WHICH CAMP DO I BELONG TO?

1 Corinthians 1:2, "Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord..."

 

Did you know that the early Christians were referred to as those who "call upon the name of the Lord"? You can read more references in Acts 9:14, 21 and 2 Timothy 2:22.

Do you think God's people have this testimony today? Is it such a normal habit of our lives to call upon the Lord that the ungodly see this as our habitual characteristic? Do our neighbors know us as people who call upon the name of the Lord? How many times during the day do we acknowledge the Lord and call upon His name?

It started in the beginning. While the generations of Cain were going after material pursuits and worldly business another godly line was born to Adam and Eve. Genesis 4:25-26 says, "And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord." History says that Enos was the first of eight preachers of righteousness, of whom Noah was the eighth.

This new generation began to call upon the name of the Lord in prayer, thanksgiving. and worship. This is when they began public worship. They became known as people who called upon the Lord.

It is this way of life that distinguishes us as the people of God from the heathen. The ungodly do not call upon the Lord. The godly do. This decides which camp we belong to.

Recently I was challenged by reading Jeremiah 10:25, "Pour thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name." This Scripture is talking about families-not churches, but families. Therefore we had better take notice because it relates to us. It is convicting to realize that families who do not gather together to call upon the name of the Lord are equated with the heathen! Ouch!

How many "Christian" families are actually heathen families? They do not gather together for prayer and worship from one day to the next.. Life is too busy. The program is chock full from morning ‘till night. So what distinguishes us from the worldly?

I too find that life is busy from morning until night. Therefore, we have to make times to call upon the Lord. If we don't, it doesn't happen. We have established in our home Morning and Evening devotions where we come together as a family to read the Word and call upon the Lord. We don't allow any interruption to interfere with his habit. For if we do not do it, we cannot confess we are the people of God. God's people call upon His name.

What does this word "call" mean? It is not a mumbling prayer or a quick "God bless our family today" and go on our merry way. The Hebrew word is qara which means, "to cry out, call out loudly, to  roar, to summon God's aid."

When we call upon the Lord we show our dependence upon Him. We know we cannot make it in our own strength, as the previous verse, verse 23 says, "the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." We need God to show us the way.

The morals of our nation a deteriorating fast! We stand guilty before God for the murder of 50 million babies since Roe v. Wade. Atheism, immorality and homosexuality, are rife. It may not be long before our nation's financial resources fail. How can we go blindly on while our nation goes down the road of wickedness? Do we not have any heart to cry out to God. The hour is urgent for families to come together and to pray, night and morning. God has promised that when we humble ourselves and cry out to Him that He will hear us and save our land. (2  Chronicles 7:14)

Will we as families pay the sacrifice to see God's deliverance or will we go blindly on our merry way? (Romans 10:13)

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

Above Rubies, www.aboverubies.org

 

PRAYER:

 

"Oh Father, please save me from living like the heathen. Please help us as a family to make specific times to call upon your name for our own salvation and the salvation of this nation. Amen."

 

AFFIRMATION:

 

We will be known as a family that calls upon the name of the Lord.

P.S. To read more about establishing the daily habit of calling upon the Lord, go to www.aboverubies.org and click on ARTICLES AND STORIES, then PRAYER IN THE HOME and then THE MORNING AND EVENING PRINCIPLE.

 

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