The Awareness of the Call

. . . for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! —1 Corinthians 9:16

We are inclined to forget the deeply spiritual and supernatural touch of God. If you are able to tell exactly where you were when you received the call of God and can explain all about it, I question whether you have truly been called. The call of God does not come like that; it is much more supernatural. The realization of the call in a person’s life may come like a clap of thunder or it may dawn gradually. But however quickly or slowly this awareness comes, it is always accompanied with an undercurrent of the supernatural—something that is inexpressible and produces a “glow.” At any moment the sudden awareness of this incalculable, supernatural, surprising call that has taken hold of your life may break through—”I chose you . . .” (John 15:16). The call of God has nothing to do with salvation and sanctification. You are not called to preach the gospel because you are sanctified; the call to preach the gospel is infinitely different. Paul describes it as a compulsion that was placed upon him.
If you have ignored, and thereby removed, the great supernatural call of God in your life, take a review of your circumstances. See where you have put your own ideas of service or your particular abilities ahead of the call of God. Paul said, “. . . woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” He had become aware of the call of God, and his compulsion to “preach the gospel” was so strong that nothing else was any longer even a competitor for his strength.
If a man or woman is called of God, it doesn’t matter how difficult the circumstances may be. God orchestrates every force at work for His purpose in the end. If you will agree with God’s purpose, He will bring not only your conscious level but also all the deeper levels of your life, which you yourself cannot reach, into perfect harmony.
-Oswald Chambers

We cannot boast in our feeling or passion for Jesus..
From the Screwtape Letters:
“The great thing is to prevent his doing anything.  As long as he does not convert it into action, it does not matter how much he thinks about this new repentance.  Let the little brute wallow in it.  Let him, if he has any bent that way, write a book about it; that is often an excellent way of sterilising the seeds which the Enemy plants in a human soul. Let him do anything but act.  No amount of piety in his imagination and affections will harm us if we can keep it out of his will.  As one of the humans has said, active habits are strengthened by repetition but passive ones are weakened.  The more often he feels without acting, the less he will be able ever to act, and, in the long run, the less he will be able to feel.” Chp. 13
via (Part of The Vinehttp://part0fthevine.tumblr.com/)

And even once that love and passion has become too much to hold in that it overflows to everyone around you, we cannot boast in our complete obedience to Jesus...
"When you have done all that you were commanded, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'"(Luke 17:10) This is a profound statement and utterly devastating to the last vestige of pride. Jesus says, no degree of obedience, from the worst to the best, merits any absolute claim on God. A perfectly obedient human should say-it would be part of his obedience-"I am an unworthy servant". That is, "I do not put You in any absolute sense in debt to reward me". This conviction is the root of humility-that we deserve nothing good from God. Everything good that we get from God is mercy. The joy of the humble does not reside in being deserving but in receiving mercy."
from Piper's What Jesus Demands from His Disciples

We have nothing in ourselves to commend us to God, apart from His Holy Spirit, which is a seal and a promise.

vigilant listening

"Listening is to be cultivated and renewed each day. Our lives are too full and active to automatically allow for a natural flow of attentiveness. We cannot run through life and expect that we will hear what stirs deep within us or notice what begs our attention without regularly adjusting our listening antennae. God is present to us in the scriptures, the life of the church, our work, prayer, people, events, and nature. Not a person, place, or a moment is left out from divine revelation. Something of value for our growth is always being made known to us in the midst of our ordinary lives. This revelation stretches far beyond and much deeper than how we usually perceive life. Our spiritual development depends on our being alive and vigilant enough to hear the message of transformation that weaves through our daily existence."
-from Open The Door, by Joyce Rupp

"Listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom." Job 33:33

"And now, my children, listen to me." Proverbs 8:32

"I slept but my heart was awake. Listen! My beloved is knocking. 'Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one," Song of Solomon 5:2

"Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known." Jeremiah 33:3

"Wherever we turn in the church of God, there is Jesus. He is the beginning, middle, and end of everything to us...There is nothing good, nothing holy, nothing beautiful, nothing joyous which He is not to His servants. No one need to be poor, because, if he chooses, he can have Jesus for his own property and possession. No one need be downcast, for Jesus is the joy of heaven, and it is His joy to enter into sorrowful hearts. We can exaggerate about many things; but we can never exaggerate our obligation to Jesus or the compassionate abundance of the love of Jesus to us. All our lives long we might talk of Jesus, and yet we should never come to an end of the sweet things that might be said of Him. Eternity will not be long enough to learn all He is, or to praise Him for all He has done, but then, that matters not; for we shall be always with him, and we desire nothing more." -Fredrick Faber

"NOW He (God) waits to show Himself in ravishing fullness to the humble of soul and the pure of heart."
"The instant cure of most of our religious ills would be to enter the Presence in spiritual experience, to become suddenly aware that we are in God and God is in us."
"God wills that we should push on into His presence and live our whole life there." -Tozer, from The Pursuit of God

-thanks to Kel for recommending this. :)

