A singled out breath of fresh air among many. A yellow field yields sunshine, an overwhelming burst of warmth. I see HIM in its beauty. His creativity. His intention. His desire is to make the place He created for us as beautiful as possible.
With life bursting forth in the newness of spring, I’m reminded of the newness which burst forth in my life nearly 20 years ago. The old, wretched one who inhabited this vessel from birth til then, exited. A new life, a new person took up residence. In that moment, I was called.
The call was specific.
The call was direct.
The call was mine.
My call was quiet, in the whisper of His voice. His soft yet powerful word “called [me] out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9, NKJV). His tender yet impactful declaration let me know “who[ever] wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all” (Mark 9:35 NIV). His gentle yet brilliant utterance prompts me to “give as [I am] able, according to the blessings given to [me] by the Lord [my] God” (Deuteronomy 16:17, NLT).
I’m not alone in this call, however. All who have called upon HIS name, asking HIS forgiveness, receiving HIS salvation are called, too. We’re all called out of darkness, called to serve, to give.
The fruit of the call, the fruit of a relationship, their evidences are clear:
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” ~ Galatians 5:22,23 (NLT)
As followers, persons called, it bodes us well to revisit the fruit. The fruit doesn’t save us nor does it secure. It does, however, show us how close we are to the vine.
In addition, other calls are placed on us so He can use us. “…He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,” (Ephesians 4:11,12, NKJV). I’m convinced my part in the edification of the body, as well as evangelizing the lost, is through the written word. My canvass ~ UpLIFTing Words ~ is His space for His use. Each letter, each word, each sentence is His.
So tell me…
Have you been called out of darkness into His glorious light?
How do you stay close to the vine so to live Him out daily?
What personal call has He placed on your life?
I invite you to share so we all can rejoice along with you. I’m leaving comments open today for this specific reason.
Linking with Thought Provoking Thursday, Imperfect Prose, Life: Unmasked, Thankful Thursday
