Topic: Know & Stay Within Your Calling [Saturday 21, October 2017]
Memorise: For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. – Romans 12:3
Read: 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (KJV)
4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
Bible in One Year: Colossians 1-4, Daniel 10:15-11:6, Hymn: Sing Hymn 15 – The Comforter Has Come Saviour
MESSAGE:
Anyone who wants to be successful in life without struggling must know the reason why God sent him or her into this world. As a child of God, it is particularly very important for you to know your calling and stay within it. There are many reasons why a child of God should know and stay within his or her calling. The Holy Spirit expounds on this in Romans 12:3 saying:
“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”
This scripture reveals a serious mistake that knowing one’s calling could help to avoid. That mistake is thinking of oneself more highly than one ought to. For example, a person called as a teacher seeing himself or herself as an apostle would get into a lot of problems. He or she will commit blunders, and can only be rescued by reporting and staying within the call of God with every sense of sobriety.
Also, in our Bible reading, we are exposed to the diversities of gifts given by the same Spirit of God. Irrespective of the type of gifts we are given, 1 Corinthians 12:7 says this about their purpose:
“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.”
This scripture reveals that these gifts are for the purpose of blessing the Body of Christ. This is why you should never make merchandise of spiritual gifts. Freely the Holy Spirit gives, and freely we must operate in His gifts without profiteering. This might be the reason why Elisha refused to take the gifts offered by Naaman, the Syrian army general, after he was healed of leprosy (2 Kings 5:15-16). Moreover, we must not only know our calling, we must also stay within it as a matter of necessity. Those who would not stay within their calling will end up in frustration. The truth is, no calling is inferior to the other, and none is superior either (1 Corinthians 12:15-25). It is an inferiority complex that makes a child of God think that he or she is not gifted, when he or she can sing, witness or give generously without constraints. It takes a divine calling to be rich and still find it easy to distribute your riches to meet people’s needs. Ananias and Sapphira entered into the calling of giving like Barnabas, when they were not called into it, and they met their waterloo (Acts 4:36-37, Acts 5:1-11). That thing you are doing for God with ease is your area of calling. Identify and stay in it. God bless you.
Prayer Point: Father, open my understanding to know my calling and give me the necessary contentment to stay within it in Jesus’ Name.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries.
