GOD'S CALLING: RESPECTER OF NONE
If God chose you to accomplish a mission, there is no point putting yourself down as a way of avoiding His calling. When God called Moses to go to Egypt and deliver His people, he told God 'I am a nobody. How can I go to the king and bring the Israelites out of Egypt.'
11 "But who am I to appear before Pharaoh?" Moses asked God. "How can you expect me to lead the Israelites out of Egypt?" (Exodus 3:11 New Living Translation - NLT)
10 But Moses pleaded with the LORD, "O Lord, I'm just not a good speaker. I never have been, and I'm not now, even after you have spoken to me. I'm clumsy with words." .......... 13 But Moses again pleaded, "Lord, please! Send someone else" (Exodus 4:10,13 NLT).
Not to talk of the fact that he committed manslaughter in Egypt before he fled to Midian (Exodus 2:11-15). He stammers too. As if the Lord announced that His interest lies solely in good speakers with perfect record. Related materials on Moses can be found under CHOICE OF LIFE PARTNER: LET GO AND LET GOD HAVE HIS WAY.
Moses wasn't the only one who tried to avoid heeding God's call on the grounds of perceived inferiority. When the LORD called Jeremiah, guess what his response was?
4 The LORD gave me a message. He said, 5 "I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world." 6 "O Sovereign LORD," I said, "I can't speak for you! I'm too young!" 7 "Don't say that," the LORD replied, "for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. 8 And don't be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and take care of you. I, the LORD, have spoken!" 9 Then the LORD touched my mouth and said, "See, I have put my words in your mouth! 10 Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. You are to uproot some and tear them down, to destroy and overthrow them. You are to build others up and plant them." ........... 17 "Get up and get dressed. Go out, and tell them whatever I tell you to say. Do not be afraid of them, or I will make you look foolish in front of them. 18 For see, today I have made you immune to their attacks. You are strong like a fortified city that cannot be captured, like an iron pillar or a bronze wall. None of the kings, officials, priests, or people of Judah will be able to stand against you. 19 They will try, but they will fail. For I am with you, and I will take care of you. I, the LORD, have spoken!" (Jeremiah 1:4-10,17-19 NLT)
He actually and naively thought that if he answered, "Sovereign LORD, I don't know how to speak; I am too young" (v. 6), the Lord will discard of His plan for his life and simply walk away. Wishful thinking. As if how young or how old he was is of any interest to the Lord.
Of course, the Lord God expects us to be humble. He expects us to curb the tendency towards megalomania. However, humility should not be confused with inferiority complex though. Maybe others see you as a low-life. An ignominy. A nonentity. A failure. An under-achiever. And you find it hard to dissociate yourself from their opinion of who they think you are. Is that what it is? If that is what it is, I've got news for you. You are not the only one. Why do I keep having the feeling you, Moses, Jeremiah and a host of folks are wearing the same hat. Or maybe you are in the same boat - depending on which one fits them all.
Please do keep in mind that as far as the orbit of God's plan for your life is concerned, some comments / opinions are capable of setting you off the tangent. In fact, some are designed to derail you in life. Not all views are devoid of malice / ulterior motives. In I Samuel 17, we can see the reaction of a family member to a Spirit-led individual.
26 David talked to some others standing there to verify the report. "What will a man get for killing this Philistine and putting an end to his abuse of Israel?" he asked them. "Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?" 27 And David received the same reply as before: "What you have been hearing is true. That is the reward for killing the giant." 28 But when David's oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. "What are you doing around here anyway?" he demanded. "What about those few sheep you're supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and dishonesty. You just want to see the battle!" 29 "What have I done now?" David replied. "I was only asking a question!" (I Samuel 17:26-29 NLT)
Some school of thought professes that there is no such thing as a stupid question. Obviously, the first child of Jesse didn't enrol in that school. Quite an encouraging remark / gesture from Eliab! With a family member / acquaintance like that, David didn't need an enemy.
By the way, some theologians believe that Eliab's vituperation had a lot to do with the fact that even though he was prophet Samuel's choice as king, David was the one who actually received the anointing as God's choice. Keep in mind, Eliab was the eldest son in the family, hence, the 'right of primogeniture' might have been deemed applicable. Right of primogeniture is often used to describe a system whereby a father's asset or estate is passed on to the eldest son. This practice is widely recognized in several cultures across the world. The Lord obviously defied age-long traditions when he skipped six sons ahead of David. But who can fault God and the way He works?
