Do We Value Our Calling #2

A few weeks ago I gave a message which part one of Do We Value Our Calling? I presented five aspects or components of the calling that God has given to us as His elect and how important this calling is in our lives.

In this message I intend to continue with this theme and add some more aspects on why we have been called out from this world as firstfruits to God's Kingdom. But before I do that I just want to briefly mention the five aspects of our calling I mentioned last time:

• our lives are not our own, but we are owned by God the Father and Jesus Christ

Romans 12:2: "Do not conform yourselves to this world but be transformed… [and that is change direction from] …by the renewing of your mind in order that you may prove what is well-pleasing and good, and the perfect will of God." We all need to know what God's will is!

• we are to testify to the Light; Jesus Christ is the Light of the world

1-John 1:5: "…God is Light, and there is no darkness at all in Him."

• we are to be humble servants of our Owner, King and Savior

Proverbs 15:33: "The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility."

• as part of our calling we are to be the sheep of the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ

Sheep need to rely on the shepherd for their protection and security.

Psalm 100:3: "…we are His people and the sheep of His pasture."

• the need to overcome

Instead of being overwhelmed by this evil society we are to overcome it by God's Spirit.

Romans 12:21: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

All of these aspects of our calling overlap and interact with each other. In fact this last point that I mentioned last time leads straight into the next point:

• Our calling is that we need to qualify for the Kingdom of God

An essential part of our calling by God the Father is to qualify to fulfill the role that God would appoint for us as spirit beings. How do we do this? We need to overcome first!

Philippians 2:12—Paul says: "So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."

This takes a lot of analysis. How are we going to achieve this?

Verse 13: "For it is God Who works in you both to will and to do according to His good pleasure." Once we do our part in:

• prayer
• study
• the way we live according to God's Law

God will back us up with His Spirit in us!

2-Timothy 2:19—Paul was addressing the issue of false doctrine: "Nevertheless, the foundation of God stands firm, having this seal: 'The Lord knows those who are His,' and, 'Let everyone who calls upon the name of Christ depart from unrighteousness.'"

Jesus Christ is the Rock of our salvation. God knows who is on His side. There are keys for understanding the Truth of God. We have to be seeking to do His will.

Verse 20: "But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; and some are for honor; and some are for dishonor. Therefore, if anyone has purged himself from these, he will be a vessel for honor, having been sanctified and made serviceable to the Master, and having been prepared for every good work" (vs 20-21).

We have to allow God to prepare us for the work that He wants us to do!

Jer. 18 talks about the potter and the clay. Instead of Israel, I want us to refer to as if God talking to us individually, personally.

Jeremiah 18:6: "'O house of Israel… [or whoever we are] …can I not do with you even as this potter?' says the LORD. 'Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hands, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel'"—or whoever we are!

We need to have the malleability to be shaped in the way God wants for us to qualify for His Kingdom.

Titus 2—Paul also mentions points in qualifying for God's realm. Paul went through a lot in his lifetime in preparing the role for what he was meant to do.

Titus 2:11: "For the grace of God, which brings salvation for all men, has appeared… [all those whom God has called] …teaching us that having denied ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live moderately and righteously and Godly in this present world" (vs 11-12). So, we have to resist the pulls of the flesh!

Verse 13: "Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our Savior and great God Jesus Christ… [referring to the resurrection] …Who gave Himself for us, so that He might redeem us from all lawlessness… [providing it's not the unpardonable sin] …and might purify for Himself a unique people, zealous of good works" (vs 13-14).

These good works need to be a legacy of our way of life since our calling to enable us to qualify for God's Kingdom by his grace.

1-Thess. 1[transcriber's correction]—we find that Paul makes an appeal to thank God for the brethren in our prayers.

1-Thessalonians 1:3: "Without fail, we remember your work of faith, and your labor of love, and your endurance in the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father."

Paul is addressing spiritual growth through love of the brethren, which is the work of the Spirit toward qualifying.

Verse 4: "Knowing your election, brethren, as you are beloved by God."

Our overcoming is not made easy for us. Physically, it can be overwhelming when we look at all that is going on in the world today. In Paul's day it was also bad with persecution from the Romans and Jewish authorities against practicing Christians. There has never been a time in history when it has been easy to be a true Christian.

