"Called" or "On Call"?

2 Timothy 1:9 "For God saved us AND called us to live a holy life."

I would hate working at a job that put me "On Call".  It literary makes no sense.

When you're "on call" - you're not WORKING. You're not using your talents, your skills or your abilities... you're not even getting paid. You're just sitting... waiting for the phone to ring.  And the reality is, sometimes the phone NEVER rings.

I think far to many Christians live "On Call"

Think about it.  We KNOW what we WON'T do.  "I don't go to those kind of parties" - "I don't Smoke" - "I don't talk like that" etc...

And the world asks, "Why not?"

And we say, "Well... Because I'm "On Call"... That's just not what a Christian does."

That's all fine and good... but here's the point, what do you say when the world asks: "Well, who are you then? What DO you DO?"

Too many of us describe our Faith by saying who we AREN'T instead of describing WHO WE ARE.  We live "On Call" - We're sitting around, waiting patiently for Jesus to appear and tell us what to do. We're simply "on reserve" so to speak; steering clear from sin but wildly IN-ACTIVE in our faith.

But there's some good news. The Bible says that Jesus didn't put us "on call", Jesus picked up the phone and CALLED US!

You are Called.

Called people don't talk about who they AREN'T, they talk about WHO THEY ARE.

Called people don't sit around waiting for Jesus to show up.  They realized he SHOWED UP - they trust Him, they move for Him and they become His HANDS and FEET wherever they're at in life.

Being called is not about the BIG THING God want's you to do.  It's about being faithful with living for Jesus every day. It's about understanding that God has placed you at your Job, your School, or your Church for a HIGHER PURPOSE and TODAY is the day to reach people far from God wherever you're at in life.

So don't worry about missing the BIG THING God has for you.  Understand that you're CALLED today. Be faithful in the little things, the little conversations, the every-day opportunities to love.

Consider yourself called.

K.

Busy?

Philippians 4:9 "Be anxious in nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

I find it increasingly interesting that when I ask, "How are you doing" to people around me, close to 9 out of 10 give me the answer, "BUSY"

I'm like... Really? You're not GOOD, you're not BAD, you're not EXCITED, you're not FRUSTRATED... you're busy...

I'll tell you what that word means to me - out of control.

If you're busy you're anxious. Life is coming at you so fast that you can't handle it, and you feel OVERWHELMED.  Busy means - "I HATE WHERE MY LIFE IS AT RIGHT NOW."

And yet - 9 out of 10 people, without fail, say "Busy"

This is a problem.

The funny thing is, I don't think this 90% statistic of busy people says that 90% of people are totally overwhelmed and out of control - I think "busy" is just the new cool word to say.

Busy makes you feel IMPORTANT.  If we say we're busy, people think that we have "important things to do", it's a mask we put on to cover our laziness or self-consciousness.  Probably half of the people who tell me they're busy don't have kids... or jobs for that matter. lol.

Here's the point: Let's take the word "busy" out of our vocabulary.  Instead of sounding like we're OUT OF CONTROL let's remain IN CONTROL of our lives!  There's a thought.

Instead of "Busy" let's say "My schedules pretty full"

Instead of "Busy" let's say "HAPPY", "GREAT", "FANTASTIC" Let's speak some positive words over our life.

Instead of "Busy" let's say "It's a frustrating season" Let's be honest and get real. I'm all good with that.

The Bible says "Be anxious in nothing", in other words, Don't vent to others about how busy you are - especially in casual conversation.  Let's just take it to God and allow him to give us peace.  He's GRACED you for this season - he's not called you to be BUSY, he's called you to be IN CONTROL and at PEACE.

If you're feeling overwhelmed + busy, there's a great Biblical solution. Pray. You'll realize how busy you aren't.

K.

Just Bounce.

Proverbs 20:19 "A gossip goes around telling secrets, so don't hang around with chatters."

We need to bounce our gossip like we need to bounce our eyes.

I was taught by some great preachers to "bounce" my eyes when confronted with an opportunity to lust.  For example, when a good looking woman walks by, every moral man has a choice - look... OR "bounce" our eyes the other way.  Sometimes us men will use mental excuses to look in the inappropriate direction; something like, "I think I know her!" - The reality is, you DON'T know her but your sub-conscious is trying to make a legitimate excuse for your lustful look.

And you thought women were complicated...

Here's the point - I think GOSSIP works in a similar way.  We're having a conversation and then, all of a sudden, we're confronted with the opportunity to gossip.  Sometimes we reason in our minds, "This isn't gossip, we're just having a discussion" or "I'd say this to her face".  But at the end of the day, let's call a horse a horse.  It's gossip.

And I am not innocent of this...

What if Christians worked on a new spiritual discipline.  When somebody starts gossiping - just bounce.

Gossip is going down... you just check out, leave the room, stop them. Just BOUNCE.

You're going to bring honor to God, save your reputation and probably keep someone from putting their foot in their mouth.

K.