The Person God Uses

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"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” —Matthew 28:19 God uses people like you and me, followers of Jesus Christ, believers who say, “Lord I am available, accountable and responsible to You.” And as a believer in Christ you can’t afford to sit still, but rather be ready to go in His name. God uses us and chooses us when He calls us. We are summoned to serve Him, and so often in the Scriptures, we read stories, action packed stories of men and women who were called by God to do something significant for Him and to mark their generation in a significant way. Now God calls everyone to ministry, and one of the things that we have often said here at is that everyone, regardless of what you do, whether you’re a butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker, your career is a calling of God. Every believer is a minister, and every one of us is to serve God. Let me also say that there is a sovereign choice of God, a selected choice of God, in which He calls us to do unique things and special things for Him. There is the call to preach and the call to lead churches and the call to be missionaries. Unfortunately, we don’t hear that call as much as we should today.   ALL OF US ARE CALLED, BUT SOME ARE CALLED OUT TO PREACH THE GOSPEL AND GO IN JESUS’ NAME. The Quest for Peace Monday, February 11, 2019 by Dr. Paul Chappell “Let not then your good be evil spoken of: For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.” Romans 14:16–19 At the 1972 Olympics in Munich, the long-distance runners from Finland, the “Flying Finns,” were expected to do well. But on the twelfth lap of the 10,000 meter race, their favorite, Lassie Viren, collided with another runner and fell to the track. Undaunted, he got up and began chasing the runners ahead of him. Incredibly, he not only caught up with the field, but passed them. Viren won the first of his four gold medals while setting a new world record despite the fall. He chased down the field, exerting all of his strength to catch up. That is an illustration of what Paul was talking about in Romans 14 where he instructs us to “follow after” peace. This is not a casual, occasional, conditional following. Instead it is a full effort, expending whatever is required in order to catch up with peace. Peace is hard to come by in our world, whether between nations, between people groups, or between competing religions. And too often, peace is hard to come by even in our churches. Each of us has the responsibility to do whatever we can, without violating principles, to promote peace rather than waiting for someone else to take the first step. “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18). The only way we will exert the proper effort toward peace is if we value it highly. When we grasp the high value God places on His children getting along, we will work diligently toward that goal. Today's Growth Principle:  The best way to have peace is to take responsibility to put forth effort toward ensuring it exists.