Verse 5: "For our Gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit, and with great conviction; even as you know what sort of men we were among you for your sake."

So, this is an eyewitness statement. As we are to qualify for the Kingdom of God, we are to live a life of doing things in the faith and belief that God will most certainly carry out for us IF we faithfully obey God's voice to the end of our lives!

We can look to the example of Abraham in the faith chapter of Heb. 11. Abraham was just one example:

Hebrews 11:8: "By faith Abraham, being called of God to go out into the place, which he would later receive for an inheritance, obeyed and went, not knowing where he was going."

So, when we were first called and were baptized, we didn't really know where we were going, especially those of us who have been in for a long time.

Verse 9: "By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, like a foreigner, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the joint heirs of the same promise."

Jacob was 15-years-old when Abraham died. God is the master builder of what is installed for all eternity for all of us. Think about how the universe will be fashioned.

Verse 11: "By faith also Sarah herself received power to conceive seed, and gave birth when she was well beyond the childbearing age because she esteemed Him faithful Who had personally promised her a son." Sarah was 90 when Isaac was born!

Verse 12: "Because of this faith, there came into being from one man—and moreover, one who was reproductively dead—descendants as numerous as the stars in the heavens, and as countless as the sand on the sea shore." Prophesied in Gen. 15!

Qualifying has everything to do with what we do with what God has given to us in our life to overcome.

The parable of the talents in Matt. 25, and of the pounds in Luke 19 tell us what we need to do. IF we do what God desires of us, THEN we will have responses such as in Matt. 25:21 & v 23 after being faithful.

Matthew 25:21: "And his lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! Because you were faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'"

Verse 23: "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! Because you were faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'" That was referring to the one who was given two talents.

Luke 19:17 "Then he said to him, 'Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.' And the second one came, saying, 'Lord, your pound has made five pounds.' Then he also said to this one, And you be over five cities'" (vs 17-19).

2-Timothy 2:12: "If we endure, we shall also reign together with Him…"

• We are ambassadors for Christ

This is very different to the way society conducted itself in current time. So, we have what Paul is describing here:

2-Corinthians 5:20: "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ; and God, as it were, is exhorting you through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, 'Be reconciled to God.' For He made Him Who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (vs 20-21).

He resisted every temptation to sin, but by what he experienced in the flesh, he knows what we all go through as human beings.

2-Corinthians 6:1: "We then, working together with Him, are also exhorting you not to receive the grace of God in vain."

As ambassadors, we are to work together with Christ for this purpose. We're not to continue living in sin as a way of life. Before we were called into the Body of Christ, we needed to change and be transformed.

What is an ambassador? In modern terminology, an ambassador means an official envoy, a diplomatic agent of the highest rank, accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident representative or messenger.

1-Kings 4:34: "And there came from all the people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom."

As Christ's ambassadors, God is making an appeal through us by what we say and how we live, we are promoting a way of life when we imitate Christ, Who said, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life! (John 14:6).

Just looking back at 1-Cor. 5:20, referring to us as ambassadors for Christ, just as a political ambassador lives in a foreign land representing the interests of their home and lord, so do Christians represent Jesus Christ and His Message to the world! God is making His appeal to the world through us as His ambassadors who are called to do His will.

On the other hand, because we are to come out of this world, not be part of it, we are not to meddle into the political affairs of this world of which Satan has deceived and is ruling over it!

Jesus said to Pilate; John 18:36: "My Kingdom is not of this world…."

Let's look at how we are described in 1-Peter 2. Peter was giving a description of us as called out ones:

1-Peter 2:9: "But you are a chosen stock, a royal priesthood, a Holy nation, a people for a possession of God, that you might proclaim His excellent virtues, Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous Light; who once were not a people, but now are the people of God; who had not received mercy, but now have received mercy" (vs 9-10). So we called out and we're selected!

• IF we have behavior showing high moral values
• IF we love God and respond to the calling He has given us

He will:

• be our God
• be His people
• dwell in us

A true ambassador of Christ will strive to have the mind of Christ!

Proverbs 13:17—we have a description here: "A wicked messenger falls into mischief, but a faithful ambassador is health."

Wicked people get in the trouble. They are easily waylaid by foolish distractions or pressure to compromise. They are not trustworthy nor reliable.

