Living the life God intended

Does the above title scare you a little or a lot? When you think of God calling you, what do you think it will be like. Do you think it will be in front of everyone and you will be embarrassed, do you think you won’t have the ability to do what the calling is or do you think of what you have to give up? All of those things are thoughts we will have and can have. In the Bible, it says to consider the price before you pay for it. Are you ready, do you need to pray or grow more in the Word of God? All of that needs to be answered by you. You may need to consult with your pastor and your spouse or a trusted friend. To see what it all means, let’s look a little deeper.

First let’s look at a few examples of being called in the Bible.

Moses was called to deliver Israel out of Egypt in the wilderness in front of a burning bush.

John the Baptist was called before he was born.

Paul was blinded and then his call was given to him by a member of the church.

Esther was made queen and then her calling came to save her nation.

Abraham was called to leave his country and follow God to a place when he didn’t know where he was going.

David was anointed by a prophet and then hid in the wilderness from the then king.

Ruth (a Moabite) followed her mother in law to a new country, then married an Israelite to fulfill her call of being in the lineage of Jesus.

Everyone was called differently and in different places but today I want to focus on a story involving lepers and their calling in 2 Kings 7. Israel was in bondage as there was a large army camped outside their town and there was no food in the city. The people were getting desperate and were even eating other people’s children. The King became really upset by this and wanted to kill the prophet. So he sent a servant to Elisha and then came himself. Elisha prophesied that within one day, the famine would be over.

Four lepers were at the city gates that night and were discussing their options. All lead to one place – they were going to die. So they decided the best option would be to go to the Syrian camp to plead for mercy. They took a step of faith. The prophet didn’t take it, the king didn’t take it and nor did the army. Who did? Four outcasts who lived outside the town.

What happened? They came to the camp and no one was there. Why? God had sent a noise that sounded like an army so the army that was there ran for their lives. I think that as soon as these lepers started to walk to the enemies camp, God made their footsteps sound loud. They didn’t hear anything but the army did. So they started to have a feast and hide a few of the things they found that they liked.

After a while, they discussed the situation and decided they couldn’t keep this secret all to themselves. So they went and told the king. The king didn’t believe them until he sent spies out to see where the other army had gone. When they found out they had all fled, the whole city was told and everyone went out to the camp to eat and take possessions.

Those four lepers saved their city. All they did was make a decision of faith, acted on it and God did the rest. We never hear about them again in the Bible. Their calling may have been to save the city in that moment and they did. All they did was make a decision that could have cost them their life.

All we have to do is make a decision to do what God tells us and it will cost us our life – our old life – but our new life in Jesus will be much better. Our calling, purpose and plan will be much greater that we think and we will have more satisfaction and joy. But first we must take a step. Join with me as this week we take our first step into the next stage of our lives – to obey the call of God. If you have been doing this – great! Don’t stop there, take the next step. Together we will walk and keep living the life God intended for all of us!