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”  While we will have those times where we will experience failure and discouragement we must stubbornly and uncompromisingly not relinquish who we know ourselves to be in Christ.  Our only hope of this is in our identification and relationship with our Lord.  No matter how we may get sidetracked and bushwhacked by the enemy of our soul, our inner man must turn back to Father.  He assures us forgiveness when we repent and promises to wash our sin away.  Christ in you is your hope of glory.  With all that is within us we must cling to Him, relinquish our lives to Him and stay in close fellowship and relationship with Him.  He alone is the one that transforms us into His image and likeness.  In order to be worthy of His calling, it is our patient and enduring faith in Him that is the manifest token of our salvation.  It is maintaining the place of intimacy and relationship that we truly know our God and experience the workings of His righteousness in us.  The reality of our faith and walk in the Spirit must be the greatest reality of our lives.  Even when we wander or fail, it is the faithfulness of His Spirit in us that continually keeps us returning and drawing near to Him.  “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: [Which is] a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer

(2 Thessalonians 1:3-5)” 

Blessings,

#kent

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