Found an article recently that caught my attention. It was about an unusual coin, a 1913 Liberty
Head nickel that was valued at $25,000.
As I read the article, a particular comment struck me about the attitude
of the owner of this rare coin. A coin dealer
and friend of the owner was quoted as saying: “He’s quite a guy. He has shown that coin around so much, it’s
become commonplace for him.”
You might wonder how someone could come to view something so
rare and valuable as commonplace and yet all of us in many ways do just that.
There is a common saying: “Familiarity breeds
contempt.” It seems the longer we are
associated with a company, job, technological advancement, person or whatever,
the easier it is to take these things for granted and not appreciate them as we
should.
We can even do this with spiritual truths, as illustrated in
Matthew 22:1-14. This parable is about a
wedding feast. Those who were invited
first made various excuses not to come.
Finally, the king instructed his servants to call others, both “bad and
good” (verse 10), so the wedding hall be filled with guests.
The king noticed one man who was improperly dressed and who
could offer no explanation when confronted.
The man was cast “into outer darkness” (verse 13) and the story closes
with the warning of verse 14: “For many are called but few are chosen.”
One lesson from this parable is that of taking our calling
for granted, just like the wedding guest who was cast out. It is obvious from the story that he was
complacent about his calling to the wedding and did not properly prepare. Our adversary, Satan would love for us to
treat God’s calling superficially and not to appreciate it as we should. How can we prevent this?
To begin, we should realize how personal God’s calling
is. Jesus said, “No man come to me,
except the Father which has me draw him” (John 6:44). God Himself does the calling. God the Father wants to develop a close
relationship with us. Should we not
delight in this opportunity to get close to God?
In I Corinthians 1:26-31, Paul tells us that “not many wise
men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called,” but that God
is choosing the “the weak.”
How wonderful it is that God is willing to deal mostly with
average, ordinary, unexceptional people.
On occasion, God calls those who above average but this is the
exception. God does this so we can glory
in His calling, willingly yield ourselves to Him and grow and overcome, looking
to Him and not to ourselves.
How different this is from the way man thinks. Appointees to positions or jobs are selected
on their qualifications. It is normal
for a newly elected President to select a new Presidential Cabinet and those chosen
are picked because of their qualifications and training as well as political
considerations.
God, on the other hand, chooses us first and then provides
the training so we can qualify to receive a spiritual responsibility as part of
the gift of our salvation.
Notice another aspect of how God calls us. In II Timothy 1:9 Paul tells us that God
calls us “not according to our works.”
How comforting it is that a merciful God does not hold our past mistakes
in mind as He chooses to deal with us.
How many of us would God call if He called us according to our
works? Few, if any.
I Peter 2:25 gives us another benefit of God’s calling: “For
ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and
Bishop of your souls.” As verse 21
brings out this return comes through God’s calling.
Few animals are as helpless and vulnerable as sheep,
especially sheep cut off from their shepherd.
Spiritually speaking, humans are much the same without God. Satan is likened to a roaring lion that is on
the prowl-seeking victims (I Peter 5:8).
God’s calling provides protections and safety through Christ the chief
shepherd.
Galatians 5:13 gives us another benefit of God’s calling in
which we can appreciate. Paul wrote
“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an
occasion to the flesh but by love serve one another.”
Before God called us, we were “servants [or slaves] of sin.”
(Romans 6:17). The Bible pictures this
situation as spiritual bondage, with Satan the devil as an evil
taskmaster. Worries, fears and
frustrations, in addition to sins, keep many people under servitude and
slavery.
God’s calling, however, provides us with liberty and the
freedom to live an abundant life. God’s
law is a “law of liberty” (James 2: 12), and through God’s mercy and calling we
can achieve true freedom from sin.
In II Peter 1: 3-4 we learn that through the calling of God
“exceeding great and precious promises” are made available to us. God’s Word is filled with these promises and
God Himself stands back of every one of them.
Included in these promises are such benefits as protection, salvation,
forgiveness, mercy, help and encouragement, strength and prosperity. All of these can be ours if we respond to
God’s calling and yield ourselves to Him.
It is easy to see why Philippians 3:14 talks about a “high”
calling. To be one of those with whom
God is dealing with is a great privilege.
In light of all of these points let’s not be like the rare
coin owner who took his asset for granted.
God’s calling is much more precious.
