“God Who Is Calling You…”
My intermediate Greek class is working through Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians and we happened recently on Paul’s description of God in 1 Thessalonians 2:12b as “the God who is calling you into his own kingdom and glory.” I was deeply moved once more by this amazing affirmation. We can easily get so familiar with Scripture that we fail to listen to its message. I needed to stop and hear this word again. God is calling. It is an attributive present participle (trying not to bore you here) which means that God is engaged in an ongoing, active role of calling you and me into deeper relationship with Himself. Think on that for a moment…the Creator of the universe is calling…are you ready to answer the call?
To my knowledge, no world leader has my phone number on speed dial, in their contacts, or even cares to. There are, however, some telemarketers who seem intent on calling me to help me with my expired car warranty, obtain new credit, purchase auto insurance, or refinance my home. While the POTUS never calls, at least the telemarketers provide a little attention, but even that is sporadic.
God, on the other hand, is continually calling me. Why am I so busy, so distracted, so pre-occupied with “stuff” that I don’t pick up and answer His call? If my caller ID said, “The President of the United States,” I would answer that call immediately (if only to complain). God is “on the line,” so to speak, and I shock myself with my inattention to His call.
But still He calls…and to what? Paul says that He is calling us into His own kingdom and glory. In Greek, the words kingdom and glory are connected to each other by a conjunction, preceded by only one preposition, signifying that they are actually two aspects of one larger reality. This suggests the idea of “His reigning glory” or “His glorious sovereignty.” Okay, that’s a little big for my brain to comprehend, but it’s got to be good…right? If I respond to this call from God—listen and obey His voice—the outcome of that response will be to land in a reality that Paul describes as God’s “own kingdom and glory.” Why would I NOT want to respond? Granted, some days it seems that the direction of God’s calling leads through doorways that appear scary, or along paths that seem difficult, but I need to keep in mind the ultimate destination…God’s own kingdom and glory!!!
God is calling. This is one call I cannot afford to miss!! What about you…have you picked up lately?