On the other hand, faithful ambassadors could be counted on to get the message conveyed accurately and on time. God's called out and chosen should have impeccable reputations before the world as did Joseph and Daniel.

As ambassadors for Christ, correct communication is of utmost importance. Do we:

• confuse facts?
• embellish events?
• exaggerate solutions or situations?

Or do we communicate as properly and thoroughly as we should?

A faithful ambassador brings prosperity to those trusting him, for he finishes the job as desired and expected. God wants us to finish the job that we are called to do! How did the Apostle Paul do this? We see this in:

Ephesians 6:18: "Praying at all times with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and in this very thing being watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints."

So, we have to guard the door of our minds to be properly oriented. And Paul had the whole Church on his mind in focus.

Verse 19: "And for me, that boldness of speech may be given to me so that I may open my mouth to make known the mystery of the Gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may speak with boldness, as it behooves me to speak" (vs 19-20).

Being an ambassador for Christ is not always an easy path as we all know. Jesus gives us a warning for to us to be prepared:

Matthew 7:13: "Enter in through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter through it. For narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life… [for those who are called] …and few are those who find it" (vs 13-14).

Jesus gives other instructions to disciples in: Luke 10:3: "Go forth! Behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves."

It is treacherous out there in the world. Many of us might remember when the American Embassy was taken over by radicals in Iran from late 1979 to early 1981. Over 50 people in the embassy were held hostage for a total of 444 days. Many were transported to various parts of the country to prevent foreign attempts to rescue them. Living conditions deteriorated over time; the solitary confinement for many. Some were tortured. Beatings were described by the hostages and there are often threats of bodily harm. All of this had the endorsement of Ayatollah Khamenei.

It was not until minutes after Ronald Reagan was sworn in as President, and while he was giving his inaugural address on 20 January 1981 that 52 hostages were released to US personnel.

Now, referring to us in our calling, no matter how bad the conditions might be with us, how are we to live as ambassadors? Paul gives us the answer in Ephesians. This is how we are to live as ambassadors.

Ephesians 5:15: "So then, take heed that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as those who are wise." We need to consider the situation that we're in!

Verse 16: "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

We know how evil with all that goes on, the secret agendas and conspiracies. What we do with our time is very important to God.

Verse 17: "For this reason, do not be foolish, but understanding what the will of the Lord is."

• What are we to inherit if we remain faithful?

Matt 5:5 & Psa. 37:11  says that the meek shall inherit the earth! We have many promises of receiving an inheritance in God's Word.

Acts 20—Paul says this prior to his departure from Ephesus. He was seeing the Ephesians for the last time:

Acts 20:32: "And now I commit you, brethren, to God and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified."

I plan to go through some Scriptures quickly to expand on our inheritance.

1-John 3:1: "Behold!…. [or see the evidence] …What glorious love the Father has given to us, that we should be called the children of God! For this very reason, the world does not know us because it did not know Him." We are God's very own offspring!

John 1:10: "He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, but the world did not know Him."

1-John 3:2: "Beloved, now we are the children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be; but we know that when He is manifested, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him exactly as He is."

We're not yet born, but we have the begettal of God the Father. When he's manifested it will be in full glory as spirit beings.

1-Peter 1:3: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who, according to His abundant mercy, has begotten us again unto a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." The hope is that we will live forever into eternity!

Verse 4: "Unto an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and unfading, reserved in heaven for us."

Unfading means that we have a clear vision of our inheritance and that we don't lose sight of it.

Verse 5: "Who are being safeguarded by the power of God through faith for salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you yourselves greatly rejoice; though for the present, if it is necessary,you are in distress for a little while by various trials" (vs 5-6). So, we all go through trials.

Verse 7: "In order that the proving of your faith, which is much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is being tested by fire, may be found unto praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

We all have trials and God never allows trials for no reason. All this is part of being the children of God.

Verse 8: "Whom, not having seen, you love; in Whom, though at the present time you do not see Him, you believe, and rejoice with unspeakable joy, and filled with glory; and are receiving the end of your faith—even the salvation of your lives" (vs 8-9).

We are receiving this day-by-day, and it's just one of many prophecies to the future resurrection.

