In the world we live in and in the environment where we are growing up, people constantly try to make certain things look great in our eyes, and other things they try to make out as if they are nothing! But Jesus told us that what is great in the eyes of man, is an abomination in the eyes of God! (Luke 16:15). An abomination is something so bad and disgusting, that it makes you want to throw up! It is very sad when we are gripped of, and busy with, things that are disgusting for God!
People will, for example, look up to a well-educated person in this world – very often no matter how he lives. He can live in sin and be hard and unloving to his children and unfaithful to his wife etc., but if he has a good, well-paid job, oh! that is so great in the eyes of many! And then there are people that are not so well-educated, they have maybe a simple job as a waiter or cleaner, but they are honest and faithful - but because they have a “low” job, many look down on them and despise them!
As Christians, we have a very high and holy calling, and that is not at all dependent on our education or background or race! But because so very little is talked about our high calling, we can easily be deceived by the opinion (spirit) of this world. Did you ever hear that you have a high and holy calling, a calling to become like Jesus?
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” (Romans 8:28 - 29, NLT.)
To show how high our calling is, let’s use the example of somebody who is trained as a medical doctor. He is not just a general doctor, but a specialist in cancer research. He does a lot of research and discovers a new medicine and way to treat people with aggressive cancer. And he has a huge success rate! So, the medical journals write about him and he is on the front-page of newspapers and magazines. People think this is something very great, and he is treated with great respect!
Now, this specialist doctor receives a patient. He has cancer all over! On top of that, this patient is a very selfish person, only thinking of himself. His wife and children suffer a lot because of his selfishness. And he is bitter about the way his brother treated him years ago; and at work he is extremely jealous because someone else got a promotion, while he didn’t… All these things make him very unhappy! Our specialist doctor treats this sick and unhappy man and he gets totally healed from cancer!! His cancer was so bad, that everybody talks about his healing. And our specialist doctor becomes even more famous!
The patient is of course very glad and leaves the hospital with a big smile. But coming home, his sinful human nature just takes over again, and his bitterness, jealousy, selfishness and unhappiness pops up again (for that is his nature). Even though his body is healed, life is miserable for himself and those around him. True, our specialist doctor could heal his body, but could not heal him from his bitterness, jealousy, selfishness, etc. He could not heal him from the most severe “sickness”, which is sin, that which makes people “sick” on the inside… And the medical journals and newspapers? They will never write about this horrible “sickness”! And strange enough: even though so many people suffer terribly from this horrible “sickness”, almost nobody talks about it!
But do you think there are people on earth that can help you getting healed from this horrible “sickness”? To be healed from jealousy, bitterness, selfishness, etc? Yes, thanks be to God, there are!! There are those who have accepted the high and holy calling from Jesus and allowed themselves to be trained by Him. Jesus was the first one who overcame jealousy and bitterness etc. He never gave in to all these sins that are in the nature of man. (Hebrews 4:15.) And now He is able to help us and save us from these same sins. (Hebrews 2:17,18.) And He can save us completely, so that we are no longer bound by these sins! (Hebrews 7:25.) That is why He said: “Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you really will be free.” (John 8:36, CEB.)
And then the most wonderful: When we are set free from these sins, then we can help others to also become free from these sins! This is what our high and holy calling is! With the same words that Jesus spoke to us, and by which He made us free from, for example, bitterness and jealousy, we can help others to become free! That is why it is written: ”Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine [God’s Word]. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you!” (1 Timothy 4:16.)
And now you can ask yourself: What is the greatest? To heal somebody’s body (the outside), or to heal his soul (the inside)? The last one is the greatest calling that we can have! Jesus invites you to it, no matter what your background is! Go for it!