So Many Calls

Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer. Romans 12:12 (NKJV)

The “C” Part of My TEA CUPP Prayers is all about what God is calling us to do with our lives. As we read our Bibles, we come across verses where the Holy Spirit nudges us, “this is something I want you to do.” So, we underline that verse and ask the Lord to help us carry out His calling.

Some selections of scripture have so many calls for us, it is almost overwhelming. Romans 12 is such a passage. If you read this today and try to do it all at once, you could collapse on your own strength. But if we read it prayerfully and ask God where He wants us to begin, He will show us, and each day or week or month or year, we can work on another part of what He is calling us to be. And someday, when He takes us home to be with Him, we will have attained them all.

Let’s look at the many callings from God in Romans 12:

 *Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God

*Do not be conformed to this world

*Be transformed by the renewing of your mind

*Not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly

*Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them

*Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good

*Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another

*Not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord 

* Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer

*Distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality

*Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse

*Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep 

*Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble

*Do not be wise in your own opinion

*Repay no one evil for evil

*Have regard for good things in the sight of all men

*If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men

*Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord 

*Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head”

*Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good Romans 12 (NKJV)

Today’s TEA CUPP: Dear one, what is God calling you to do today? Sit down for TEA with your Bible and Jesus and ask Him about your calling. Read His word, perhaps starting with Romans 12. Underline verses He shows you. Pray for His strength to carry out this calling. Let Him pick you up when you stumble and set you back on your feet. Keep pressing on toward the goal! God’s got this, dear sister in Christ!

God is my strength and power,
And He makes my way perfect.
2 Samuel 22:33 (NKJV)

My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 73:26 (NKJV)

If I say, “My foot slips,”
Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up.
Psalm 94:18 (NKJV)

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14 (NKJV)

p.s. Could you please pray for me and my calling? God has given me a vision to take Jesus and My TEA CUPP Prayers invitation to ladies across the USA, traveling in an RV with my family. So many things must come together for this to happen, but with God all things are possible. Thank you for praying for my calling. I pray right now that God will strengthen you to carry out His calling, too! Jesus loves you, dear sister!

And for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel.  Ephesians 6:19 (NKJV)

That they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord,
Are the Most High over all the earth.
Psalm 83:18 (NKJV)

And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us,
And establish the work of our hands for us;
Yes, establish the work of our hands.
Psalm 90:17(NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson

Kisses from Katie

Kisses from KatieAnd the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.Matthew 25:40 (NKJV)

We are forever changed.  All whose lives have been touched by Katie Davis in Uganda, and all who read her book here in the USA, will never be the same. We can’t return to our “normal” lives, without realizing how much more God has for us.  I invite you to be changed forever, too, as you read Katie’s incredible story.

This blessing came to me at my Wednesday Bible study where the women are passing around a book entitled Kisses from Katie. The ladies say they can’t put it down. It’s finally my turn to read it, and they are right.  As I keep telling myself, “just one more chapter,”  Katie is adopting “just one more child,” sharing the love of Jesus with the people of Uganda.

Katie, an American teenager from Nashville, Tennessee, president of her senior class and homecoming queen, gives up everything to follow Jesus’ call to care for the orphans.  Over and over, Katie relates how she is just a normal person, who says “Yes” to God’s call.  Completely honest and transparent, Katie shares the joys and trials of her new found ministry.

Learning to be a mother and run a non-profit at the age of 19 has quite the learning curve, as Katie shares her experiences. From rats and cockroaches, to HIV and scabies, to caring for the worst poverty, one might think that God gave Katie super-human powers. But as Katie relates (p. 135)…

“I believe that God totally, absolutely, intentionally gives us more than we can handle.  Because this is when we surrender to Him and He takes over, proving Himself by doing the impossible in our lives.”

Along with her engaging narrative, Katie shares Bible heroes from David to Jonah to Paul. She writes how God met their needs, and He is caring for her and her adorable children, too. Katie has a thorough grasp of scriptures and the truth, which is also the name of her ministry, Amazima.  Above all, Katie lives out the truth of the Gospel every minute of every day, pouring out God’s love, exhausted or not, (“with a little bit of coffee and a whole lot of Jesus”).

Everyone should read this book — moms, dads, teenagers, homeschoolers, college students, Bible scholars, youth leaders, grandparents, the average Joe.  Your heart will be broken for these dear people in Uganda and around the world, who need the unconditional love of Jesus.  Kisses from Katie will inspire, challenge and encourage us all to do more for God’s kingdom, more than we ever imagined. Yes, we are forever changed.

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV)

For more information on Katie’s ministry, check out her website: http://katiedavis.amazima.org/

Davis, K. (2011). Kisses from Katie. Nashville: Howard Books.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.