Verse 10: "Concerning which salvation the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you have diligently searched out and intently inquired, searching into what way and what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them was indicating, testifying beforehand of the sufferings of Christ, and these glories that would follow; to whom it was revealed that, not for themselves, but to us they were ministering these things, which now have been announced to you by those who have preached the Gospel to you by the Holy Spirit, sent from heaven—into which things the angels desire to look" (vs 10-12).

The Plan of God is so great that it is even difficult for the angels to comprehend it. The Apostle Paul brings more light on God's great plan and our part in it. In the book of Romans, Paul also throws more light on it.

Romans 8:14: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God."

We have to be willing to be involved with God to be led by the Spirit.

Verse 15: "Now, you have not received a spirit of bondage again unto fear, but you have received the Spirit of sonship, whereby we call out, 'Abba, Father.'…. [a term of endearment] …The Spirit itself bears witness conjointly with our own spirit, testifying that we are the children of God. Now, if we are children, we are also heirs—truly, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer together with Him, so that we may also be glorified together with Him" (vs 15-17).

So as heirs, we are going to inherit. We need to suffer and go through trials so that we can be equipped and qualified to become heirs.

Verse 18: "For I reckon that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation itself is awaiting the manifestation of the sons of God" (vs 18-19).

How do we value our calling? The destiny of the world depends on us, what we do with our calling and how we overcome!

David had a lot of insight into our inheritance.

Psalm 16:5: "The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup… [we can think of a cup of the Passover] …You shall uphold my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; yea, I have a beautiful inheritance" (vs 5-6).

This is describing how our minds are opened up to the wonders of God's Word and inheritance that God has for His Family.

Revelation 22: "Then he showed me a pure river of the Water of Life, clear as crystal, flowing out from the Throne of God and of the Lamb." God's Spirit and power is flowing continually!

Verse 2: "And in the middle of the street, and on this side and that side of the river, was the Tree of Life, producing twelve manner of fruits, each month yielding its fruit; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse; and the Throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him" (vs 2-3).

There will be no Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil at that time. No more sin after the New Heavens and New Earth, because Satan and the demons are cast out into the blackest of darkness forever.

Verse 4: "And they shall see His face; and His name is in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; for they have no need of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God enlightens them; and they shall reign into the ages of eternity" (vs 4-5).

This is physical and spiritual, for Jesus is the Light of the world. So our inheritance is just awesome.

• We are called to love God

God's Word is full of God's love for us from Genesis to Revelation, and all that God the Father and Jesus Christ has done for us.

How much should we love them in return? Love is the cornerstone of Christianity and the bedrock of our way of life.

Let's come to 1-John 4 to pick up this aspect of love towards God. It also means to love one another.

1-John 4:7: "Beloved, we should love one another because love is from God; and everyone who loves has been begotten by God, and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God because God is love" (vs 7-8).

God originated love in the first place. This is a summary of what love is.

Verse 9: "In this way the love of God was manifested toward us: that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this act is the love—not that we loved God; rather, that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (vs 9-10). Propitiation is a continuous source of forgiveness or atonement for our sins.

Verse 11: "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also are duty-bound to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. Yet, if we love one another, God dwells in us, and His own love is perfected in us" (vs 11-12).

• we are being perfected
• it's a process of our calling

Verse 16: "And we have known and have believed the love that God has toward us. God is love, and the one who dwells in love is dwelling in God, and God in him. By this spiritual indwelling, the love of God is perfected within us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment because even as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in the love of God; rather, perfect love casts out fear because fear has torment. And the one who fears has not been made perfect in the love of God" (vs 16-18).

The love of God is the bond of perfection. This is the pinnacle of love being perfected. These verses are very important in our calling process on the path to eternity.

Verse 19: " We love Him because He loved us first…. [we are willingly in debt to Him] …If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar. For if he does not love his brother whom he has seen, how is he able to love God Whom he has not seen? And this is the commandment that we have from Him: that the one who loves God should also love his brother" (vs 19-21).

1-John 5:2: "By this standard we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God: that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome" (vs 2-3)—or difficult!

When we look at the world, keeping the commandments are a burden to them, because they don't want to do it. They don't want to obey God.

Let's have a look at what God told Israel through Moses in Deut. 10. This is near the end of Moses' life and shortly before they were to enter the 'promised land.' Instead of referring to Israel, put your name in there so that we can look at it applying to us personally.

