Are you Called or Chosen?

From time to time, I come across a scripture reference that was taken out of context when I was growing up. This morning I was reading in Matthew chapter 20, and came across verse 16. ( So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. ) I was taught that this meant that just because someone claimed to be a Christian, doesn't mean they are unless they followed our particular formula for salvation.

As I was reading this, an idea began to form in my mind. The question was, what is the difference between CALLED and CHOSEN? What I found is mind-boggling. The Greek word for called is kletos. The emphasis of this word is that God is looking for someone. He has lost someone and is out in the night pleading and calling for them. The thought is that they are not returning an answer to him, yet he continues to call. My next question was who does this sound like in the Bible? Yes, I believe he is referring to the people of Israel. In fact, there are many references in the old testament of God calling to the Jewish people repeatedly and having them reject him.

The Greek word for chosen is eklektos (which is similar to the Greek word for church -ekklesia). I'm not familiar with the Greek language, so I can't say if this is significant or not. However, I do know that eklektos carries the connotation of "the highest calling" or "chosen by God to obtain salvation". This word indicates a positive response in the one who is called.

Now, back to the passage in Matthew 20. What is the context?

¹For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.

²And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

³And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

⁴And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.

⁵Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.

⁶And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?

⁷They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.

⁸So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.

⁹And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.

¹⁰But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.

¹¹And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,

¹²Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.

¹³But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?

¹⁴Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.

¹⁵Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?

¹⁶So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

After reading this, it seems clear to me that he is talking about the fact that God has called and called to the Israelites, but they refused him. He then "hired" us, the Gentiles, and gave us the same wage/reward. This being true, it has nothing to do with following a formula. Rather, it has to do with God calling and us responding to his free gift of salvation. If you have not truly given your heart and life to Jesus Christ, I urge you today to surrender to him and accept the free gift that he lavished on us through Jesus.

Is Change Possible?

In dealing with my issues in my marriage, I've had to face the fact that all of my marriage problems were NOT my husband's fault. It was a mixture of things that were a) his fault, b) my fault, and c) life happening to us. Part of my problem is the lack of appropriate boundaries in my life. I've been like a city without walls. People could just run in and out and trample over me and I would lay there and take it.

So how did I get that way? I didn't have terrible parents. They weren't perfect, but they did the best they could. I believe that the church environment I grew up in is the culprit. I learned at an early age that men were to be feared and women silent. Any woman who was outspoken was labeled "rebellious". Differing opinions weren't welcomed but, rather, strongly discouraged. My mom never had many friends by choice. She is just not the type that needs a lot of social connecting. I do. I've always felt guilty for wanting friends. The back-biting and back-stabbing that went on among "friends" was a crisis of epic proportions. It wasn't exactly a place where kids could learn healthy ways of confronting bad behavior. When you add to that the mindset that it was "us against the world", it is no wonder that so many people end up in bad marriages.

Not only does it set some women up to be the victim, but it is also the perfect breeding ground for controlling men. Thus, the cycle of abuse is set up by default. No one calls it abuse, just submission..

The question I've been asking myself is "Is change possible"? Is it possible for a weak, dominated woman to recover and start to stand up for herself without going to the other extreme and become a man-hater? Is it possible for a controlling man to stop lording over his wife with a superior attitude without becoming a sissy?

Society would say that change is only possible when both people are willing to change. Both have to be committed to changing. Sometimes it starts with one person, sometimes both. Usually, it starts with the wife. I would say that the only way to lasting change is for both people to totally commit themselves to the Lord and seek to learn his plan for marriage, not what they've learned from those around them.

This requires gut-wrenching work. Sometimes people aren't willing to do the hard work of learning new ways to react to stress.

I'm not sure which it will be in my case. I hope that God will restore my marriage. I'm praying God's will in all of this. The hard thing in this is that some friends will not understand. I feel bad that I may lose some friendships because they don't understand why I would want to work things out, if it's God's will. Some have said and done damaging things to my husband and it would be impossible for him to feel comfortable around them. I will leave that up to God.

My prayer is that I will continue to stand up for myself while still leaving room in my heart for the possibility that God may want to work it out in the long run.

I would appreciate the prayers for me and my husband. It's not easy for either of us to learn new ways of doing things that have been ingrained since childhood.

Ever Feel Like Job?

Job 16 (The Message)

Job 16

Job Defends Himself

If You Were in My Shoes

^1-5 Then Job defended himself:

"I've had all I can take of your talk.
What a bunch of miserable comforters!
Is there no end to your windbag speeches?
What's your problem that you go on and on like this?
If you were in my shoes,
I could talk just like you.
I could put together a terrific harangue
and really let you have it.
But I'd never do that. I'd console and comfort,
make things better, not worse!

^6-14 "When I speak up, I feel no better;
if I say nothing, that doesn't help either.
I feel worn down.
God, you have wasted me totally—me and my family!
You've shriveled me like a dried prune,
showing the world that you're against me.
My gaunt face stares back at me from the mirror,
a mute witness to your treatment of me.
Your anger tears at me,
your teeth rip me to shreds,
your eyes burn holes in me—God, my enemy!
People take one look at me and gasp.
Contemptuous, they slap me around
and gang up against me.
And God just stands there and lets them do it,
lets wicked people do what they want with me.
I was contentedly minding my business when God beat me up.
He grabbed me by the neck and threw me around.
He set me up as his target,
then rounded up archers to shoot at me.
Merciless, they shot me full of arrows;
bitter bile poured from my gut to the ground.
He burst in on me, onslaught after onslaught,
charging me like a mad bull.

