Resilient Faith : Calling

Questions and Statements

What has God put me on earth to do?

What am I called to do?

What do I want my future to look?

Why do you do what you do?

How do I see my family, work, school, business, etc.?

What I do right now doesn’t matter!

It’s too late to care!

Why would God want to use me?

2 Stories…

The Rich Young Ruler

Mark 10:17-22 – New International Version
17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’[a]”20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

We can see that the Rich Ruler…

• He had put in a lot of effort throughout his life to be pleasing to God.
• He was concerned about spiritual matters like gaining eternal life.
• He also appears to have done well in life from a financial perspective.
• We might look at a man like him and think he lacks nothing.

21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

He wanted things to do of wanting Jesus.

Jesus Call — Sell , and then come, follow me.

His obstacle — His

The Tax Collector (Wee Little Man)

Luke 19:1-10 – New International Version
19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd.

We can see that the Tax Collector…

• Was the Chief Tax Collector
• Was wealthy
• Wanted to see Jesus
• Was short

4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Jesus’ always deals with who you are what you do.

Jesus addresses identity before activity.

Why is it that I look for more instead of more of what God wants to do in me?

The Way of Jesus is to die to self.

Mark 8:35-37 – New International Version
35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 

Great Question: What good is it…?

The Way of The vs. The Way of

“The way of Jesus cannot be imposed or mapped — it requires an active participation in following Jesus as he leads us through sometimes strange and unfamiliar territory, in circumstances that become clear only in the hesitations and questionings, in the pauses and reflections where we engage in prayerful conversation with one another and with him.”
― Eugene H. Peterson, The Jesus Way: A Conversation on the Ways That Jesus Is the Way

“To follow Jesus implies that we enter into a way of life that is given character and shape and direction by the one who calls us.”
― Eugene H. Peterson, 
The Jesus Way: A Conversation on the Ways That Jesus Is the Way