#god's calling

Esther 3:13 (NASB1995). [13] “Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces to destroy, to kill and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to seize their possessions as plunder.”

Esther 4:13-16 (ESV). [13] “Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. [14] For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” [15] Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, [16] “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”

Psalm 139:16 (NIV). [16] “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

“Living in God’s Calling” by In Touch Ministries:

“God has placed you right where you are to do His will.”

“Knowing that we have a calling from God is one thing, but living it out is another. Esther reached a point in her life when fulfilling God’s plan became risky. The Lord had placed her in a position of influence, but using that power could cost her life.

Few are called to be rulers, but we have all been given places of influence to one degree or another. The Lord has placed you in your family, community, and church to fulfill His purposes for your life in this generation (Psalms 139:15-17). As long as you are breathing, He is still working out His will for you.

How should you respond to His calling? There are only two options: Cooperate by submitting to His plan, or resist Him. Eventually, every Christian is going to encounter a situation that tests his or her willingness to obey God. When that time comes, remember the lesson from Esther. Maybe you have been placed in a difficult situation “for such a time as this” (Est. 4:14)—to be an influence for Christ in our dark world.

Pressing Toward the Goal

I needed this today. Maybe you do too.

Before I formed you in the womb I knewyou, before you were born I set you apart. (Jeremiah 1:5)

I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. (Isaiah 45:3)

God, I know You have summoned me. You created me to bring You glory. You created me to be a part of Your story. And so I respond,

“Here I am, my King. Use me today as You will.”

By Erwin Lutzer

My friend John Glass, a pastor in Geneva, told some of us that Calvin’s sermon output was enormous. For example, he preached 43 sermons on Galatians, 46 sermons on Thessalonians, 48 sermons on Ephesians, 86 sermons on the Pastoral Epistles, 186 sermons on Corinthians, and spent five years preaching on the harmony of the Gospels until his death in 1564. In the Old Testament, he preached 123 sermons on Genesis, 159 sermons on Job, 174 sermons in Ezekiel, 200 sermons on Deuteronomy, and 353 sermons on Isaiah.

If you’re wondering how one man was able to deliver so many sermons, it’s because he preached every day—and twice on Sundays! These sermons were taken down by stenographers, edited, and then became the basis of Calvin’s commentaries and independent writings.

Would we go to hear Calvin if he were preaching today? I’m sure we would, because of the sheer force of his intellect and delivery. But I know of no pastor who could possibly preach this many sermons on any given book of the Bible without becoming repetitious, general in his exposition, and—dare I say it—boring.

I think we would be making a mistake to use Calvin as our model for preaching. God calls people with different gifts, different aptitudes, and different abilities to apply Scripture to everyday living. That being said, I believe there is a real dearth of good, biblical and heart-transforming preaching today. We must have pastors who study hard, pray much, and preach with passion. Only a burning heart can beget a spiritual fire.

America cannot be revived, unless the pulpits of America are revived. Those of us who preach must remember we can’t be Calvins, but we can learn from his single-minded desire to make the Word of God clear to all who listen. There is power in biblical, heartfelt preaching.

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