14 What can we say? Was God being unfair? Of course not! 15 For God said to Moses, "I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose." 16 So receiving God's promise is not up to us. We can't get it by choosing it or working hard for it. God will show mercy to anyone he chooses. 17 For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, "I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you, and so that my fame might spread throughout the earth." 18 So you see, God shows mercy to some just because he wants to, and he chooses to make some people refuse to listen........... 20 No, don't say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to criticize God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who made it, "Why have you made me like this?" 21 When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn't he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into? 22 God has every right to exercise his judgment and his power, but he also has the right to be very patient with those who are the objects of his judgment and are fit only for destruction. 23 He also has the right to pour out the riches of his glory upon those he prepared to be the objects of his mercy - 24 even upon us, whom he selected, both from the Jews and from the Gentiles. 25 Concerning the Gentiles, God says in the prophecy of Hosea,
"Those who were not my people, I will now call my people. And I will love those whom I did not love before." 26 And, "Once they were told, 'You are not my people.' But now he will say, 'You are children of the living God.'" (Romans 9:14-18, 20-26 NLT)
Joseph's brothers resented what they construed as their brother's garrulous tendencies (Genesis 37) probably as much as Eliab disliked David's perceived pride and dishonesty.
Big brother Eliab publicly humiliated David. He did not seem to realize something about his 'baby brother', that is: "I have been taking care of my father's sheep," he said. "When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, 35 I go after it with a club and take the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. 36 I have done this to both lions and bears, and I'll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! 37 The LORD who saved me from the claws of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine!" (I Samuel 17:34-37 NLT)
Or maybe he did; he just didn't think it was of any importance. Hmm. Sad miscalculation as Goliath the 'champion' of Philistia was soon to discover.
There is no point putting yourself down once you assume God's perspective. Assuming God's perspective involves things the way He sees them. When God made a move on your life, just what do you think He was thinking? You must be have thought He shared thought with those acquaintances of yours who feel you are nothing but a piece of trash. You probably thought the LORD is one of your so-called acquaintances that see nothing good about you, and what you stand for. You weren't thinking the LORD is like one of those judgmental hypocrites who are quick to pick on others like the woman caught in the act of adultery (John 8:1-11) who was about to be stoned to death, were you?
4 How can you think of saying, 'Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past the log in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye (Matthew 7:4-5 NLT).
You weren't thinking the LORD is picking on you so he could complete His list of nonentities and undesirable elements, were you? If that is what you are thinking (hopefully not), how wrong you are. When the Lord sets His eyes on people, He has His own way of seeing things.
8 "My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT).
If you don't stop seeing yourself in the negative light that some want you to see yourself, very soon you won't consider life to be worth living. Then you may start contemplating the unthinkable. What you need, my friend, is to renew the spirit of your mind so it can be consistent with God's view of your life. God is not ready to change His mind about you. And don't even think of repeating to Him what Moses said, "No, LORD, please send someone else." Whether or not you think you are somebody or nobody is not what really matters to God. You know what matters to Him? Maybe the following verse will tip off:
11 "Who makes mouths?" the LORD asked him. "Who makes people so they can speak or not speak, hear or not hear, see or not see? Is it not I, the LORD? 12 Now go, and do as I have told you. I will help you speak well, and I will tell you what to say" (Exodus 4:11-12 NLT)
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13 New King James Version - NKJV)
I hope that you are not thinking that if you put yourself down over and over, the LORD is going to fall for it. If that is what you are thinking, how about chewing on this:
28 Have you never heard or understood? Don't you know that the LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. 29 He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. 30 Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. 31 But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:28-31 NLT)
Why put yourself down? Why say you are young, not smart, not eloquent, not gifted, not this, not that? In the first place, who told you the LORD is looking for individuals with superhuman qualifications? Haven't you heard?
"For what seems to be God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and what seems to be God's weakness is stronger than human strength. Now remember what you were, my brothers, when God called you. From the human point of view few of you are wise or powerful or of high social standing. God purposely chose what the world considers foolish in order to shame the wise, and He chose what the world considers the weak in order to shame the powerful. He chose what the world looks down on and despises and thinks is nothing, in order to destroy what the world thinks is important" (I Corinthians 1:25-28).
Have you never heard? They that He employs, He also empowers. NO, you don't need some superhuman qualifications or the approval of the Eliabs for that matter. All the LORD needs is a willing vessel He can work on, and work through. If you need any training, He knows what circumstances He should expose you to that will enable you to conform to His desired image.
"The Sovereign LORD has taught me what to say, so that I can strengthen the weary. Every morning He makes me eager to hear what He is going to teach me. The LORD has given me understanding,........" (Isaiah 50:4-5)
I tell you my friend, just come as you are.
