REFERENCE BIBLE VERSES
Exodus 34:6 ESV | The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,
2 Timothy 1:9 ESV | who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
Psalm 138:8 ESV | The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.
OBJECTIVE
To see the ways God shows His love in our appointment.
To understand that He sustains the appointment in our lives because He loves us.
CONTENT
God is Compassionate and Gracious
- There’s no election that is not loving, and there’s no primal initiating loving that is not electing. - John Piper.
- Ex 24:6 is a self-revealing verse about God Himself, that it is in His nature to be compassionate and gracious. So with this in mind, we can be sure that our appointment flows from His love for us and not because of our ability or qualification. Just like He saw through Moses’ flaws such as his stutter, so does God sees through our flaws and shortcomings. God’s compassion should define our identity instead of our qualification. So we should stop disqualifying ourselves and trust that God, in His true loving nature, sees our potential and has appointed us to do His will.
God is Slow to Anger
- God is patient. This means that He does not give up easily on us even when we stumble. Moreover, He knows about all of our shortcomings and imperfections. Therefore we should not walk in fear of failing God because nothing we do can surprise Him. (Remember: He is omniscient, that means He already knew but He appointed us anyway) He is patient even when He knows we are going to fail because He is lovingly patient with us.
- Therefore when we fall, we should repent quickly. In His patience, He will give us time and help us to get back up. His patience protects our calling in that He does not revoke our calling when we fall. He will patiently help us to fulfill the calling that He already put into our lives. (2 Tim 1:9)
God is Faithful
- God is faithful in that He guarantees to finish what He started. His faithfulness is stronger than our circumstances or shortcomings so we can expect God to complete His calling in our lives even when we cannot see its completion yet. By His love and not our strength, we will be able to complete His purpose. His plans for us will not fail because He is consistent in His love even though we may not.
CONCLUSION
This week we see that God shows His love for us through His compassion, grace, patience and faithfulness. It is on this understanding of God’s love that our calling is secured because it rests on His love for us and not on our qualification. In His love, He shows Himself to be compassionate and gracious when He calls us. He is also patient with us when we fall because He understands our flaws. And His faithfulness will guarantee that His purpose is fulfilled in us even when we don’t see how we can fulfill it. So let us rest in His love throughout fulfilling our assignment.
REFLECTION/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Which part of God’s character in Exodus 34:6 speaks most to you when you think about your God-given assignment?
- How does knowing that God’s appointment doesn’t rest on your performance change the way you respond to challenges, failures or fears in your calling?
REFERENCES