Obey The Call

So much of Jesus’ teaching and so many pages of devotionals have been about answering the call to follow Him – to “Obey the Call.” This requires two things of us: hearing the call and obeying the call.

Hearing the Call
With the understanding that God, being God, can get anyone’s attention any time He pleases, He usually waits patiently for us to respond to His subtler efforts to reach us. To hear His quieter call, I have to be close enough to hear it. If I’m not close enough, it isn’t because He moved farther away from me. He’s always been there, it’s just that I’ve managed to be somewhere else.

I will also hear Him better if I’m familiar with His voice and His manner of speaking. If I haven’t spent quality time with Him, how can I know what He sounds like and how He tends to express Himself?

Even if I have managed to get within range of His voice and have started building a relationship with Him, if He is just another thing vying for my attention – just part of the rest of the noise that is my life – I’m probably not going to be able to hear Him often, if at all. If I am to hear God, I must be intentional about it, regularly making time for Him, and just Him.

Obeying the Call
Assuming I have drawn near to Him, have become familiar with Him, and have consistently spent time with Him, I have increased my chances of hearing Him. If I am now hearing Him, the second thing comes into play – obeying Him.

Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” (John 10:11). That He literally gave His life for the sake of those who follow Him is not only worthy of obedience, but a manner of leading in which obedience is the only proper response.

My spirit engages at His call, but my flesh resists. It is a battle worth waging however: Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:27-28). That’s not just another promise…that’s God’s Word!