Inspired by . . . Day 16: Message of JOY

Inspired by . . . Day 15: Giving JOY Inspired by . . . Day 17: the measure...

Inspired by . . . Day 16: Message of JOY

This post is part of a 31 day series on JOY

You may access all the past days by clicking here.

For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

That no flesh should glory in His presence. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29

Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of “the brightest and the best” among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That’s why we have the saying, “If you’re going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God.” (MSG)

I am not “the brightest and the best,” nor am I particularly influential. I don’t come from a high-society family. I am not mighty, or noble. I am foolish, weak, and ordinary.

A simple farm girl from Vermont.

You know, it’s funny, I almost never think of myself that way. I most often think of myself as a child of God.

That is what I have been called to - - that is my ministry.

Many of us are imitators of other people; we do Christian work because someone has asked us to do it.

We must receive our ministry, which is to testify the gospel of the grace of God,

from Jesus Christ Himself, not from other Christians.

Although we are all called to “testify the gospel of the grace of God” we have each been called to a particular ministry. This is the ministry of which Chambers speaks. Often we fall into doing ministry, but it’s not necessarily the ministry to which Jesus has called us. God can still use it, but it’s not going to produce JOY.

Joy is the result of the perfect fulfillment of what a man is created for.

My specific calling is to encourage and inspire others. This has taken many forms over the years, but one ingredient has always remained the same: the purpose has always been to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

How do I know this is my true calling?

Because when I’m doing it, I feel God’s pleasure.

His unspeakable JOY!

What’s your calling?

Blessings,