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God’s People, Qura’ And God’s Purposes

God’s People, Qura’ And God’s Purposes

Last updated on: December 3, 2023 at 5:53 pm by Martin Thomas Johnson

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God’s People, Qura’ And God’s Purposes 2023-12-03T17:53:45-05:00 Martin Thomas Johnson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

This week was historic, for the first time in over 20 years a congressman was expelled from Congress because of his bad behavior. He is just one of many conservatives who are notorious for their questionable actions.

GOP

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We mustn’t forget that Congressmen are called to represent the people and their choices, not the individual’s selfish pursuits or desires.

Unfortunately, many conservatives in Congress are only conservative by name, their actions show otherwise.

Dishonest
Selfish
Power-hungry

Again we see how our beliefs influence our actions; our words are powerless without actions. We cannot believe everything people say, this has never been truer more than today.

People will manipulate others to get whatever they want. Jesus warned in the last days there will be false teachers and wolves among His people (Matthew 17:15). They like to be called teachers and be in control, but they won’t live up to their calling.

Calling

Most Christians understand we are called to be different and live for a higher purpose (Matthew 22:14, Romans 11:29, 1 Corinthians 1:26, Ephesians 4:1-3). Furthermore, within the body of Christ, we are called to different roles (Romans 12:6-8).

Christianity

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We don’t get to tell God how we will serve Him or how we want to live if we choose to call ourselves Christians.

The Apostle Paul reminds us we are called to holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:7). Paul taught a very Jewish teaching, being called out by God for God’s purposes (Exodus 19:6, Deuteronomy 7:6-80.)

he Hebrew word used for called in the Old Testament is Qara’ and it means to call oneself or be called out by another. In Judaism, a calling is very important. God the Creator creates for a purpose. God’s plan all along was to use His creation to serve His purposes, that is why we are created in His image (Genesis 1:27). After the fall, mankind served its own purpose and God needed to call a people to His purposes again, through Abraham, Israel was the nation He called His own people (Exodus 19:5).

Qara’

Within the people of God, God assigned specific roles for the tribes of Israel (Deuteronomy 16:18-17:8). These roles and positions are aligned with God’s plans and purposes, not ours, no matter what we choose to call ourselves.

Working Together

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Judaism also teaches God calls specific people to accomplish His will that He uniquely created them for. These patriarchs of the faith heard God and obeyed Him.

Noah
Abraham
Moses
Samuel
David
King Solomon
major and minor prophets

It was through the prophet Jeremiah that God once again called out To His people to remind them of His plans and purposes (Jeremiah 29:1 -11). God’s people were not only exiled to Babylon, they were ready to stay there and chase their own plans (Jeremiah 29:8-9).

When Jesus established His ministry, He reminded God’s people they had to deny themselves daily to obey God’s calling (Luke 9:23- 24). We are called to do what our Lord says and not just hear it (Matthew 7:24).

Calling ourselves Christians isn’t just about how we think; it is how we live our lives. We have chosen God’s way over our way and the world’s ways. If God is leading us, we will make better choices because He has called us His own.

Choices

Being a Christian requires us to make tough choices in life. As a Christian man, I cannot do whatever I want or date whoever I choose. Unfortunately, there are a lot of women (and men) in the churches who like to talk the talk, but not walk the walk.

Choices Ahead

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They want to be blessed by God and admired as a Christian, but they don’t want to devote themselves to God. Even after salvation, they continue to make bad choices.

It’s like women who want to be called ladies but aren’t ladylike in their choices. Likewise, there are many Christians who are only called such by name and not by their lifestyles.

Patient
Loving
Serving

You can tell how devoted a Christian is by how they spend most of their Sundays, are they in the church or in the world? Judaism praises the Proverbs 31 woman because she is different in how she lives (Proverbs 31:10-31).

She is called a virtuous woman, not because of how she talks, but because of how she lives. She chooses to love, honor, and serve her husband who has called her to himself!

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