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Worthy of Her Calling

“Lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God…” Ephesians 4:1b

“I’m a teacher of children with special needs.” She states this quietly and pauses with uncertainty as our small circle of friends waits for her to continue. Very much an introvert, she gathers up courage, and allows herself to speak about what she does, but we don’t hear much about her, rather the students and families she serves. An otherwise soft voice began to gain strength and confidence as she spoke about the people she gets to spend time with every day, often while dealing with physical pain of her own. As I listened to her unfold a piece of who she is, I was reminded of the Christ I see in her; 

obedient, selfless, gentle. 

She is worthy of her calling. 

She loves what she gets to do. So much so that she puts a chronic health condition far behind those she serves. What I saw was not a woman thoroughly explaining the sacrifice of dealing with her own pain multiplied by the pressures of teaching students with special needs, many with severe health issues of their own, but rather pure joy that spread across her face the more she talked about this call on her life to love and nuture her students.

She is worthy of her calling.

God made her for this. She recognized it, pursued it and shares it in a manner worthy of the generous gift she has been given. It is not easy, this work that taxes her delicate body, but she does it, drawing attention instead to the people she serves, to the God she serves.

Her gift is recognized as that – a gift. Not in her power, not her idea, not an attempt to self -promote, she freely speaks with passion about the people she serves. This makes her worthy of the gift of Christ. She is a humble servant and lives in such a way that benefits the lives of others.  Most people will never know, but those she touches will, making it hard to resist not sharing their gifts with others.

She is worthy of her calling. 

Are you wondering if you have anything to share? Not sure how God has uniquely made you for the work and blessing of the Kingdom? Try taking a short gifts assessment here. Then pray about what is revealed and begin seeking opportunities to share them, wherever you are, to the benefit of others and the glory of God. This is a life worthy of a calling.

Being SENT is about saying "yes!"

There are some very unusual things you can send in the U.S. Postal service:  a card with never ending music, a potato, glitter bombs, even animal excrement.  There are also several documented examples of people being shipped through the mail.  For instance, In August 2012, a man in southern China decided to ship himself to his girlfriend as a prank. Unfortunately, his prank almost turned deadly when the courier took three hours to deliver the package. With minimal air in the box, and it was too thick to puncture a hole so that he could breathe.

Just what exactly does it truly mean to be SENT?  It is all about participating in God's mission to reconcile man back to Himself.  It started in the Garden of Eden when the first man and woman were separated from God because of their sin.  Throughout Scripture, we see God sending many different people to fulfill His mission:

• Abraham - was told to leave and go and be a blessing to others,  so he went  (Genesis 12:1-4)
• Joseph - was brought to his position in Egypt so he could save many people from starvation (Genesis 50:20)
• Moses - was sent to Egypt to free the Israelites from slavery“(Exodus 3)
• 12 explorers- were sent to spy the land of Canaan (Numbers 13) 
• 12 Disciples - were sent by Jesus to preach, teach, and heal (John 20:21)
• 72 - were sent like the apostles to preach, teach and heal (Luke 10:1-20)
• Philip - was sent to Gaza to meet an Ethiopian (Acts 8:26)
• Annanias - was sent me to Saul at his conversion (Acts 9:17) 

We too have been sent!  2 Corinthians 5:20 says:
We are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

That is God's mission and we have been sent.  As a church, we want to be 1 church in multiple locations influencing others to live Godly lives!  We are all essential to this vision and the mission of God becoming a reality.  We must lead where we are because we are all people of influence!  God has sent us to our families, to where we live and work, and will create the opportunity. God is looking for people who will join in on His mission.

Isaiah saw the Lord and heard a powerful question being asked by Him:  "I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.” (Isaiah 6:8)

It's a simple as saying "yes!" 

 In John 14, Jesus makes a powerful challenge: “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.   Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me."  Jesus is clear that love = obedience.

Therefore being SENT is not  a question of “are we being sent?” but “Will we go?”