These days, I've been waking up and trying not to immediately turn on my computer to check my facebook/gmail/nba news... I've instead tried to replace it with reading the Word - going through passages that I feel inspired to read.
Today, I went through the book of John, Chapters 1-5. Since I have the MacArthur study bible, I was reading up on the context of this Gospel, studying its outline before diving in. The section I read began with the ministry of John the Baptist, the Baptism of Jesus, and the effect that he had on the people of Judah - highlighting interactions he had with the sick and also the religious authorities of that time.
A couple of verses really struck me today, (1) The Parable of the Soil, (2) Jesus meeting the demon-possessed man who lived among the tombs, and (3) his parable of the lamp on the lamp stand. The common thread that really made these 3 sections stand out and penetrate my soul was the it's relevance to a CALLING. What does it mean to really live for God - to desire a relationship with Him? To believe in Him?
As I read, Mark 4:20 jumped off the page at me, as if Jesus was saying it with added emphasis, "HEAR and ACCEPT", "HEAR and ACCEPT"... I mean, what sets apart the good soil from the other kinds, the path, the rocky, and the thorny soil? What does it take to be a fruitful Christian in this age where walking with God can be so complex.
It sorta dawned on me, that despite all of my religious practices, I may not have the "ears to hear, nor the eyes to see" what Jesus was talking about all along. Today, I realized that He was simply calling me to HEAR and ACCEPT what he has to say.
Now, once we accept the Word of God, it's going to hit all of us in different ways - depending on our call. We are to be a light that reflects the great things that God has done for us through His amazing Grace. That means, there is no "one size fits all" kind of formula to figure out what the Lord wants you to do. It means, "let me speak to you, accept what I have to say, and act."
I've always thought that being a Christian meant fitting a specific mold. Someone that prays for their co-workers, tries to work heartily and with enthusiasm in everything they do. Maybe that's true, but I think really it depends on where we are coming from.
God never erases your personality to make you fit a mold - He uses your specific talents and experiences to bring Him glory.
Looking at the story of the demon-possessed man - I pictured one of those bums on the streets that are absolutely hideous. Have you ever seen them, long unkempt hair, blackened feet because they've been walking so long without shoes, grown out toe-nails, and the smell of urine and alcohol. Yeah, so maybe this is accurate, maybe not; but there's a guy here who's been living among the TOMBS, and cutting himself and crying out. He's possessed by many demons, and he's called "Legion". He knows who Jesus is afraid of him, but Jesus cures him, heals him.
What surprises me is Mark 5:18-20, where he asks Jesus if he can follow him, but is told to "Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you."
Now imagine, this guy, who is that looks that incredibly nasty, is brought to his right mind. He now looks like any of us, maybe he still smells a little, but his countenance has changed, right? Yeah, he's been restored. He goes around back to town and talks with his friends:
"Hey, remember me? I used to be that guy who howled at night and lived among the tombs. Chains couldn't hold me down."
"No... really? But you look so normal now."
"I know! I mean, this guy Jesus, he totally saved my life."
"Amazing..."
And it is freaking AMAZING, right? Yes.
And so, as you may think, standing here, me, Daniel Park. The guy who graduated from UCLA, has had some good experience. Nothing was every wrong with this guy, right? Wrong!
Ask any of my high school friends: I was a cheat, and addict, and drug abuser, smoker, etc. And I've been redeemed by the love of Jesus - to the glory of God.
You might say, "No... really?" and again, I tell you, "Yes."
Mark 4:21
"And He was saying to them, "A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light."
DP--I believe all of it. All of it.
ReplyDeleteYes, amazing. Truly AMAZING. May the Word continue to strike us in new ways, as it dwells in us. I do think it's important to think and pray about your calling, but I also think that you can't help but live it if you are trying to honor God with your life, giving Him credit for the ways that He has changed you and inviting Him in to continue the process. Some people do feel a particular "calling" and respond to it, but others (like the demon-possessed man in the story, I suspect) might have a more general calling to tell others how God has had mercy on them over the course of their daily lives.
ReplyDeleteI really like this quote by Oscar Romero: "The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision." As we are praying that God's kingdom would come in our world, and as we try to live according to its precepts, we don't see it in completion, and we don't even have the vision to do so. But, we can look back and begin to see God's purpose being worked out. I would guess that most people who are living according to their calling aren't that aware of it in the present, but that it becomes clearer with the perspective of time.
Wrote lots more than I was expecting to, but hopefully that's ok. I mean it to be encouraging--- just continue to follow God day by day, wrestling with the meaning of His Word and how to live it out, and you'll be living in his calling!^^ (Not that that helps you know exactly what degree or career to pursue, but that's part of the fun.)