Deuteronomy 10:12: "And now Israel… [or whoever we are] …what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, to keep the commandments of the LORD, and His statutes, which I command you today for your good?" (vs 12-13).

In the next chapter we have blessings given to the nation if they follow God's way.

Deuteronomy 11:13: "And it will be, if you will hearken diligently to My commandments, which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul."

Verse 22: "For if you shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you to do—to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to hold fast to Him."

To love God is a command that we are to do as part of our calling. The blessings will come if we do that to the children of Israel as mentioned in this chapter and the spiritual blessings to those of us who have been called with the fruits of the Spirit and partaking of the Divine nature.

If we are to love God we are to keep his commandments which are based on love.

Matthew 22:35: "And one of them, a doctor of the Law, questioned Him, tempting Him, and saying, 'Master, which commandment is the great commandment in the Law?' And Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind'" (vs 35-37). In other words, with all the determination, our will, our notion!

Verse 38: "This is the first and greatest commandment; and the second one is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets" (vs 38-40). Tie in Mark 12:28-31.

Jesus tells us what we need to do if we truly love Him and love God the Father. We find this in John 14, where He tells His disciples the night before His crucifixion.

John 14:21: "The one who has My commandments and is keeping them, that is the one who loves Me, and the one who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him." This is loving as a way of life!

Verse 23: "Jesus answered and said to him, 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.'"

The whole message of the Word of God; God will be dwelling with us!

Verse 24: "The one who does not love Me does not keep My words, and the Word that you hear is not Mine, but the Father's, Who sent Me."

We have a promise given to us mentioned by the Apostle Paul in Rom. 8. This is an assurance, which is comforting to all of us.

Romans 8:28: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

This is the ultimate goal that we have of faith and it ties in with our inheritance.

While there are numerous places in the Psalms showing God's abundant love for His people, I just want to turn to a couple of places in the Psalms showing David's love for God. For he was a man after God's own heart.

Psalm 18:1: "I love You, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my Rock, and my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my Rock in Whom I take refuge; He is my Shield, and the Horn of my salvation, my High Tower" (vs 1-2).

God provides our needs for everything in life, both physical and spiritual.

Psalm 116:1: "I love the LORD because He hears my voice and my prayers. Because He has bowed down His ear to me, therefore, I will call upon Him as long as I live" (vs 1-2). God is interested in everything we do in life, throughout our life!

Colossians 3:14: "And above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection."

So, love is the ultimate of perfection! If we love God, we also need to have the love of the Truth (2-Thess. 2:10).

• Glorify and magnify God's name

Included in this is giving praise to a great Creator. Our words can be used interchangeably. God can and should be:

• praised
• valued
• approved
• glorified
• lifted up
• magnified

in our personal lives and as an example to others!

How do we praise and glorify God? To glorify God is to extol His:

• attributes
• Holiness
• faithfulness
• mercy
• grace
• love
• power
• sovereignty
• omnipresence

Just to name a few of His attributes!

We can meditate on all these attributes, rehearse them in our minds constantly and internalize them. We can make use of the opportunities of reflecting to others of God's nature and of His Plan of Salvation made possible through all that Jesus Christ has done.

To glorify God is to mirror his image, which is to love as generously as He does. No one can glorify God as perfectly as Christ did, which is why we need His mercy. There is so much in the Psalms on praising and glorifying God. Psa. 66 has a Millennial flavor.

Psalm 66:1: "Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth…. [everyone will be doing this all through the Millennium] …Sing forth the honor of His name; make His praise glorious" (vs 1-2).

Having God's Spirit as a result of our calling and responding to this and being given the knowledge of God's Plan through the Sabbath and Holy Days is even more reason to glorify God in everyday life.

David certainly loved God; Psalm 34:1: "I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall always be in my mouth."

We don't bless God only when we have blessings, when everything is going just great, but all the time, even during trials!

Verse 2: "My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; the humble shall hear and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together" (vs 2-3).

To magnify means to make something appear larger than it is!  God can't obtain more glory than the infinite worth that He has had from all eternity. So, IF we can't make God seem bigger or more glorious than He already is, THEN how do we define God being glorified or magnified? The answer lies in how we perceive God's greatness compared to our own lives in the flesh, subject to the law of sin and death.

It means to see God as great as He is. He is magnified when we see more and more how excellent He is. Magnification occurs in us when we perceive His glory.

