Worthy of the call.

To put things in perspective, we have to acknowledge that man as we know is only six thousand years old while God is ageless given by Faith He existed and is before the physical universe was created. I refer to the physical universe for it is tangible to man but the invisible universe as in the Throne of God is yet to be quantified and fully defined with only the New Jerusalem giving us a glimmer of the authentic Throne and Kingdom of God. If this is factual by Faith then as God is ageless so is His intelligence as stated, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways” - Is. 55:8. The other consideration here is Angels are also ageless compared to us. They saw and experienced the wondrous works of God but did not contribute to it like a product that is designed and developed by different people bringing their expertise to it. God did it all!

With the “The Exodus”; disobedience came with a hefty price of four hundred years of oppression. But rather than abandoning His promise; God orchestrates deliverance once again by a mere mortal in Moses. He chooses to use a man who was riddled with guilt, identity issues, and somewhat introverted due to his speech impediment as stated, “I am slow of speech” - Ex. 4:10. Not an obvious choice when compared with Joshua or David especially when Israel needed a warrior to stand against Egypt’s armies, which was the fiercest at the time.

To be worthy of the call in simple terms is to not let Jesus’ sacrifice not only on the cross but His three years in ministry become a waste of time and effort. It is to appreciate all that was done and to honor Him by taking up our personal Cross, not in fear because of trials and tribulations but by Faith despite the trials and tribulations. Jesus promised our Resurrection from death into life with Him and not the removal or elimination of trials and tribulations. For if the actual Son of God did not prevent these attacks from satan; what makes we who are adopted think we would be able to do so? Jesus stated regarding these attacks, is that we will overcome them by His name. Why? Because Jesus as stated, “He waits until His enemies are put under His feet” - Heb. 10:13. He wants us to be worthy of His call!

There is no doubt that none of us has earned the right to be called a son or daughter of God and as we mature in Christ this becomes easier to accept and to lean more on God's Grace that enables us to be worthy of the call for as stated, “we might become the Righteousness of God” - 2 Cor. 5:2. Everyone in the Body of Christ has not earned but has been given a place in God’s Kingdom by the Blood of Jesus. It irks me whenever I see or hear those having received Christ still feel that they have to prove themselves worthy by the sweat of their brow. The prime reason for this is because they look to a man rather than the Cross of Salvation. When we look to a man we most surely will fail in our walk but when God leads then we are under His Grace contained in centuries of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding as opposed to a man who is unable to be perfected by the carnal mind and flesh. We tend to put more faith in ourselves rather than in the Faithfulness of God.

Spiritual Awakening

The Holy Spirit was sent and has been present since Jesus ascended. The prime purpose of the Holy Spirit is to counselor not for our selfish and carnal thinking but for God’s call of kinship with us, now that there is no hindrance to the call of a pastor, evangelist, teacher, apostle, and prophet. Jesus filled all these roles in one form or another during His ministry and still is doing so through the Holy Spirit as stated, “For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what you ought to say” - Lk. 12:12. Well, the Holy Spirit is not independent of God much less the Word which is Jesus. So when the Spirit speaks it is really Jesus speaking. The Holy Spirit is just the carrier of Jesus’ Word because Jesus is both a Spiritual flesh and Blood, sitting on the seat of judgment and intercession as stated, “at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us” - Rm. 8:34; and “all will appear before Jesus' judgment seat” - 2 Cor. 5:10.

Now man has been granted a place at the table of God's vision not only currently but even the future. For although God’s ways and thoughts exceed ours by a multiplying factor; He has opened the conversation by stating, “Come now, and let us reason together” - Is. 1:18; as well as examples of man’s considerations to change His mind based on their desires as with Abraham’s request regarding Sodom and Gomorrah and as the psalmist says, "He shall give you the desires of your heart” - Ps. 37:4. This alone should give us the comfort of our worthiness of His call. Like a good Father and a great leader, God keeps an open dialogue between His authority and those He is mentoring.

God’s aim is Righteousness! He is the one who is choosing to earn His rightful place in our hearts. What? A supreme and omnipotent being is trying to earn our love, loyalty, and obedience? What has God said towards us? God states. “My thought and ways are higher than yours” and they include, “peace and prosperity” - Jer. 29:11. Now, to be clear; God isn't a push over and as stated, "God is not mocked" - Gal. 6:7. We can never take Him for granted and abuse His generosity. When I was growing up and being led to become an altar boy and eventually a priest. I was taught to fear and to be afraid of God. As a grew out of that I learned to respect God not in fear but despite it. Also as a young child, I could never understand being told to respect my elders when they did not first show me respect. So when it came to my relationship with God, I had the attitude that He would have to earn my respect. He would have to prove what the Bible said about Him. This is where His unhindered Grace comes in. And now, after years of reflection, I more appreciate and love Him for His Faithfulness in my life and that of my family. He has proven that He deserves my surrender to His goals for my life by His undying Faithfulness; despite all the unintentional and intentional failures I gave Him. For as stated, “God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow” - Heb. 13:8. An assurance that He allows us to test. By His perspective; I am no longer a slave, nor a partner but a son of the greatest Father in existence. This I believe is the closest in obeying the first commandment, “to love and honor God” and the second, “love your neighbor as ourselves”; is the closest to understanding and knowing His heart.