Christ is all

"O LOVER TO THE UTTERMOST,
May I read the meltings of Your heart to me
in the manger of Your birth,
in the garden of Your agony,
in the cross of Your suffering,
in the tomb of Your resurrection, 
in the heaven of Your intercession. 
Bold in this thought I defy my adversary,
tread down his temptations,
resist his schemings,
renounce the world,
am valiant for truth.
Deepen in me a sense of my holy relationship to You,
as spiritual Bridegroom,
as Holy Healer,
as sinners' friend.
I think of Your glory and my vileness, 
Your majesty and my meanness,
Your beauty and my deformity,
Your purity and my filth,
Your righteousness and my iniquity.
You have loved me everlastingly, unchangeably,
may I love You as I am loved;
You have given Yourself for me,
may I give myself to You;
You have died for me,
may I live to You,
in every moment of my time,
in every moment of my mind,
in every pulse of my heart.
May I never dally with the world and its allurements,
but walk by Your side,
listen to Your voice,
be clothed with Your grace,
and adorned with Your righteousness."

ASSURANCE

Almighty God,
I am loved with everlasting love,
clothed in eternal righteousness,
my peace flowing like a river,
my comforts many and large,
my joy lively with a knowledge of salvation,
my sense of justification unclouded.
I have scarce anything to pray for;
Jesus smiles upon my soul as a ray of heaven
and my supplications are swallowed up in praise.
If Jesus were not my righteousness and redemption,
I would sink into nethermost hell
by my misdoings, shortcomings, unbelief, unlove;
If Jesus were not by the power of His Spirit my sanctification,
there is no sin I should not commit.
O when shall I have His mind!
when shall I be conformed to His image?
All the good things of life are less than nothing
when compared with His love.
All the treasures of a million worlds could not make me richer,
happier, more contented,
for His unsearchable riches are mine.
One moment of communion with Him, one view of His grace,
is ineffable, inestimable.
But O God, I could not long after Thy presence
if I did not know the sweetness of it;
And such I could not know except by Thy Spirit in my heart,
not love Thee at all unless Thou did
love me, call me, adopt me, save me.
I bless Thee for the covenant of grace.

-This is from The Valley of Vision

It's a collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions. Amanda Lee gave it to me for my birthday. She had two copies and read from both so she gave me one. I love that she underlined and made notes in it and it's already warn. It's a treasure. There's something really awesome about reading through a book that's already been read through and marked up. It's humbling to see a glimpse into another heart that is in love with Jesus.

I know I haven't been posting much lately. I took a lil break but I'll be back soon. Hope you're all enjoying the new fall weather!

"My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being!" Psalm 108:1

Kristene Mueller - Praise the Lord

"For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him. That is why it is through Him that we utter our Amen to God for His glory." -2 Corinthians 1: 20

-more stories and info on Ethiopia to come.

Thank you Lazo, for being a vessel the Lord speaks through!

Here's his sermon reflecting on Ethiopia.

Thanks for posting this Kel!
An article on the importance of words and deed in mission. article here.
I am so incredibly thankful and blessed to have experienced being part of a group who prayed and shared the gospel as we served the people in Ethiopia.

Christopher Lazo's reflection on the trip to Ethiopia. I concur.

Back from Ethiopia

I’m currently in Seattle trying to process one of the more frantic months of my life.
I just returned from Soddo, Ethiopia, after leading a small team of college students to come alongside a gospel-centered ministry called the Mossy Foot Project. You can track some of the details of our trip on the team blog.
I want to point out three things that impacted me the most:
Radical opportunities
There are impoverished people everywhere who need the gospel in word and deed. This is the God-graced benefit of being born in a wealthy country: EVERYONE needs us. Since there is no shortage of needs in the world then, the mission should start with the call to a specific person(s) or place, and not be driven by the needs, which are endless. Even Jesus was called only to the lost sheep of Israel in the sovereign timing of His Father [Matt 15:24].
Radical moves of God
There are still miracles working in underdeveloped countries.

• We saw with our own eyes, as the blind eyes of a woman opened after WE laid hands on her (among others being healed)
• We experienced demonic oppression being broken
• Etc.

God is able to do “far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us” [Ephesians 3:20].
Radical people
I ran into people younger than me, who were in Ethiopia longer than me, and had no rushed plans to leave. What they did leave was the comfort of their own lives in posh California, and I couldn’t shake the fact that there are still people out there who want to live a servants life, and die a servants death for the glory of God.
I understand why… It’s because they found obedience to God to be much more fulfilling, breath-taking, and satisfying than sitting at home worrying about tomorrow. They no longer think of packing their bags as a loss, but as a blessing.
I think it was David Livingstone who once said “I never made a sacrifice.”
Of course, he sacrificed EVERYTHING for the call of God. But in his own perspective, he lost NOTHING of true value. Oh, how I desire to say “I never made a sacrifice” with authenticity.

My point: There are real opportunities for the works of God to be done by willing people everywhere.
So far, that tops any job description I’ve ever applied for.