The Point – Loyalty to the Call

In the past couple of weeks, the Lord has very clearly said to my heart, “Cut back on your activities so that you can focus on the ministry I am giving you” and I detailed that in last week’s issue of The Point. I, along with several of my prayer and accountability partners, have been diligently seeking His will in that regard. He is beginning to give me clarity on what areas I can and should cut back and I am seeking to be obedient.

This week a dear friend of mine, Christy, sent me an electronic copy of the March 5th edition of Oswald Chambers writings from My Utmost for His Highest. She stated that she just felt like it spoke to my situation as I seek to cut back in order to focus on The Point Ministries. Whew, did it ever!! I shared it with my prayer partners and one couple emailed me back that when they read the Chambers’ devotional on that day they remarked that it ‘had my name all over it’. Isn’t it cool how God speaks into specific situations and uses the body of Christ to confirm and encourage us!!!

At this point, I am waiting on God to absolutely and positively confirm the most major change that I am sensing He is saying to make. I keep thinking of the quote that says, “Stay faithful to the last word you heard from God.” I desperately want to be in the center of His will and DO NOT want to cease something that He is saying “STAY” to, yet I don’t want to stay if He is saying “GO.”

I want to share with you the March 5th edition of My Utmost for His Highest. Perhaps someone else needs to hear what the Lord is saying through this piece.

March 5, 2008
Is He Really My Lord?

. . . so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus . . . —Acts 20:24

Joy comes from seeing the complete fulfillment of the specific purpose for which I was created and born again, not from successfully doing something of my own choosing. The joy our Lord experienced came from doing what the Father sent Him to do. And He says to us, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21 ).

Have you received a ministry from the Lord? If so, you must be faithful to it— to consider your life valuable only for the purpose of fulfilling that ministry. Knowing that you have done what Jesus sent you to do, think how satisfying it will be to hear Him say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant” ( Matthew 25:21 ). We each have to find a niche in life, and spiritually we find it when we receive a ministry from the Lord. To do this we must have close fellowship with Jesus and must know Him as more than our personal Savior. And we must be willing to experience the full impact of Acts 9:16 — “I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

“Do you love Me?” Then, “Feed My sheep” ( John 21:17 ). He is not offering us a choice of how we can serve Him; He is asking for absolute loyalty to His commission, a faithfulness to what we discern when we are in the closest possible fellowship with God. If you have received a ministry from the Lord Jesus, you will know that the need is not the same as the call— the need is the opportunity to exercise the call. The call is to be faithful to the ministry you received when you were in true fellowship with Him. This does not imply that there is a whole series of differing ministries marked out for you. It does mean that you must be sensitive to what God has called you to do, and this may sometimes require ignoring demands for service in other areas.