God's calling is timeless and not just for you.

I became a follower of Jesus a month before my 40th birthday. My life was a mess, and I wanted to live the rest of my life differently. I wanted to let go of the things of this world which had become traps, snares, and sources of discouragement for me. I picked up my Bible and started to read it for the first time with the intention of reading the whole thing, not just the first few chapters of Genesis as I had done many times before.

Better late than never. 

It was my heart's desire to "redo" my life, to make it count, to be someone I could be proud of, someone others would look up to and respect. In other words, I started my journey of faith by looking for something for MYSELF. And, while that's not a terrible thing (many of us do this), Jesus is not looking to leave us in this small, me-centric faith. He wants more for us because he loves all His creation.

In the words of Fuller Seminary President, Mark Labberton, from his book "Called; The Crisis and Promise of Following Jesus Today":

"The kingdom of God is always intimate but never small."

God is too good to let us make our faith just about us.

As I shared in the devotional video, when I first served the Lord, I made it all about me. He gently corrected me and reset my direction. I am so grateful he did!

Jesus redirected Peter, and he will redirect us too if we let him.

Jesus called Peter, not by his new name "Peter" (rock), but by his old name, Simon (pebble). He calls Peter to humble himself and serve others with his life, not because there was something in it for Peter, but out of love for Jesus. As the shepherd of the flock of God, Peter would have to tap into his brokenness to guide others by example. His authority would come from his weakness. His service would grow out of love. There is a great message of hope for us in this story.

You and I don't get to throw away our past. God even uses our past mistakes and our weakness for his purposes. His calling is timeless and not just for you. It's for His flock, for his sheep, and they are all around you.

In what way do you tend to run from the call of Jesus? I pray that you hear his re-invitation today to love him and serve his people. Who is he calling you to serve?

"A second time he asked him, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?'

'Yes, Lord,' he said to him, "'you know that I love you.'

'Shepherd my sheep,' he told him." John 21:16