Will You Accept A Long Distance Call?

There is a series of photographs along one wall In the narthex of my church.

These are photographs of the pastors my church has been fortunate to have had since we opened our doors in the late nineteenth century.

Their names and the years they have served are clearly displayed.

I have looked over these photographs and there is something special about them (and I'm not just referring to the facial hair early on).

What is special to me is to see the continuity in my church from its beginning especially when the church itself has undergone big changes in its history.

One of the biggest changes my church has undergone has been in the language used during the worship service.

The first pastor had to accommodate a congregation of Czech immigrants to Texas who spoke Czech either exclusively or primarily.

As time went by an English service was incorporated and it eventually became the primary service.

Later on, the Czech service was eliminated altogether.

The photographs also remind me that I have only known three of these pastors personally.

From my personal experiences with them, I know that their styles of preaching were as different as their personalities.

I am fairly certain that held true for their predecessors.

Yet, God called each of these pastors to the ministry and each answered the call and brought the gifts they were given by God.

The call to ministry is not God's only call.

God gives us talents and abilities suited for His call to our service.

Romans 12:6-8 (NET) - And we have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith. If it is in service, he must serve; if it is teaching, he must teach; if it is in exhortation, he must exhort; If it is contributing, he must do so with sincerity; If it is leadership, he must do so with diligence; if it is showing mercy, he must do so with cheerfulness.

God gives each of us gifts to be used for His glory and this passage of scripture reminds us that those gifts "must" be put to the proper use.

There are some who incorrectly assume that God would not use them for one reason or another.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Paul once persecuted the early church.

Acts 9:1-2 (NET) - Meanwhile Saul still breathing out threats to murder the Lord's disciples, went to the high priest and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, either men or women, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

Paul's life was never the same after he answered the call he received.

Some of the most powerful testimonies come from those whose lives were transformed when they responded to His call.

If you have not yet made yourself available to His call, I encourage you to do so.

Your life as you know it will never be the same.


Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeet.byethost3.com on Friday, March 4, 2011.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!

I'll be back here on Friday, March 11, 2011.

Complain, Complain, Complain

Exodus 16:3 (NET) - The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this desert to kill this whole assembly with hunger!”

There is an old saying that says silence is golden. Sometimes, I am inclined to agree.

As the resident computer geek for my company, silence means everything is functioning as it should.

Whenever we lose internet access, email, printing or other capabilities, it seems everyone is more than willing to “remind” me of it.

In that regard, I can somewhat relate to Moses.

God spoke to Moses from the burning bush and instructed him to delver His people from bondage.

Moses gave God reasons why He should choose someone else, yet God remained resolute in His choice.

With Aaron by his side, Moses returned to Egypt and confronted Pharaoh.

Pharaoh made the people’s lives even more difficult.

The people complained to Moses and Aaron.

Exodus 5:21 (NET) - and they said to them, “May the LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the opinion of Pharaoh and his servants, so that you have given them an excuse to kill us!”

After the last plague on Egypt, a broken Pharaoh let God’s people go.

Moses led the people out of Egypt and eventually they made their way to the Red Sea where they saw Pharaoh’s forces closing in on them.

Once again, Moses withstood the people’s complaints.

Exodus 14:12 (NET) - “Isn’t this what we told you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone so we can serve the Egyptians. Because it is better to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!’”

With God’s help, Moses parted the Red Sea for the people to escape.

Later on, it was thirst which fueled the people’s complaints.

Exodus 17:3 (NET) - But the people were very thirsty there for water, and they murmured against Moses and said, “Why in the world did you bring us out of Egypt - to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?”

Moses listened to the people complain.

Then came that fateful day as Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain.

With Aaron’s help, they created a golden calf as an idol and worshiped it.

God was outraged and planned to destroy His people and start anew with Moses.

Exodus 32:10 (NET) - “So now leave me alone so that my anger can burn against them and I will make from you a great nation.”

Time and again, Moses listened to the people complain.

Yet at this critical juncture, Moses interceded for the people.

Exodus 32:13 (NET) - “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel your servants, to whom you swore by yourself and told them, ‘I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven and all this land that I have spoken about I will give to your descendants, and they will inherit it forever.’”

In spite of all the complaining Moses was subjected to, he interceded for the people and God relented.

When you think about it, people are still prone to complaining.

God, in His grace and mercy, provided for our salvation through Jesus Christ.

Christ interceded for us by means of the cross.

Yet, when things do not go our way our response is often to complain.

God, who has been more than generous to us, hears every one of our complaints.

Still, we have someone who intercedes for us.

Romans 8:34 (NET) - Who is the one who will condemn? Christ is the one who died (and more than that, he was raised), who is at the right hand of God, and who is also interceding for us.

Through it all, Christ continues to intercede for us.

And He does so without complaint.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeet.byethost3.com on Friday, February 18, 2011.

Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!

I’ll be back here on Friday, February 25, 2011.