“Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the LORD rises to shine upon you.” Isaiah 60:1 (NLT)
Jesus’ own words; “many are called but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14 – NLT). Another translation says, “many are invited…” (NIV). Though the invite goes out to many, only a few choose to answer the call! The reality is, if you do not get up and answer your call, God will use someone else, just ask Esther! God had positioned Esther right where she needed to be to save her nation, but she still had to respond in faith and answer the call. Her uncle Mordecai told her, “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all the other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at such a time as this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from somewhere else, but you and your relatives will die…” (Esther 4:13-14). Esther did rise up and history records the deliverance that she was a part of!
Or what if the Pharisee Saul said “no” to Jesus? After all, God said that He was going to show Saul how much he was going to suffer for His name (Acts 9:16)? He would not have become the Apostle Paul. He would not have written much of our New Testament nor would he have taken the gospel to the Gentiles. Undoubtedly, God would have used someone else! But still Saul became Paul because he chose to respond to his invite.
I could go on and on, but one more would do! What if Mary had said no? After all, she was a teenager with dreams for her life, and this totally was not one of them! Then Gabriel shows up, tells her she’s favored and has been invited to birth the Son of God, even though she is a virgin. She was invited to change the trajectory of her life in that one moment! She could have said no; too inconvenient, too costly, too painful, too much, too quickly…. But had she said no, we would probably not even know her name! And Gabriel would have found someone else!
Likewise, God is calling each of us now, but if you do not wake up and answer your call, He will move on to someone else. You’ve been called, but now you get to choose whether you’re chosen! It’s time to get out of the comfort of your bed. It’s time to shake off the slumber and give your all for what God has put you here for! The alarm is going off and though much of the church simply chooses to snooze on, you can get up and step into your destiny. We are all being fed the same lie and propaganda from the slithering media and delusional government. The difference is how we respond! Will you join the awakened army of wholehearted lovers of Jesus?!
Say “yes” to the Him today. Repent of any place where you have been lazy, fearful or simply choosing not to respond to His call. Tell Him you will answer the call and do whatever you need to do in this hour! Recommit yourself to Him! Cry out for others in your church to wake up and answer their call. Ask God for the church across our city to wake up and answer our call to be His body, an army, in this hour. Pray that the church in Athens would hear His voice and follow Him (John 10:27) into battle for His glory! This is our hour, the time that we have been born for. May Athens arise and shine as the glory of God rises upon us (Isaiah 60:1-3)!
