For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time — to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.
II Timothy 1: 9 (NLT)
Scripture: II Timothy 1: 3-14
God wants to have a relationship with us. In order to do this, God calls us. This devotion will explore who He calls, how He is calling us, and to what we are being called.
Cliff Notes
- God wants a relationship with us and will call us.
- We are free to accept or reject that call.
- God’s gift of salvation is available to any and all who believe.
- God uses the Holy Spirit, His Word, and other people to accomplish the call.
- He is calling us to life, to contentment, and to be heirs as His children.
- God’s calling does not allow us to continue with a sinful lifestyle.
There is different terminology used describing what God does in getting us to come to Him. Some verses call it want to come to Him (Jn. 6: 44 CEV). Others say we are drawn (Jn. 6: 44 ESV). Still others say we are called (II Tim. 2: 9).
Whatever the terminology used (and we are going to use calling), the Who is consistent. It is God. God wants a relationship with us.
God Does the Calling
I love the Contemporary English translation of II Timothy 1: 9: “God saved us and chose us to be his holy people. We did nothing to deserve this, but God planned it because he is so kind. Even before time began God planned for Christ Jesus to show kindness to us.” Listen to John 6: 44: “No one can come to me, unless the Father who sent me makes them want to come. But if they do come, I will raise them to life on the last day” (CEV).
The “… God planned it …” (II Tim. 1: 9 CEV) gives us the impression that we are predestined to either believe in God or not. “Chose” and “called” give the feeling that we can accept or reject the call.
The latter is exactly right. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2: 8-9 ESV). We can reject His call if we so choose.
It is a good thing God does the calling. “Not one of them understands or even searches for God” (Rom. 3: 11 CEV). We don’t go looking for Him if He doesn’t come calling.
God Calls Everyone
So, here is Sovereign God. He only calls the best of the best, right?
Nope. God calls everyone. Gender, race, ethnicity, and social status doesn’t matter. How good you’ve been; how bad you’ve been — it doesn’t matter.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (Jn. 5: 24 ESV emphasis added). Whoever — everyone. Admitting, believing, and confessing is what is important.
Sovereign God — so, He calls us, but it is more of a general calling, right? Yes.
God calls us individually, to a unique relationship. Why wouldn’t it be a unique relation?
Jeremiah 1: 5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (ESV). If God knows us before we are born, why would He dump us after we are born?
God not only doesn’t dump us, but He also is very involved in our lives. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (ESV). He loves us and wants to be involved in our lives.
How Are We Called?
How does God call us? There are several different ways.
We are probably most familiar with God using the Holy Spirit to convict us. “The Spirit will come and show the people of this world the truth about sin and God’s justice and the judgment” (Jn. 16: 8 CEV). He points out what we need to confess to God. He gives us messages from God.
It is imperative that the Holy Spirit convict us of our sinful condition. First Corinthians 2: 14 says, “Whoever does not have the Spirit cannot receive the gifts that come from God’s Spirit. Such a person really does not understand them, and they seem to be nonsense, because their value can be judged only on a spiritual basis” (CEV).
We need to listen to the promptings of the Spirit. Revelation 2: 17 says, “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it” (NLT). The way I read that is, if we listen to the Holy Spirit, we will be rewarded.
We are called through reading God’s Word. The Bible introduces us to God. After we give our lives to Him, He reveals Himself to us on a deeper level as we hear, read, study, meditate on, and memorize His Word.
To read Has God Provided Everything We Need?, click the button below.
Sometimes, God uses others to teach us. I know I have learned a lot from my ladies, even though I am the one who fills the position of teacher.
To What Is God Calling Us?
God is calling us to life. “Jesus said to her [Martha], ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’” (Jn. 11: 25-26 RSV). This life is eternal life.
God will fill us with contentment. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Rom. 15: 13 ESV).
When we accept God’ gift of salvation, we become His children. “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (Jn. 1: 12 ESV).
As children of the King, we become heirs. “And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you” (Gal. 3: 9 NLT). The promise to Abraham was to make his descendants a great nation. He would also guide and protect them as well as give them the Promised Land (Gen. 15: 18-21).
God’s Calling Isn’t a Free Pass
However, God isn’t calling us to is to continue in a sinful lifestyle. “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Rom. 6: 1-2 RSV). Satan will sometimes try to convince us that we can go on sinning: “You can go on sinning because that is how you get grace.”
That isn’t what we are called to do. Yes, we are still human, so we will still sin. However, we shouldn’t purposefully sin.
God calls us to a life of holiness. “God did not call us to live in immorality, but in holiness” (1 Thess. 4: 7 GNT).
Holy means to be set apart, perfect, and pure. God’s holiness creates an awe because of His Power.
What Does This Mean?
God has called us for a purpose. “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps” (I Pet. 2: 21 RSV). We have been called to live as servants of God and “… abstain from the passions of the flesh that wage war against your soul” (I Pet. 2: 11 RSV).
If we live as servants of God, God will be faithful to us (I Cor. 1: 9). He will provide all He has promised through Abraham’s covenant.
How Do We Apply This?
To apply this, we need to “… walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called” (Eph. 4: 1 ESV). We do that by “[fighting] the good fight of faith; [taking] hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and [making] the good confession in the presence of many witnesses” (I Tim. 6: 12 NASB).
God calls us to be holy in our behavior (I Pet. 1: 15). We need to practice and follow the commandments that we read about (II Pet. 1: 10). We need to produce fruit (Lk. 3: 8).
God calls us. We need to hear His calling.
Father God. You are the great Jehovah. You do not need us for anything. You want to have a relationship with us. To have that, You call us. Help us to hear and obey. Amen.
If you have not admitted that your relationship is not right with God,
have not asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior,
and have not confessed your sins,
please read through the Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
What do you think? How did/is God calling you? Are you listening? What can you do to listen better?
Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
If you have not signed up for the email daily or weekly providing the link to the devotions and the newsletter, do so below.
If God has used this devotion to speak with you, consider sharing it on social media.
Pingback: Why Should We Seek God? – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: How Does Predestination Fit In? – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: Who Do You Say I Am? – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: Focusing Completely on God – Seeking God with Elaine