Following His Call
by David LaRose
Tuesday February 16, 2016 – Psalms 45-48; Genesis 37:12-24; 1 Corinthians 1:20-31; Mark 1:14-28
(BCP Readings for today)
As I read scripture, I wonder to myself, “How do I perceive God?” The psalmist sees God as a mighty king and a mighty warrior. A king who loves righteousness and hates wickedness, and who anointed Jesus to be the Prince of Peace for the whole world. While God is depicted as being a mighty warrior, He is also depicted as One who has compassion on those in trouble. The power of God is laid forth in Psalm 46. The awesomeness of the power and might of God demands that I exalt and praise God above all earthly things.
Now, that I know these things about God, how do I use this in my day to day life. There lies the challenge. However, God did not intend for us to figure all this out on our own. He gave us examples in Scripture to show us the way. In the Genesis readings, Joseph was sent by his father to see how his brothers were doing, just as Jesus was sent by God to us. And like Jesus, Joseph was betrayed by his brothers was thrown into a pit to die. Despite the bad intentions of his brothers, God used Joseph to save the people of Israel. And like Joseph, God used Jesus to show us the way to salvation. Despite their circumstances, both Joseph and Jesus remained faithful to God and to carrying out God’s plan for salvation.
In Corinthians, Paul looks to the examples in the Old Testament to show that what we might think is foolish and weak, God uses to accomplish His purposes. Joseph’s brother’s thought Joseph was a foolish, weak person, but he proved to be wiser and stronger than all of them and achieved salvation for the children of Israel.
In Mark, Jesus did not call the mighty, the powerful, and the learned to be his followers, he called fishermen. He showed us that even the lowly, and the weak can possess the wisdom of God to lead others to God. We need to dwell on what the Psalms teach us about the power and compassion of God and believe that He can accomplish all things through those who believe in Him. Even the demons driven out by Jesus knew that God could destroy them with a word.
So, in this time of Lent, let us look for ways God is calling us to accomplish His purposes in our life and in the life of others without worrying about what the world might consider wise or foolish. Let us also be faithful to what God is calling us to do regardless of the circumstances we might find ourselves in. We can persevere knowing God will show us the way.
Image by José Manuel Ríos Valiente (used by permission via Creative Commons).
