by Kelly Dixon
Reading: John 13:1-17
Imagine this . . . you are in a room full of eleven people who are trying to love you the best they know how while at the same time they are trying to understand who you really are in the scheme of things. Then there is one individual who is looking for any opportunity he can to betray you and you know it. Yet, instead of catering to the overwhelming desire to "get them before they get you," you decide to serve them instead. Now, think about this fact for a moment: Jesus was right in the middle of this scenario when He washed the disciples feet. Yet, what did He do? He continued to answer the call in serving the Lord by fulfilling His purpose which was to show His disciples and us today how to serve regardless who we are serving.The Lord has revealed a lot to me over the last few years about answering His calls. One particular lesson has been in regard to mercy. I use to excuse myself from being merciful by telling myself and others, "I wasn't given the spiritual gift of mercy." Then other excuses would fall in line with this one like, "If I give them money then they will just go spend it on alcohol or drugs." All boiled down to be just that - excuses!! However, it hit me one day as I was reading this account of Jesus washing the disciples' feet that Jesus, even though He knew Judas' heart, still picked up the feet of His soon to be betrayer and washed them. No excuses, just a display of perfect love. So many times we make excuses about what the other person is or isn't going to do that we decide not to answer the call the Lord is giving us through His Holy Spirit. We view our possessions as being our own and when we give, if it isn't used as we intended, we view ourselves as being betrayed. However, don't our possessions belong to God? Doesn't He give them to us for use in the furthering of His kingdom? Therefore, when He calls us to use one of these resources, whether monetary or otherwise, we must answer the call. In reality, if we think about our faith in God we shouldn't question the receiver just the giver. Questions we should ask ourselves should be - Am I tuning in to God so that I can answer the call to be or not to be a giver?; Am I giving for selfish reasons or am I giving to display God's love?; Are the excuses that I give myself keeping me from answering God's call and ultimately keeping me from fulfilling His purpose in my life? These questions and many others can help us determine if we are living by faith by answering the call of God.
Are you answering God's calls? One of the reasons we don't answer God's calls is because we don't recognize when He is trying to get our attention. God speaks to us primarily in four ways - through His Word, through His Holy Spirit, through another person, and through the circumstance in our lives. Could it be that you are not hearing His calls because you are not investing time in His Word? Could it be you feel the Holy Spirit directing you but your doubts and fears are overshadowing your decisions to act? Are you ignoring other Christians in your life? Are you not evaluating the circumstances of your life in regards to God and His spiritual growth for you? Whatever the reason, it is imperative that you begin to recognize God when He calls because if you don't recognize His voice then you cannot answer His call.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, guide me in realizing when I am making excuses and not answering Your calls. Lead me in recognizing when You speak so I may answer by showing Your love to this world. Thank You for sending Jesus to show me an example of how to display Your perfect love. It is in His Name I pray. Amen.
Deepening The Walk Mini Bible Study: This faith series is being accompanied with mini Bible studies for further in depth study. When Ladies for Jesus offers these type studies, we call them “Deepening The Walk.” It is our prayer that you use this extra material to assist you in deepening your walk with the Lord. Deepening The Walk Mini Bible Study page.
