- Key Verse
- One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him. (Mark 1:16-18 NLT)
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Central Truth
God calls everyone; no one is left out. God has a plan for each of our lives. I heard someone say once, “The two greatest days of your life are: the day you were born, and the day you figure out why.”
Reflections
I remember the day the Lord sealed in my heart a calling to full-time vocational ministry. It was in a small church at Hereford, Maryland. During the message, the Lord seemed to grab my heart in such a way that I could not shake it. There was this strong sense that I needed to follow God with all my heart and quit playing games. After surrendering to Him that night, there was another pull on my heart to attend Bible college. I remember saying to God, “I will say yes, but you have to bless me tonight.” After the message, the altar call was given and I found myself standing at the front of the church with my grandmother praying for me. She kept saying, “Let go Keith, just let go.” It was a call to surrender. It was then that God touched me with the Holy Spirit in such a way that I will never forget. I did not want to leave. After that I went to find a friend of mine and share with him my new direction. He promptly tried to talk me out of it. He said that if God did not call me, it was going to be too hard. But I knew it was God and I never looked back. I am reminded often of that moment in which God called me. Whenever I am discouraged or feel like quitting, I go back to that moment in time.
I was once again reminded of this moment when we sent our oldest daughter, Stephanie, off to college to pursue her God-given call. She was nine years old when God spoke to her about her future. The kids at church were having a one-day fast for hunger awareness at the church we pastored in West Virginia. When one lady began to share her experiences in Pakistan, Stephanie’s heart came alive. She knew then her life’s mission: to be a missionary. She has never swayed from that even though we have not pressured her to pursue it, but it is who she is.
Discussion Questions
1. What is God's calling on your life?2. Are you living out that call with all of your heart, mind and strength?
3. What areas of your life do you need to surrender to Him to fulfill your life's calling?
February 12, 2010 09:54 AM
I love finding out wonderful - or even painful - events in other's lives that have brought them to Christ. How wonderful that the calling has been passed down the line from generation to generation...