Blessing Follows Calling
God always follows His calling with blessing. I wonder if we believe that.
What I mean to say, is that when God calls us to something (some task, some ministry, some profession, some place), He doesn't just give us marching orders and then depart. Rather, He always gives us more than direction. He always gives us the resources by which to deal with the obstacles in our path, as well as what is needed to fulfill our calling.
I was thinking about this in relation to New City's calling to Cincinnati (and Oakley in particular). He doesn't just call us here, leave us with to do's, and then say "See you when I come back." But He promises to remain in us, work in us and through us, and to give us strength as we work out our calling.
This is what Charles Spurgeon had in mind when he preached the sermon "A Blessing in the City." He was speaking of the challenges facing believers in London at the end of the 19th century. But his words are just as applicable to Christians reach out to urban neighborhoods in the early 21st century.
"The city is full of care, and he who has to go there from day to day finds it to be a place of great wear and tear. It is full of noise, and stir, and bustle, and sore travail; many are its temptations, losses, and worries. But to go there with the divine blessing takes off the edge of its difficulty; to remain there with that blessing is to find pleasure in its duties, and strength equal to its demands.
A blessing in the city may not make us great, but it will keep us good; it may not make us rich, but it will preserve us honest. Whether we are porters, or clerks, or managers, or merchants, or magistrates, the city will afford us opportunities for usefulness. It is good fishing where there are shoals of fish, and it is hopeful to work for our Lord amid the thronging crowds."
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