Many Are Called

I have been thinking since the beginning of the New Year why some fulfill their purpose in life and others don’t. The passage in Matthew twenty two says, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” Opportunities come to us but we alone make the decision to seize them. Opportunities are often disguised in hard work. Nowadays that is not a popular characteristic or choice to be made. It seems there is a tendency among many in the newer generation to be entertained.
However, there are those who determined to go from being called to being chosen. Those who are chosen are disciplined in their field of endeavor. They don’t need a boss looking over their shoulder to make sure the job is done correctly. The inner satisfaction of doing the right thing is reward enough.

In ministry I have witnessed many who were called to do a certain thing for The Lord. I have noticed several key factors. Those are chosen understand the principles of authority. That is you can never be in a position of authority until you willingly submit to the authorities in your life. Our past shows how much we were under authority to our teachers, parents, employers, Ministers, etc. The late Ed Cole wrote in his book “Facing the challenges of crisis and change” an interesting principle. It is this, the way I leave a situation is the way I will enter the next one. Those who are called to ministry leave their place of service with blessing not with offense, or looking for the greener grass in the next pasture.
The next principle I have observed is that they are willing to do whatever they can to further the kingdom of God. I saw a photo on Facebook that sums this pretty well. The caption said, “You want to go into the ministry but you can’t stack chairs?” In our bible school at church one of the speakers said, “many want to be stars not candles.” So true, running after the prestige of being a Pastor or minister, the limelight or being on the stage dictates a life of being called not chosen.
My prayer is that we will allow the Holy Spirit to help us. There are no short cuts to spiritual maturity. It takes faith and obedience to fulfill our call. Many years ago I made the decision to give God all my dreams, ambitions, abilities, talents and gifts. Today I choose to pray, speak a word of encouragement, lend a helping hand and position myself to be chosen and faithful. I don’t despise the small, insignificant things in life. I encourage you to do the same.