Tag: Calling
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The Dream Still Needed a Response – Genesis 31:8-12
Genesis 31:8-12 If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstraked.Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me.And it came to pass at the…
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The Blessing You Bring to the Place You Work – Genesis 30:25-27
Genesis 30:25-27And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country. Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I…
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Just Stay a Little Longer – Genesis 24:54-55
Genesis 24:54-55 And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master.And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten;…
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Will You Let Her Go? – Genesis 24:37-49
Genesis 24:37-49 And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell:But thou shalt go unto my father’s house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son.And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman…
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Called Away to the Son – Genesis 24:5-6
Genesis 24:5-6 And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again. The servant asks what sounds like…
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Still His Prophet – Genesis 20:7
Genesis 20:7Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live… This is one of the most surprising verses in the whole story. If there was ever a moment when you would think God might distance Himself from Abraham, it would be here.…
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Called Out of Ur – Genesis 12:1
Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee. There is something very moving about the way this begins. The Lord had already spoken to Abram. This call did not first come…
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Delayed on the Way – Genesis 11:31-32
Genesis 11:31-32 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; … and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. And…
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Come, Then Go – Genesis 8:14-19
Genesis 8:14-19 And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried. And God spake unto Noah, saying, Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee. Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee,…
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Steady Feet – 2 Peter 1:10
2 Peter 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall. Peter is not trying to make believers nervous here. He is trying to make them steady. Some people read a verse like this and say, “I’m afraid I’m going…
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Called by Grace — 2 Timothy 1:8–9
2 Timothy 1:8–9 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own…
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Stirring the Fire — 2 Timothy 1:6
2 Timothy 1:6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. Paul reminds Timothy of something important. God had placed a gift within him. It had been recognized when the elders laid hands on him and prayed. Timothy…
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Tears That God Uses — 2 Timothy 1:4
2 Timothy 1:4 Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy. Paul remembers the last time he saw Timothy. There were tears. The young man who had walked beside Paul on dusty roads, who had watched him preach and suffer and keep moving forward, now stood…
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Do Not Neglect the Gift — 1 Timothy 4:14
1 Timothy 4:14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Paul gives Timothy a simple warning. Do not neglect what God put in you. At some point Timothy had been set apart for ministry. The elders had laid…
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A Weighty Desire — 1 Timothy 3:1
1 Timothy 3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. Paul slows down before he says this. “This is a true saying.” In other words, this matters. If a man desires the office of a bishop, he desires a good work. We hear…
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Called to Speak — 1 Timothy 2:7
1 Timothy 2:7 Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity. Paul almost sounds defensive for a moment. “I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not.” Why say that unless some were questioning him? He…
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Under Command — 1 Timothy 1:1
1 Timothy 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope. Paul usually says he is an apostle by the will of God. Here he chooses a stronger word. By the commandment of God. That shifts the tone. A will can feel…
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Chosen and Called — 2 Thessalonians 2:13–14
2 Thessalonians 2:13–14 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord…
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A Church in the House – Colossians 4:15–17
Colossians 4:15 Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house. The church in his house. Not a cathedral.Not a campus.A house. Walls that heard laughter.Rooms that held meals.A table that hosted conversation. And within those ordinary walls, a church. If you have a family, you have…
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Work With Fire – Colossians 3:23
Colossians 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men. There is no small work when it is done for the Lord. None. The issue is not the task.The issue is the heart. God uses men who know how to work. It was while Moses was tending sheep…
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Chained — But Chosen – Ephesians 3:1
Ephesians 3:1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles. Rome thought it owned him. Nero thought he silenced him.Paul knew better. He does not say, “I am a prisoner of Rome.” He says, “I belong to Jesus Christ.” The chains on his wrists were real, but they were not…
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Called. Set Apart. At Peace. – Ephesians 1:1-2
When it finally sinks in that you are blessed not because of your devotions, not because of your prayers, not because of your study, but because of what Christ finished on the cross, something shifts.
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The Desert Degree – Galatians 1:13–17
Paul says, “You’ve heard my story.” He was not casually religious. He was intense. He persecuted the church and advanced beyond his peers (Galatians 1:13–14; Philippians 3:5–6). He thought he was defending God.