MY FRIENDS, IS YOUR CALLING AND ELECTION SURE?

Oct. 1, 2017

MY FRIENDS, IS YOUR CALLING AND ELECTION SURE?

Men and women, “give diligence to make your calling and election sure: For if you do these things, [we] will never stumble, and [we] will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:10-11 (NIV) My friends, we must understand that “Christ calls and elects” and then through His love and unmerited favor He stands at the door of our heart and encourages you and I to “confirm.” Remember, “every soul is elected who will work out his own salvation with fear and trembling.

[All are] elected who will put on the armor and fight the good fight of faith. [all are] elected who will watch unto prayer, who will search the Scriptures, and flee from temptation. [And] who will have faith continually, and will be obedient to every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. The provisions of redemption are free to all; the results of redemption will be enjoyed by those who have complied with the conditions.” (E.G. White: Patriarchs and Prophets, p 208)

My friends, God is trying to pull us closer and closer to reality as we look beyond today and focus where we are headed as individuals on this journey as we “press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called [you and I] heavenward in Christ Jesus” Phil. 3:14 (NIV) It has become very personal like Jacob at times we must have an encounter with God because each day our problems moves up in a designated weight class.

And as we get older the main event always gets more and more dramatic, the trials more precise, Problems, situations, the injustice of life, a disobedient child, a drunkard husband, being diagnosed with cancer, the list goes on. So remember, Christ has already called but how do we confirm while at the same time hope seems to be fading.

Remember, like Jacob we are going up against the great I Am, so there must be daily preparation because the call has gone out but we cannot press on toward the goal to win the prize just “having a form of godliness but denying its power.” Or Like Goliath who went into the ring with the Lord’s Anointed with only a “sword, a spear and a javelin.”

My friends, we must be prepared to endure through faith and God’s Spirit until God gives us the victory because even though we have been called it may come a time when the presence of God is veiled from our face, and it will only be our faith, endurance and the promises of God that we have constantly studied in His word that will give us the strength to continue through the night like Jacob.

And One day soon we will be able to say we saw God face to face and it was our daily encounter with God that allowed us to “confirm” when daybreak comes and the Son of God Himself descends from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ rises first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds and then we will hear,“Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” Matt. 25:23 (KJV), Thess. 4:16-17 (KJV)