Rodney Campbell is the author of this article. He lives in Houston and will primarily be attending Practical Theological Seminary this Fall online. Enjoy his article.
God is looking for people to respond to His call the right way. God's way for us to respond is with humility, prayer, seeking His face, repenting from our sin, and all out of love.
God teaches us in 2 Chronicles 7:14 that, "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
God really loves relationships. He longs for a pure relationship to us, and He wants us to long for a holy relationship with one another. The faithful men and women of the Bible taught us how to respond to God. They cultivated a relationship with Him that was characterized by faith, trust, love, belief, and hope.
We read of other people throughout the Bible whose heart was not in the right place. They responded to God out of religious duty, ceremony, ritual and disbelief. Their lives did not end well because their heart was not in the right place. It truly matters to God how we respond!
Matthew 7:21-23 can be an extremely troublesome passage for church-goers whose hearts are not right with the Lord. Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me."
1 Timothy 1:5 teaches us the three best ways we can respond to God's great love and ensure we will never depart from Jesus, "Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith."
1. Respond to God out of love from a pure heart,
2. Respond to God out of love from a good conscience,
3. Respond to God out of love from sincere faith.
When God is speaking to us, we must respond the right way. Our response always begins with love toward Jesus as our Savior and Lord, followed by a pure heart, clean conscience, and genuine faith.
God has called me to attend Practical Theological Seminary. I must respond with love and appreciation to God for calling me to this two year journey. My heart better stay pure or my head might get puffed up with so much knowledge. Please pray for me and all the other students on this great adventure. You should ask God if He is calling you seminary. We can keep each other accountable to responding to God the right way. God Bless!
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