The High Calling of God

1 Samuel 30:6: "Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God." David had been through a lot up to this point. King Saul was trying to kill him.David ended up in the wilderness running and hiding from Saul, even though David had been anointed as king by Samuel. He had allied himself with the Philistines and while he was away from his home, invaders came and burned the city and took all the women and children, including David's wives. Then the people turned on him and wanted to stone him. "But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God." Other versions render "strengthened" as "encouraged" but really "strengthened" is a much more accurate word. It comes from the original which means to "fasten upon"; "fortify"; "to bind"; "

"But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you-from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted."  1 Peter 2:9 (The Message Bible) Webster defines "instrument" as "2. A tool; utensil; implement."   (1).  An instrument doesn't do any good unless it is picked up and used. My garden will not get dug, watered or weeded as long as the tools are still in the shed. The violin or piano can make no beautiful music on their own. It has to be used by someone. I was reminded recently how we, as children of the living God are His instruments--His tools to get the job done. The work of the kingdom will never get done unless we- his instruments- allow Him to use us in the way that He desires. If we don't allow ourselves to be used by God- can we really call ourselve

Colossians 3:3 : "For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." I like the way the Message Bible states the first 6 verses of that chapter: “So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ,  act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides.  2 Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from  his perspective. 3 Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your  real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God.  He is your life.  4 When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ. 5 And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it