Exodus 3:1–14
Matthew 16:21–28
Romans 12:9–21
Ministry calling from God is a common theme in the Bible, but we all too
often forget that God is also calling us to do His work here on earth, which
is our own ministry calling, just as God called the people in the Bible.
Our own ministry calling may not be as dramatic or as large in scope as some
of the ones described in the pages of our Bibles, but they are nonetheless
just as important to God for us to fulfill.
Don’t miss our own ministry calling to help free creation from its present
corruption, and restore the heavenly will of God here on earth as it is in
heaven.
Let’s begin our spiritual journey today by reading Exodus 3:1-14, which
tells the story of the ministry calling of Moses.
1. Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
This is another one of those situations where we have to understand that
just because the Bible tells us that Moses was tending the sheep of his
father-in-law, it is no reason for us, today, to think that it is okay to
exploit animals in the same way.
In the creation and heavenly will of God, animals were created to be our
companions and not to be our property, and we are not to eat them.
2. And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed.
Such a miracle of God would attract almost everyone, just as it did Moses.
Also note how God uses this miracle to call Moses into His Ministry as the
leader of the Hebrews.
3. So Moses said, "I must turn aside now, and see this marvelous sight, why
the bush is not burned up."
4. When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from
the midst of the bush, and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am."
5. Then He said, "Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet,
for the place on which you are standing is holy ground."
6. He said also, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid
to look at God.
7. And the LORD said, "I have surely seen the affliction of My people who
are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters,
for I am aware of their sufferings.
8. So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and
to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land
flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite
and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.
This is the promise that God gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and God is
calling upon Moses to fulfill it.
And we also need to remember that the term “milk and honey” is not a mandate
for us to eat these things, but only a common term of the day for the “best
of everything.”
Since milk and honey come from exploited animals, they cannot also be in the
heavenly will of God.
9. And now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me;
furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are
oppressing them.
10. Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may
bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt."
After hearing this, Moses became afraid.
11. But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that
I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?"
12. And He said, "Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign
to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out
of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain."
Even with this assurance, Moses is still afraid and starts making more excuses why he should not take on this calling.
13. Then Moses said to God, "Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I shall say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you.' Now they may say to me, 'What is His name?' What shall I say to them?"
God lovingly responds, but this time a little more forcefully.
14. And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say
to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.' "
NASB
We all need to ask ourselves what would we do if God calls us to be His
minister in a similar way that He called Moses?
Would we accept His ministry calling no matter how large or small the task
might be, or would we make excuses why we can’t do it?
We strongly believe that almost everyone has been called to help free His
creation from its present corruption, but most people seem to make excuses
why they can’t do anything about it, and then go along with the corrupted
ways of the world around them.
In Matthew 16:21-28, Jesus talks about His own ministry calling as it draws
to an end.
21. From that time Jesus Christ began to show His disciples that He must go
to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and
scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.
22. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "God forbid
it, Lord! This shall never happen to You."
This is the kind of discouragement that most people seem to listen to, and
then figure that they really can’t do the task set before them.
Each and every one of us can do whatever task God sets before us, for He
will give us the power to do it; maybe not everything that has to be done to
free creation, for example, but enough to do our part while leaving room for
others to do their part.
So, note how Jesus answers Peter.
23. But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a
stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests,
but man's."
24. Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me,
let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
25. "For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses
his life for My sake shall find it.
Jesus is speaking of both our physical life here on earth, and our spiritual life in heaven.
26. "For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
This is what happens when we turn our backs on God and our ministry calling.
27. "For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His
angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds.
28. "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who
shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."
NASB
Why should we risk such a glorious event?
We shouldn’t.
We should all answer our ministry calling with joyfulness and dedication.
We can help free creation from its present corruption and usher in the
heavenly will of God.
In Romans 12:9-21, we see the qualities we are to display before others in
our ministry in the service of the Lord.
9. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.
We have heard many people say that they love animals, but they also eat
animals, which to us is an example of love with hypocrisy, because so-called
food animals suffer horribly from the evil ways humans treat them.
So, if we are going to abhor evil and cling to what is good, we cannot eat
or wear animals, for they are the products of evil.
Thus, if we are going to love animals without hypocrisy, we must stop eating
and wearing them.
Now let’s think about our ministry calling and about love being without
hypocrisy.
10. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
Think about all the warring madness going on in the world around us; there
is no brotherly love there.
Think about all the people who are exploited in the work place; there is no
brotherly love there.
Think about all the crime in our society; there is no brotherly love there,
either.
Our ministry calling must be in the heavenly will of God.
11. not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
12. rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,
13. contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.
We hope we all do this, and if we find that we are lagging behind in some of these things, then we need to become more fervent in our Godly behavior until it becomes as natural as breathing.
14. Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not.
Do we do this, or do we seek vengeance, and ways of getting even?
15. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
Are we this empathetic to the feelings of others, whether they are humans or
animals?
We hope we are, for this is what is required to fulfill our ministry calling
in the heavenly will of God.
16. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but
associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.
17. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the
sight of all men.
This is very important for us to understand.
Paul is telling us to respect what is right in the sight of all people, but
we are not to respect what is evil, even if these people say that it is
right in their own eyes.
18. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.
19. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of
God, for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.
This is what it takes to be peacemaking children of God.
20. "But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head."
This is what we refer to as the burning coals of the conviction of our conscience.
21. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
NASB
The reality is that each and every one of us has our own ministry calling
from God, even if most people don’t live like it.
And a large part of our ministry calling is to live as peacemaking children
of God who help free creation from its present corruption; we need to wake
up to the fact that collectively we are not doing a very good job, and have
a lot of improving to do.
We can encourage one another in the service of the Lord.
We can do a better job.
We can be more effective in freeing creation from its present corruption.
We can be better servants of the Lord.
Amen.
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