Can i restrict God's work if i have a limited view of my calling?

We started with each person reading his/her own meaningful scripture and then praying in thanksgiving – such a sweet presence of the Lord.


Scripture references pertaining to guidelines for your calling: Colos 4:12, 17; Phil 2:12, 1 Tim 4:14, 15; 1 Tim 1:6; 1 Corinth 14:4; Jude 1:20; Acts 4:14, 31; Eph 5:18-21

We are able to restrict our own vision and calling. Being obedient, trusting God first, loving others, and being faithful in the small things, allows for your journey to flow. Our natural abilities can often make us boast especially comparing it to God’s bigness. How do you measure what is big to God? What is big for you? There is a danger in seeing this through your cultural eyes and getting a South-African answer of course. In Luke 21:-1-4 Jesus gives us an indication when he told of the poor woman giving her last 2 pennies.

Faith requires us to sometimes switch off logic. The balance is to be continually filled by the Holy Spirit and following His direction more than ever before. Lean not on your own understanding, but trust in Him with your whole heart.

Isn’t “your calling” again just all about you? Maybe every single step you make, in the process of laying down your life and doing the smaller things as you go, is more in line with getting there, instead of doing all you can to get to ‘your calling’. So what do we understand as ‘calling’? :-) Are we willing to lay that down as well, so that God can have His way in any case? Placing what the kingdom requires first, in sprite of ‘your calling’?

DISCIPLESHIP

What an evening! We spent the first part of it sharing where we are currently at in our journey.  This took up quite some time so we decided to watch the DVD on discipleship at a later date.  The discussion however went onto this topic and was interesting, oh so enlightening and mind boggling towards the end of the evening when our brains were starting to shut down.  10:15pm and we were still at it. 

I unfortunately threw my notes away by mistake so I am going to try and do this from memory.  "LOVE" came up a few times.  We really need to make sure that we are walking in love and are open to change.  Our way isn't always the only way as we sometimes stubbornly believe.  The big question was "What process do we use to measure that we are on the right path in our discipling process?"  All kinds of answers were attempted and lot was learned in the process.  The answer, and I hope this is right, (as my brain was beginning to fry) was:  Two things, A) How did God create that individual to be.  What was he specifically created for and B) We need to continually measure ourselves against the front end.  Backwards and forwards.  Wow!  How this actually plays out is not quite clear yet but it was getting late and the evening had to come to an end.  If you would like to know more then join us the week after next (30 Jan) and we are going to revisit this topic.  There is so much to it.   Can't wait. 

When do you enter the kingdom? 9 Jan 2010

Initially the posing question was “when do you inherit the kingdom?” The next question should be: which kingdom? Are we referring to the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God?

It is clear from scripture that the kingdom of heaven is within God’s kingdom. There are real differences – unless you did some research, the subject would be confusing. Interesting that Kingdom denotes 2 meanings: basileia (rule, reign) and malkut (royal dominion, empire). The kingdom of God is all encompassing, universal inter-planetary, past/present/future, eternal in purpose and has God as king. There are New Testament indicators on how to be part of what God is doing right now: spiritual rebirth, Lordship, not all inherit it, seek first, laying down of your life, riches can hinder big time because of the bigger sacrifice, and more.

Which led us to talk about son-ship (co-relationship) and servant hood (co-laborer). What was God’s priority from the beginning in terms of reign? Complete rule has been usurped. If we choose to let something else reign, He cannot reign through us and His kingdom is not established.

We said goodbye to Ansie, who is off to Chennai, India to go to Discipleship Training School with Youth with a Mission for about 6 months. We also said goodbye to Alison, who is going to Malaysia also for about 6 months, to do a Member Care course, which will enable her to support/minister missionaries worldwide.

We have become a group of believers who have become family, united by kingdom truth and an honest desire to follow Yeshua. We are all witnessing how the group is journeying, each on their way to find meaningful purpose in the kingdom, each with their own game plan, designed by God Himself. Breathless!!

Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you

Almost a full house starting the new year. What has our journey been since we came to follow the Lord? What do we see for our journey for the future?

We shared how the Lord has shaped our lives and has been in total control. We were greatly encouraged by hearing how some of us have been eating from God's almighty hand and never lacked the things that truly mattered. How awesome is God! We have to live in obedience to Him and put His Kingdom first.