When God calls...

1. KNOW WHO WE ARE
When God calls us into ministry, the biggest struggle that we face is our self. What we think of ourselves is the obstacle that hindering our answer to the calling. Sometime we thought we know who we are, we understand ourselves, and others don’t. We forget that God know us more than we know ourselves. God is the creator and He created us. Creations might not know all about creator but the creator knows everything of what he had created. Just like a carpenter knows each of the furniture he had made. Sometime even people beside us might not know us well, but they like to give comments about what we do or who we are. They can make wrong judgment about who we are and what we capable of.

2. MAKE SACRIFICE
In order for us to grow, one’s must first willing to make sacrifices. Sacrifice of time, strength, sometimes our life style. When we want to grow, we need to discipline ourselves during our learning process. Same like when we study in school or college, if we don’t have the right behavior, we will learn nothing. If we don’t discipline ourselves, our learning journey will go off-track. To discipline, we will have to make some degree of sacrifice. When we study, we usually sacrifice our sleep time, play time, TV time or “yam-cha” time. This is the same when we prepare ourselves into ministry. We must also make sacrifice if we want to learn from the God.
We cannot say we want to grow but I don’t want to do anything. So to become a better God’s vessel in this world, we must also give our effort to get nearer to God in our daily life.

3. BE YOURSELF
Don’t compare with others and stop imitates others. God made everyone of us different! “Or hath not the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?” Romans 9:21 Deborah was a female who lead a male-dominated society. (Judge 4)

4. HAVE FAITH
Be confident of God’s words and promises.
“being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ” Philippians 1:6
David was anointed to be king in his teen, but only ascended the throne at thirty. God decides your life plan. When we start, we don’t start as an achiever, we start as a learner. When God call us into a ministry, we need to take “degree” first. We don’t need to have a glorious start, but a fruitful end. In the end, you are not who you are today because God will transform you from time to time. Don’t limit God’s work on you by who you are today. Claim God’s promises in your life.

5. ENDURANCE
Endurance (忍耐) means standing firm under pressure. God knows the span of time. Joseph refuses to let go his dream. David refused to kill King Saul when he got the chance. (1 Sam 26)
In work, study we must practice endurance.
“or whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that through patience (Endurance) and through comfort of the scriptures we might have hope” Romans 15:4
We not just obey God’s command also His time.
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven” Ecclesiastes 3:1

VERSE FOR REMEMBER AND REMINDING
“For though the fig-tree shall not flourish, Neither shall fruit be in the vines; The labor of the olive shall fail, And the fields shall yield no food; The flock shall be cut off from the fold, And there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in Jehovah, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Jehovah, the Lord, is my strength; And he make my feet like hinds' feet, And will make me to walk upon my high places.” Habakkuk 3:17-19