The Call of God

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God does not call everyone to full time service

Have you ever wondered about that statement? Why does God not call everyone to full time service. If God is not willing that any should perish, then why is God not willing to call everyone into full time service? It really does not make sense. Why?

God only calls those who are willing to respond to that call. The maximum step a Christian can take is to surrender his life to God for full time service. The truth is that surrendering your life to serve God is the least a Christian can do.

Ask yourself these questions. “What is wrong with me? Why did God call him and not me? Why have I NOT been called? Why does God not want me to serve Him full time? Why has God not called me into full time service?” Listen to this statement. A dedicated Christian should be surprised not that God would call him or her, but that God would NOT call him or her.

I’m not trying to twist your arm to get you to walk an aisle. I want you to honestly look at your life. The truth is there is very little danger of you responding to my insistence that you serve God full time. If you will not respond to God’s call then you will not respond to mine. There are more Christians whom God has called who do not respond than those who think they are called whom He has NOT called. “For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). 

I do not fear that someone will surrender who is not called. I do fear that someone who is called will not surrender. If you are not called and you surrender, God will gladly use you in the place of one who is called who did not surrender.

We become so spooky about the call of God. Here’s a thought, “How do I know that God has NOT called me?” If He has not then assume that he has called you. What’s wrong with that? If God is not willing that any should perish then God will take volunteers. “But preacher, if my son or daughter is not called they will fail in the ministry” Wait a minute! I can name a dozen who failed, but I can also name a dozen others who volunteered and succeeded. If the world is going to Hell then God needs you and me.

The truth is in the Bible God called most of the time folks who were in their youth: Joseph, David, Joshua, Moses, Daniel, Samuel, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, Timothy, etc. God called adult men too: Jonah, Paul, Peter, and the disciples. These adults were called immediately after being saved or at the same time as their salvation.

Nothing in the world is as fulfilling as serving God. I am having the time of my life. I’m in my forty-sixth year of ministry and still going strong. These poor athletes have to retire at age thirty from what they love doing but I think I’ll take some more steroids and keep on going. Ha!

The ministry is sometimes heartbreaking. The ministry is not for the tired, weak, lazy, coward, spoiled, selfish, or tentative. It requires courage, dedication, sacrifice, integrity, hard work, and love; but it’s worth it!

God usually calls people in their youth, but for sure God calls only dedicated, surrendered people. The normal Christian should expect God to call him. The Christian, young or old, who does not want God to call him is not right with God and probably is in no danger of God calling him, but he is in danger of missing an opportunity of a life time.

Young people, do not ever boast, “Well God hasn’t called me”. Some young people say that sometimes with a sense of relief like they have escaped from a fate worse than death. At summer youth camp I guarantee you someone said, “Well I got through summer camp without being called”. How dare you be glad that the God of the universe ignored you. The main trait of the one whom God calls is a yielded will. God will not call one knowing he will not respond.

When I pastored there was no need for me to call the office at night because no one would answer. I’ll not waste a call if no one is going to answer. Why would God call on someone whom God knows will not respond? You will never enjoy your Christian life until your will is completely yielded to God. I worry about Christians who show no desire to be used of God.

I do not understand a parent who will discourage his children from doing the will of God. Your child is not your property. God gave you that child for the child to have a heart for God’s work; not for golf, football, baseball, being a doctor, or a lawyer.

Five times Samuel said, “Here am I speak my LORD for they servant heareth” (I Samuel 3:4,5,6,8,10).

Samuel was sleeping in the church house. He lived there. He was in the center of activity at church. God calls those who are right with their church, their man of God, and involved in their church activities.

“Preacher, do you think everyone ought to be called into full time service?” Nope! Some of you need to surrender your life to give tithes and offerings, to teach Sunday school, to sing in the choir, to drive buses, to be a Bus Captain, be an usher, play an instrument in the orchestra, clean the church house, etc. God does not call rebellious people. How can you make major decisions in your life when you are rebellious toward soul winning, being faithful to church, tithing, giving offerings, etc.?

“What is wrong with me that causes God NOT to call me into full time service” is the real question here. You are in no danger of being called into full time service until you are in part time service for God.

Samuel was given to the man of God. With what spirit do you obey your parents? With what spirit do you follow the man of God?

Four times in the New Testament God the Father said of His Son Jesus, “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.” “I do always those things that please him” (John 8:29).

A dedicated Christian should be surprised not that God would call him or her, but that God would NOT call him or her. The closest you will ever hear the voice of God outside of the written words is when you hear your preacher preach or counsel with you about the things of God.

Even after Samuel found out how human his preacher Eli was he still followed him. If you feel incapable of fulfilling the call of God that’s good. Your ability to do the call of God comes from your inability and reliability on the ability of God to do it through you.

As a Christian you should not fear being called of God, you should fear NOT being called of God. If you are a Christian the best way to secure your future is to put yourself in a position from which God CAN call you and then answer that call. Remove the fear by putting yourself in a useable position. That way it doesn’t really matter if you are called or not because you are serving God.

If He calls, He enables! If you surrender, He enables! So either way you have a secure future with God.

The truth is you will be a miserable Christian if you do not surrender and yield to God. God will take care of you when you take care of His work.

Put yourself in a position that God will call you and you will be at peace. It does not mean that God will call you but your life will still count for Him.

There are two miserable people here.

Those who are not living in such a way that God would call them.
Those who are running from the call of God.

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