I would like us to turn to a few verses in Psa. 8 & 9 and see David's view of God's greatness. David certainly had a perception of how great God is.

Psalm 8:1: "O LORD our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens!"

We see this glory today as we never could have seen it before. You look on the Internet, on the James Webb telescope site; some of the images there are just fantastic.

Verse 2: Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings… [those who have been called] …You have ordained strength because of Your adversaries, to silence the enemy and the avenger."

Think of when we were returning with Christ to stop the enemies of God, including Satan and the demons at Trumpets.

Psalm 9:1: "I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works." This is the attitude we need to have today to prepare for eternity!

Verse 2: "I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High."

Being close to the Holy Day season, beginning with Trumpets and concluding with the Last Great Day, praising and glorifying God will be a highlight for the season, for God the Father and Jesus Christ has made it all possible.

Psa. 100 is also very much to do with praising God:

Psalm 100:1: "Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth…. [the whole earth is going to be doing this during the Millennium] …Serve the LORD with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know that the LORD, He is God. He has made us, and we are His; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise; give thanks unto Him and bless His name" (vs 1-4).

Everyone will know Who God is, in the flesh first and then spiritually. Praise brings us into God's presence for everything that He has done and made for us.

Verse 5: "For the LORD is good; His steadfast love is everlasting; and His faithfulness endures to all generations."

God's Truth will be expanded during the Millennium! All generations throughout history will know God's Truth in the second resurrection. Think of the praise and glory that will be given to God the Father and the Jesus Christ to magnify.

So, as we come to a close, I'll repeat the aspects of our calling that I've added here in this message.

• # 6—we need to qualify for the Kingdom of God
• # 7—we are ambassadors for Christ
• # 8—we are being prepared for inheritance
• # 9—we are to love God
• # 10—we are to glorify and magnify God's name

With these two messages, I've mentioned 10 aspects related to our calling. There are so many other aspects that could have been mentioned or that are connected to these components.

Do we value our calling? For what has been opened up in our minds with our calling, it pales into insignificance this temporary physical life!

Revelation 22:12—applying to our calling: "And behold, I am coming quickly; and My reward is with Me, to render to each one according as his work shall be." That's the reward in addition to eternal life.

Verse 13: "I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. Blessed are those who keep… [or practice] … His commandments, that they may have the right to eat of the Tree of Life, and may enter by the gates into the city" (vs 13-14).

I wish everyone a happy Holy Day season. May it be uplifting, encouraging and inspiring.

Scriptural References:

• Romans 12:2
• 1 John 1:5
• Proverbs 15:33
• Psalm 100:3
• Romans 12:21

• Philippians 2:12-13
• 2 Timothy 2:19-21
• Jeremiah 18:6
• Titus 2:11-14
• 1 Thessalonians 1:3-5
• Hebrews 11:8-9,11-12
• Matthew 25:21, 23
• Luke 19:17-19
• 2 Timothy 2:12

• 2 Corinthians 5:20-21
• 2 Corinthians 6:1
• 1 Kings 4:34
• John 18:36
• 1 Peter 2:9-10
• Proverbs 13:17
• Ephesians 6:18-20
• Matthew 7:13-14
• Luke 10:3
• Ephesians 5:15-17

• Acts 20:32
• 1 John 3:1
• John 1:10
• 1 John 3:2
• 1 Peter 1:3-12
• Romans 8:14-19
• Psalm 16:5-6
• Revelation 22:1-5

• 1 John 4:7-12, 16-21
• 1 John 5:2-3
• Deuteronomy 10:12-13
• Deuteronomy 11:13, 22
• Matthew 22:35-40
• John 14:21, 23-24
• Romans 8:28
• Psalm 18:1-2
• Psalm 116:1-2
• Colossians 3:14

• Psalm 66:1-2
• Psalm 34:1-3
• Psalm 8:1-2
• Psalm 9:1-2
• Psalm 100:1-5
• Revelation 22:12-14

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Genesis 15
• John 14:6
• Matthew 5:5
• Psalm 37:11
• Mark 12:28-31
• 2 Thessalonians 2:10

LS:bo/po
Transcribed: 11/29/24

Copyright 2024—All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner. This includes electronic and mechanical photocopying or recording, as well as the use of information storage and retrieval systems.