Friday, June 24, 2011

APPOINTED PART TWO

One of my favourite stories in the Bible is that of Shallum’s daughters. In Nehemiah chapter 3 we read the list of the people who helped rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. On and on we read names of one man after another and their sons who were part of the work crew to rebuild the wall. But in verse 12 we read: “And next to him Shallum the son of Halohesh, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem, he and his daughters repaired.”
That one line was the girls’ only recognition in history but I get so excited about that one line! Just think: these girls honoured their father by standing by his side when he didn’t have any sons to help with the building. These girls were not use to this type of labour, yet they did what had to be done. These girls were part of something historical for the Lord! They helped rebuild the wall of defence around God’s holy city!


What an example to us modern day women, these women were. We don’t know how many daughters Shallum had, we only know that they worked beside their father doing the Lord’s work. I imagine they were probably not applauded for doing what they did. There were probably some women who looked down their noses at these women who were doing a typical masculine job. We can learn from Shallum’s daughters that we need to take an active role in building up the walls of defence around our families. We need to be women of action, not using excuses to avoid doing what God has asked us to do.


God knows all things and has such a perfect plan for each one of us. So many times we ask God to do something for us He has never done for us before. But are we willing to do for Him something we have never done before? The very first female missionaries were met with opposition not from the ones they were ministering to but from those at home who felt that a missionary should be a man and that a woman should remain home. But these brave women, like Mary Slessor and others, ignored what people had to say and followed what God had asked them to do. They were brave and obedient to God’s calling.

We need to be ready to walk in obedience to all God has for us. When Hadassah was taken to the palace, she became Esther and for an entire year she was prepared to meet the king. For twelve months her body was anointed with oils and perfumes. For twelve months she was prepared how to act like a queen, should she be the one chosen.  And just like Esther prepared to meet her king, we too are preparing for the return of our King, Jesus Christ as He comes again for His Bride. When He comes for us, and He asks us what we did with the gifts He gave us, do we want to say that we just saved them and didn’t use them for Him?

We have such an awesome opportunity to be used in these last days, if we would only be willing to step into that anointing and accept our appointing. What has God asked you to do? He may be asking you to do something that no one else has ever done. What has He asked you to be? Maybe He is challenging you to step out of your comfort zone and rely on Him. What is stopping you from being all that God wants you to be? Today is a fresh start. “Therefore if any man (and woman) be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become NEW.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

 Be all God wants you to be. Because, someone is counting on you today. All of Israel was counting on Esther to do what God wanted her to do. We all know the famous quote of Mordecai “but who knows whether you are come to the Kingdom for such a time as this?” but if we go and look at the whole verse we can see that Mordecai actually gave Esther a choice.  Est 4:14  “For if you are completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance shall arise to the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house shall be destroyed. And who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for a time like this?”

God has a purpose for our life. He has a job for us to do but it is our choice whether we do it or not. If we choose not to, He will give it to someone else to do but we will lose out on the blessing and we will have let the Father down. I don’t want to disappoint God. He has promised to ‘never leave me nor forsake me’ yet when I am disobedient and don’t do what He has asked me to do I leave Him and walk away from Him.

Many people get saved and then they are content to wait for Jesus to return. They sit back and enjoy church and enjoy the fellowship of fellow believers and they continually learn through Bible studies and preaching of the Word. There are many in North America who are spiritually overweight. We have had the best of teachers, the best of singers and services and resources, but we are sitting on all that wealth and are oftentimes unwilling to use what we have learned and received to work for the Lord. Matthew 10:8 tells us that because we have freely received from the Lord, we should freely give to others. This is God’s plan! He gives to us so we are to use what we have been given to give to others.

If you don’t know exactly what the Lord wants you to do, what you have been appointed to do I would suggest that you do what Esther did. In Esther 4:16 we see that she waited on the Lord and she fasted and prayed. God will reveal His will for your life. He will tell you what He wants you to do. He is looking for someone to be available. Isaiah 58:11 tells us that God will guide us continually. He is not going to ask you to do something and then leave you on your own. He has been spending your entire lifetime up until this point preparing you for the work He has for you to do. He has invested a lot of time in you. He will not see you fail. He has called you and appointed you for His purpose. 

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