This column speaks to Christians, who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and are ready to hear God’s voice to live out His plan for their lives. If this is you, read on. If this is something that intrigues you, or you have never thought about, read on.
It is up to us to actively pursue holy lives (1 Peter 1:14-15). The Hebrew word for “holy” is kodesh and simply means to be set apart or unique. By choosing to live a lifestyle with purpose that sets us apart from the world, it is necessary to have a deep relationship with Jesus Christ.
The power to live this way comes from the Holy Spirit, who is inside all believers (Romans 8:9-10).
God works in and through us, both to will and to work according to His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). He will use those not based on achievement, wisdom, influence, power or affluence. He doesn’t need us to be perfect.
He wants us to be available and willing to surrender. Are you committed and faithful to our Lord?
It is God’s power, not our human abilities, that forwards His message. God called Samuel, believed to be 12 years old according to Jewish historian Josephus, rather than Eli, the priest (1 Samuel 3). Ordinary people can do extraordinary things.
It takes time for God to use us as we grow in His grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18). God gave Joseph a glimpse of his potential in a dream at age 17 (Genesis 37) but Joesph had to suffer and go through many difficulties before he had a prominent position in Pharaoh’s house at 30 years old (Genesis 41:46).
It took Moses four decades to muster up enough courage to finally ask Pharaoh to let his people go (Exodus 5:1). He made excuses to God as to why he shouldn’t do this. He complained he wasn’t qualified and that he had no speaking skills (Exodus 4:10,13). Even Jesus, as a child, had to grow in spirit and be filled with wisdom (Luke 2:40). He spent time in Jerusalem listening and asking questions of the teachers at the temple (Luke 2:45-47).
We need to partner with God for the work He wants us to do. Don’t compare yourself to what others are doing for His kingdom. We are all given different gifts to use in different ways (Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12: 4-11, 2 Corinthians 10:13, Ephesians 4:11, 1 Peter 4:10).
God equips the unequipped with what is required to do His will (Hebrews 13:20-21). He wants us to bear fruit and will give us the way to accomplish this.
Develop a “God is here” mindset of recognizing God calling you. There is an inseparable link between thinking about God and seeing Him work in your life. Say “yes“ to His call on your life. It may be scary, or take you out of your comfort zone, but you will become freer and find blessings.
Are you ready to say “yes” to God? Please email me…fr*********@***il.com
I close, in the fruit of the spirit given to all believers: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control (Galatians 5:22-23).
Susan Mister, a longtime Gilroy resident and community volunteer, has been sharing her faith through this column since February 2021.
