Jesus calls You

The Good Report - Lifting Others Via E-mail
by Pat Schmidt Jameson


1/23/09

As I awoke this morning, a song was going through my head. It was one I hadn't sung for a very long time. I got out my trusty old hymnal and looked it up. Oh my, the words! As I read over the verses I realized that each one stood for different phases of life. Let me give you the words, and you decide which phase you're in right now, and then make a decision to follow the advice for that situation. The hymn is "Jesus Calls Us",written by - on the left side of the page it says Cecil F. Alexander, on the right side it says William H. Jude. One of these gentlemen wrote the music, the other wrote the words, but I can't remember which is which.

Verse 1 Jesus calls us o'er the tumult Of our life's wild, restless sea. Day by day His sweet voice soundeth saying, "Christian, follow Me."

Verse 2 - Jesus calls us from the worship Of the vain world's golden store, From each idol that would keep us, saying, "Christian, love me more."

Verse 3 - In our joys and in our sorrows, Days of toil and hours of ease, Still He calls in cares and pleasures, "Christian, love Me more than these."

Verse 4 - Jesus calls us; by Thy mercies, Savior, may we hear Thy call, Give our hearts to Thine obedience, Serve and love Thee best of all.

My thought today was that Jesus calls me from the mundane. Today, just for today at first, perhaps later I will make it a habit, but then it will be in danger of being added to the list of the mundane! So just for today, I want to keep my eyes and ears open for one opportunity, one situation that arises where I can give part of myself. Maybe, it will be making a phone call to cheer or encourage someone, or just to inquire how they're doing. I dislike talking on the phone, so this would be "out of the mundane" for me.

Yesterday (before this idea had come to me) I sat down and wrote a three page letter LONG HAND! It's so much easier to email, but there's nothing that says "I care" more than a handwritten letter. It certainly was out of the mundane. Wherever you are right now, in a tumult, fascinated by some vain idol, in sorrow, tired, or bored, do hear Jesus' call to you right where you are. Perhaps, at the moment you need, as I do, to do something out of the mundane, something new and fresh that you can offer Him as your service to Him today.

One thing I used to do when I was grounded with a house full of little ones, was write letters. One time I went through the phone book looking for someone whose first name was the same as mine, Patricia. I wrote her a letter asking if she knew the meaning of her name ("of noble birth"). I told her I was of noble birth because I was a daughter of the King of Kings. And I explained how she, too, could live up to her name. I looked for people in the newspaper whom I could write to with the plan of salvation...newly engaged couples, just married couples, new parents, etc. Once I sent a musical get well card to a little girl who had an accident on her bicycle. Her story had made the local paper.

Writing may not be your step "out of the mundane". Ask the Lord to show you, just for today, what you could do out of the ordinary for His service. And please share with us what He leads you to do.

Lord, please don't let me let today go by without giving this another thought. Please nudge me when the opportunity opens up. Show me something I can do for You as Your ambassador today.

I Peter 1:33 "Prepare your minds for actions....set your hope fully on the grace to be give you at....." What a verse to use as we contemplate getting out of the mundane.

Be prepared for action

Set your hope on the grace to be given you as you do your "out of the mundane" thing.

He is risen! Ta Dah!
Pat