04 God's First Call, Chosen NOT!

1981.

I was thirteen years old then and was attending the Roman Catholic mass. Though I had the fear of God, it was a worldly fear because I did not have complete Faith in Jesus Christ after seeing our local Church functioning by the elders with money and muscle power.

Looking at my outer discipline the Catechist of the Church recommended me to go for priestly studies. I nodded my head and therefore the parish priest wrote my testimony in a tablet, and kept it inside a cover, sealed it, and gave it to me to submit to the Seminary Superior. I tempted to see the testimony content and therefore on the way home I removed the seal, read it, put it back, and shaped it up as if the seal was not at all touched. The  matter inside was, “I was characterized as a lamb given by Jesus.” On reading the words I got the fear because I knew my inner dirtiness. I was not worthy for those words!

Anyway, I went to the seminary on the called out day. The priest interviewed me. He tested my integrity, very particular about the sealed letter and I failed in the interview for the major mistake I did in opening the cover and hiding the truth before the priests. They treated me in a humble way and asked me to return to them after passing out my 10th standard stating that I was not prepared to take up God’s call at that instant. I turned agitated and asked irrelevant questions to them!

God predetermined me. He called me. But, I failed in the integrity test. It was my option! Several are called out but a few are chosen.  As we read an incident in the Book of Judges that just three hundred men were chosen out of the 32 thousands called out to take-on the midianites under Gideon - God’s raised up deliverer.

Beloved! If God is calling us, we also have to make change in our personal life as stated in Ephesians 4:1 “to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”  God blessed every one of us with heavenly blessing and we read it in the verse, “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” Eph 1:3 and “All things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom 8:28)