Saturday, March 9, 2013

Practical Jokes, Unholy Hours, and a Strange Call

Usually, when people get prank calls, they're a hassle. Luckily, God has blessed me with some people who know the art of the prank call. I'm not sure that many would consider themselves fortunate to be on the receiving end of high-quality pranks, but I always really appreciated it when people actually put the thought and effort into a practical joke.


Past capers have included being called to confirm the details of my "upcoming" photo shoot as a (Russian?) model, a series of never-ending texts describing my "subscription" to Daily Cat Facts, and many more. Whoever is out there orchestrating these master-plans of jokery, you have my applause. Because, let's be honest, if I'm gonna get a call at some unholy hour of the night, it better be painted in wit.

God is a big fan of calling people. Although, it's not really in the same vein as prank calls. When you get a call from God, the weight of His summoning is too heavy to resist. And the hours at which he rings are never unholy. Quite the opposite, in fact. Samuel would know. 

In any case, when one thinks of a calling from God, they typically think about the duty of sharing the gospel, or the duty of forgiveness. In other words, we usually think of the responsibility of blessing other people. And to that I say, "Yes and Amen!"

But...

"But? Are you about to tell me we shouldn't be burdened to help others? You're a heretic. Stop writing, blasphemer!"

All right, first of all, y'all need to get that attitude checked out. I didn't finish yet. So, if you would please put down your gun, I'd appreciate it. Thank you.

But, we aren't just called to bless other people. Check this out:
"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful."" (Colossians 3)
Colossians 3 deals a lot with interpersonal relationships. It's about what we first talked about: helping others. That calling is made super clear. However, the apostle Paul here says that we are called to peace. We are told to allow it to rule in our hearts. To be under the subjection and submission of a rested soul.

That, my friends, is a command.

I know that when it comes to the responsibility of blessing others, people often take it very seriously. But, for some reason, when we are commanded to do something that would bless ourselves, we treat it as a "soft command" of sorts. As if not following this command isn't as big a deal as not following another. Because often, as Christians, we get this sick and twisted idea that torturing ourselves mentally over the decisions and trials of life is considered some kind of righteousness. Like a monk tormenting his body in hopes of getting closer to God. But if Romans 8 has anything to say about it, that is a lie from the pit of hell.
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."
Hear that? For our good, and His glory.

If you're anything like me, it's time to double up on this whole calling deal.

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