^15-17 "I sewed myself a shroud and wore it like a shirt;
I lay facedown in the dirt.
Now my face is blotched red from weeping;
look at the dark shadows under my eyes,
Even though I've never hurt a soul
and my prayers are sincere!
I feel this way right now. I want things to change,

but I have no control over the events of my life.

In some ways, it seems like God is asking too much

of me. It seems like God truly was Job's enemy.

Remember, Job was LIVING this. He couldn't flip

to the beginning of the Book of Job and see WHY it

was happening. He also couldn't flip the the end of

the Book of Job to see how it ends. It's almost

shocking to read the things that Job says, and how

he rails again God, and yet......the Bible says that Job never

charged God foolishly. Listen to the rest of what Job says..

The One Who Represents Mortals Before God

^18-22 "O Earth, don't cover up the wrong done to me!
Don't muffle my cry!
There must be Someone in heaven who knows the truth about me,
in highest heaven, some Attorney who can clear my name—
My Champion, my Friend,
while I'm weeping my eyes out before God.
I appeal to the One who represents mortals before God
as a neighbor stands up for a neighbor.

"Only a few years are left
before I set out on the road of no return."

I believe that this is a prophetic reference to Jesus Christ.

HE is our attorney, our champion, our friend....... Even though

we sometimes 'feel' abandoned by God, Jesus actually was
(Matthew 27:45-50). We can take comfort in times of extreme trials that Jesus Christ has been there. He knows what it is to suffer and feel rejected and alone. Listen to this song by The Isaacs. Thank God that he understands..........

Offense

I was reading in Matthew chapter 18 this morning. I came to verse 6.

"But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and [that] he were drowned in the depth of the sea."

This is very heavy stuff! How many children from Christian homes go astray? MOST. That is the said truth. How many times have I angered my children and not shown them love and grace? How many times have I disciplined in anger instead of love?

As a parent, it is my job to show my children what God's attributes are like. The main way that they form an opinion about God is through the parents. We are the gatekeepers, a filter, if you will. We should reflect the character of our God to our children. They, in turn, will have a healthy view of God. We have the power to speak blessing or cursing into the life of our child by our attitudes, words, and actions.

The word "offend" in this verse means:

1) to put a stumbling block or impediment in the way, upon which another may trip and fall, metaphor. to offend

a) to entice to sin

b) to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey

1) to cause to fall away

2) to be offended in one, i.e. to see in another what I disapprove of and what hinders me from acknowledging his authority

3) to cause one to judge unfavorably or unjustly of another

c) since one who stumbles or whose foot gets entangled feels annoyed

1) to cause one displeasure at a thing

2) to make indignant

3) to be displeased, indignant

So, how do we do this? Is this another "work" that "I" have to do? Do I just stop sinning in this area? NO!! It's just like any other area of my life. The only way to overcome is to lay down my life and cling to the Vine. The closer I stay to Jesus, the more clearly His light will be reflected. Which brings me to another verse. Matthew 16:25 says, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." The key is to lay our life down and to cling to him. Then, our children will see Jesus in us.

Remember, the world's way is to "try harder" and "do better". The way of the cross is surrender.....

Faith or Fear?

In my new walk of faith, God is continually challenging me to stop living in fear. The smallest things are becoming magnified, along with the big things, and showing me just how much fear is in my daily life. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of financial failure, etc.......

The latest fear that I am facing is the fear of sending my kids to a public school. The fear of public education has been instilled in me since birth. At the church I grew up in, public school was seen as the absolute worst thing you could possibly do to your kids. They ignored the fact that at least 95% of the kids who graduated from our Christian school are no longer activily attending church, or are living lives that would be considered Godly from outside appearances.

I have had to go back to work part-time. My husband is jobless until spring, and our savings is all but depleted. I have to go to the food pantry next week, just to supplement groceries for our family. Not working isn't an option at this point. I had thought to continue homeschooling our nine year old in the afternoons. As you can guess, it's not working very well. She's cranky and tired by the afternoon (not to mention me). Daddy is depressed and bored because he isn't working, so he has become drill sargent daddy and the kids are stressed out by it all. We have cabin fever in epic proportions, as anyone who lives in the Colorado Rockies can tell you.

This week, I mentioned to my husband that I'd rather have the kids at school, than to have them and him fighting and arguing all week. That started a war inside my heart. My feelings against sending my 9 yr. old to public school were so intense that I started asking God "Okay, WHY do I feel so strongly about this?" His answer, "FEAR". WHAT? It sounds like such a Godly thing to want to homeschool your children. How could it be FEAR? Well, I do not trust the public school, but in the deepest part of my heart, I know that the reason I haven't sent her is fear. My biggest fear is that my children will grow up and not choose to follow the Lord.

The truth is, I have seen many examples of children who did just fine in public school. Many children have come out very Godly people. I think the key is the parents having a true relationship with God based on faith, NOT fear. If I am walking in fear, even my homeschooling them will not produce the fruit of righteousness. If I am walking in fear, my children will reject the God that I am trying to serve. Does that mean I shouldn't be diligent if I have to send my children to public school? No, I should be as involved as they are, even more so. But, my decisions should not be based upon fear. Otherwise, I am ultimately saying that I don't trust God enough to be GOD to my children. They are HIS kids, not mine. He has his own plan for their salvation.

So, the answer goes back to any area of fear that I have.....FAITH!