Don't bother expecting Him to pass by and 'go pick someone else'. If He needs someone else, He wouldn't have bothered picking you in the first place. Besides, what made you think 'Mr or Mrs/Ms Somebody Else' has what it takes and you don't? Do you know what the Lord sees in you before He engaged you in His mission? Do you know what He sees in 'Mr or Mrs/Ms Somebody Else' that made Him decide they are not His best option? Take for instance Moses when he was called by the Most High God to go to Egypt. He felt someone else would be a better choice of representative. Aaron (his brother) seemed like a better choice (from some people's perspective), after all he's got things going right for him (unlike Moses). A guy like Aaron shouldn't have any problem landing a date on Saturday night. Moses on the other hand, ........ well.
But he said, "O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send." So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and He said: "Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well........... (Exodus 4:13,14 New King James Version NKJV)
Well, if the Lord knows Aaron can speak well, why then did He not approach him instead of Moses? Remember the questions posed in the preceding paragraph: 'Do you know what the Lord sees in you before He engaged you in His mission? Do you know what He sees in 'Mr or Mrs/Ms Somebody Else' that made Him decide they are not His best option?' Don't forget, He knows the end from the beginning, and the beginning to the end. I hope you haven't forgotten who that person was who (mis)led the people of God (in Moses' absence of course) into worshiping a moulded calf (Exodus 32:1-35). Idol worshiping is a clear violation of the first 2 commandments.
1 When Moses failed to come back down the mountain right away, the people went to Aaron. "Look," they said, "make us some gods who can lead us. This man Moses, who brought us here from Egypt, has disappeared. We don't know what has happened to him." 2 So Aaron said, "Tell your wives and sons and daughters to take off their gold earrings, and then bring them to me." 3 All the people obeyed Aaron and brought him their gold earrings. 4 Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded and tooled it into the shape of a calf. The people exclaimed, "O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of Egypt!" 5 When Aaron saw how excited the people were about it, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, "Tomorrow there will be a festival to the LORD!" 6 So the people got up early the next morning to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. After this, they celebrated with feasting and drinking, and indulged themselves in pagan revelry. 7 Then the LORD told Moses, "Quick! Go down the mountain! The people you brought from Egypt have defiled themselves. 8 They have already turned from the way I commanded them to live. They have made an idol shaped like a calf, and they have worshiped and sacrificed to it. They are saying, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of Egypt.'" 9 Then the LORD said, "I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are. 10 Now leave me alone so my anger can blaze against them and destroy them all. Then I will make you, Moses, into a great nation instead of them." 11 But Moses pleaded with the LORD his God not to do it. ......... 25 ...... Moses saw that Aaron had let the people get completely out of control - and much to the amusement of their enemies -. .......... 35 And the LORD sent a great plague upon the people because they had worshiped the calf Aaron had made. (Exodus 32:1-10,25,35 NLT)
To think someone else by the name of Aaron would have been a better choice. Well, what was God thinking!
Let me bring to mind again that familiar phrase: 'Do you know what the Lord sees in you before He engaged you in His mission? Do you know what He sees in 'Mr or Mrs/Ms Somebody Else' that made Him decide they are not His best option? Don't forget, He knows the end from the beginning, and the beginning to the end.' To think God's judgment was questioned when Moses was chosen.
Don't bother telling Him how silly, dull, ugly, unwise, uneducated, unorthodox, weak you are. You tell Him that? Great. Just what He needs to know to set His eyes on you. Tell you what? As far as the LORD's plans are concerned, people like you may be a square peg in a square hole. Know what that means? Perfect match! Just the type that is capable of bringing glory and honour to His name.
Of course, you and others are entitled to your opinions about yourself (Watch the kind of opinion you harbour though. Your opinion can shape your destiny and those of others. Please be careful.). Just that there is more to your opinion and those of others. Do not forget that the LORD's opinion not only exists, it matters, and it counts. Really, it does.
In conclusion, here is an eavesdrop on a conversation between two individuals:
"What do you think of the anointed one and his (or her) ministry?
"What do I think of the anointed one and his ministry? Hmm. Does it really matter what anyone think of him. What will be will be. I may think one thing, we all know that it is the Lord's view of him that will stand. I may think he is not good or great or whatever. It won't make any difference. I think whatever I chose to think or say. After all said and done, the will of the Lord will prove to be the determining factor.
God bless
Yours
Adekunle O Majek'
H I A F E M
Of Impact, quality and excellence
That's the Spirit!
P.S: I believe this piece has been of great blessing to you. Why don't you share it with others.
To return to HIAFEM HomePage, click here