​The Bible provides many examples of this worthiness, but four indications stand out of God’s will to earn His place in our hearts for Righteousness sake to urge us to become worthy of His divine call. To reach beyond our self-imposed limitations and not only grasp but take all that He has prepared for our Victory and His noble cause of Righteousness. Consider the following:

The Garden is for us, when and where it all began. But for God, it is a continuation of His plan to right His Kingdom from those who by disobedience shook its foundations of sovereignty. Rather than engage in an all-out battle of good against evil Angels. God places a man in the middle of it. A man who by virtue of his physical and mental capabilities would be no match for a divine, supernatural being. Except God does one thing that would make Angels exclaim saying, “what is the man that you would consider him?” - Ps. 8:4-6. God made a man worthy!

God did this in full view of the Heavenly Host stating, “Let us make man in our own image” - Gen. 1:26. We are not talking about the physical image but the Spiritual. This was finalized with the Blood of Jesus. The spirit of man is not alien to the Spirit of God. It has only been cast into confusion by deception and is why many find themselves grappling with their birthright. That’s why personal history is critical to any young child to begin to find the identification of their worth and be able to walk with confidence facing an unknown future. The devil greatest deception has been to cloud, alter and destroy man’s image of being a sovereign son to an Almighty; not God, but a Father. God established this on creation’s sixth-day and Jesus reinforced it during His ministry stating, “For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, He gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.” - Jn. 12:49; and on the cross stating, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” - Lk. 23:46. Jesus represents perfection because of walking in obedience and representing the Father’s authority so much so; God stated, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” - Matt. 3:7. God is literally saying, Jesus, is worthy of His name! And so are we, not by perfection but by Grace.

​God chose Moses for several reasons but mainly because He would make Moses worthy to lead the people out from bondage and begin the implementation of the first Covenant, starting with the commandments which were a preface for the coming Passover feast. Historically celebrated for freedom from Egypt’s enslavement but also a metaphor for coming out of darkness into the light of God’s Grace; of freeing one’s image from darkness into the true image of God’s light. Moses started as the unsure Anointed leader but completed His journey as a formidable and relevant servant of God. He became worthy of his call.

Hundreds of years passed and Israel experiences a roller coaster ride especially after they demanded a king just like the other nations stating, “we want a king over us” - 1 Sam. 8:20. They choose to define themselves by a man rather than by the Faith of God. Hence as prophesied; Jesus would come and die on a cross for the sake of all fallen men. Of course, this is the Old becoming the New Covenant to completely remove the burden of sin and man’s imperfect image of himself; not by effort but by a gift. The ultimate gift of Grace in the form of God’s only begotten Son.

The Cross is a mark and from the carnal mind represented a burden as when one signs a debt contract. But Spiritually, it is God’s mark or symbol and sign of His gift to end all sacrifice of debt burden with Jesus’ payment. Like debt cancellation; God’s gift cannot be withdrawn. God Spiritually canceled any burden that could be claimed by satan on every man or woman’s body, mind and spirit; as stated, “the curse of the law has been broken” - Gal. 3:13. Many have received the gift but as yet to not only open it but also put to use the gift. God thought before the Garden to give us this gift in Jesus because He sees us worthy of His name.

​The Holy Spirit is here and now and so is Jesus’ intercession to the Father about our worthiness and potential to become the true sons and daughters of God’s Kingdom. Now, Jesus paid the ultimate and ugly price of suffering and crucifixion. So wouldn’t it be understandable if His evaluation of our half minded commitments and laziness to the Christian walk would be harsh? Yet, contrary to these disappointments; by Jesus’ seat, we are forever under the Grace of God not because we earned or deserved it but more because of God’s declaration stating, “I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters” - 2 Cor. 6:18.

This is why God; our Heavenly Father is earning our love, obedience, and admiration of His character and His ways and thoughts. It is where we no longer see Him as a God with punitive Power but more so as the Father constantly stretching out His arms ready and longing to hold and embrace us; His lost children in need of His love, protection, and Grace. The Bible constantly demonstrates that man has fallen short and if it was not for God’s Righteous and Grace; nothing would be accomplished in the Salvation of man. God uses our imperfections to reveal just how perfect He is. Many in the world are unable to grasp this because they are blinded by a slave mentality of always trying to earn something, expecting some form of a hidden agenda and motive. For when you are in darkness; you do expect to stumble. But when you are in the light, all things are presented clearly and with clarity.

This is why Christianity is not a religion and those who call themselves Christians but have religious chains often miss the true gems of having the Father and child intimacy that is unique to followers of Jesus Christ. To be worthy of the call from God has to do more with a family adoption than proving your worth to be part of His family. God, the Father is eternal and everything is His. His to give for eternity! Not to be abused or corrupted but to flourish in marvels we have yet to see, understand and admire. The Garden and the Earth are practice ground for this as stated, “Be fruitful and multiply” - Gen. 1:28. Why would we not think that this would be continued once God rights all of the Earth and even the Heavens for Righteousness sake?

Worthy of the call is an eternal pledge just as much as God’s eternal Throne and Kingdom are. There is no temporary dimension to this and just as Salvation's plan is linear so is the call to be worthy. Sure, we all fail and depending on the severity of our disobedience; affect our journey in becoming worthy of the call. Just look at what happened to the Exodus Jews and with others that suffered and missed success because of faithlessness when preparation and opportunity intersected. God’s plan for us is not random; or a throw of the dice but is precise in events, people, and circumstances. All this He does to make us worthy to become a part of His Kingdom and to be worthy of His name.

Flush it Out - We are the Righteousness of God!