Tag Archives: Tanker

The Third Calling

So the first calling in our lives is to seek God:

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Mathew 6,33

 

The second calling is to love our neighbor:

For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Galatians 5,14

 

The third calling is that we are called into the situation we already ARE in. With that I don’t necessarily mean that God have created this particular situation because that is His wants for you, but I mean that God have called you to make the best out of the situation. We should actively be seeking God, loving the people around us, and trying to see what we can do for God and our neighbors wherever we are.

We are not supposed to sit down and wait for whatever we think God has created us to do. Not called hide from the world, or to hide the fact that we belong to Him. (There are exceptions to this, but this is not the default nor common case as it may seem many believe.)

No, we are called to prepare ourselves in the ways available to us. We are called to continuously seek to understand what God wants us to see, learn or experience. Continuously seeking the people He wants us to meet. Continuously seeking His will at whatever point of our journey we are at.

 

King David, when he was a kid, served his family as a shepherd. Being a shepherd was not a high status occupation, but he spent the time well. From the years as a shepherd he learned to know God. He had a lot of hours, just watching the sheep as the grazed, and where his mind could reach out to God and learn to know Him. He also learned to depend on God. Even after he had been anointed to become a king by Samuel, he still was a shepherd and kept faithfully to do the tasks he was put into doing. His time to become a king came many years later, and before that he had a long way to walk. But he kept seeking Gods will in every situation He got into, and he was blessed by God. This is only one of the many stories in the bible about people having to walk a long journey before they came to their ultimate calling in their lives. All of them had to serve patiently on whatever and wherever they were put into doing on the way.

 

In our life with God, we need to know that to God, the journey is as important as the destination itself. This can be a very big change for modern day people that are used to be able to get around the world in just a couple of days. While our journey with God tends to be paced like if we were walking the distances. There are no “plane rides” to get to whatever calling we are walking towards. No shortcuts! The journey has a lot of importance to God: We are to meet people, to gain strength and knowledge, to establish relationships, and to encounter experiences and situations that will prepare us for what is to come.

 

This third calling is also always joined with the great commission:

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

Mathew 28,19-20a

This is something all believers in Christ are called to do, and it is not exclusively connected with some kind of ministry. We are called to do this wherever we are. We are called to disciple people and to bring them to Christ. The topic of discipling and discipleship deserves its own post, so I may very well return to that some other time.

 

There is one aspect of both discipleship and being called to where we are at the moment that I need to mention. That is the fact that at any moment of our lives, we have certain responsibilities that should be prioritized before any ministry we might have. Most important here is our responsibilities for our own family, especially any spouse or children we might have. If we do not spend a fair amount of time with them, I would say we are neither being good disciplers, nor are we being just to them. I would even say that we are opening up for many attacks from the evil, if we do not give our given responsibilities in life enough time and attention they require. Feel free to read Ephesians 6 about our spiritual armor. Therefore, spend time with those we owe to spend time with. There is much to be said about his, so I may return to this topic some other time.

 

So:

1. Love God: Spend time with God, and learn to know Him!

2. Love your neighbor: Try seeing what God sees in people. Let God love them through you.

3. Live in the now: Follow up on your responsibilities. Bless those around you. Prepare for any calling.

 

These are what all believers are called to do.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” – which is the first commandment with a promise – “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

 

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

 

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.

 

And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

Ephesians 6,1-9

The Second Calling

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

Mark 12;28-34

There is another calling we have that come before the tasks God have called us to. It is the commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves. In there is two challenges and traps we may fall into. The first is the challenge it may be to love our neighbor: The people we meet in our everyday lives! The other is the challenge it may be to actually love ourselves as God have meant us to do!

I will begin with the last part of this task: To love ourselves. In this world, it seems that to love ourselves means to put yourself before everyone else. It is important that we do not go into this trap. Nor should go into the trap that we hate and dislike ourselves due to all the weaknesses we can see in ourselves. We need to learn what God sees in us, and what he loves to see in us. This is what we are supposed to love. This is the true core of who we are: The human God created us to be!

To love ourselves is an important condition to be able to love our neighbor as much as we are supposed to. If we hate ourselves, we will end up hating others. When we travel by plane, we are always told during the security briefing that we are supposed to put on our own oxygen mask first, before trying to help anyone else. This is because trying to help others; we may end up not being able to neither give help, or to help ourselves.

If we are to love others at the maximum, we also need to love ourselves at the maximum. But as I said before: To love ourselves have nothing to do about putting ourselves before others, but to see ourselves as God sees us!

Why is it so important to love our neighbor? What makes it so important that it come before the other tasks God have given us?

I mean the importance of this, is that is just that love for our neighbors is what is supposed to motivate our ministry! If our motivation come from other sources that our love for God AND the love for our neighbors, then the danger will always be that we either grow proud in ourselves, or we burn out.

I also believe that the love for our neighbors functions as a multiplicator or amplifier in the ministry we serve. When people see that we do what we do for them out of love, we end up having a much greater influence on their lives. If we want to be efficient in our ministry, we need to love those we serve!

Another reason that the love for our neighbor is so important in our ministry is that it gives our ministry substance, power, reason and cause. Feel free to read 1th Corinthians about what ministry and deeds done without love do us. Do we want to be like a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal?

Therefore: Learn to know God. Get to know how much he loves you! Get to know how much he loves our neighbor. When you learn to know him, and learn to love Him who gave himself for you. Then you will not be able to not love those who he created. Then you will love the many lost daughters and sons of our beloved God and Lord! Then your heart will be filled by sorrow when you see the many who have been fooled, and you will be filled with a passion both for the people of God and the lost sheep!

Love Him, and love those He loves!

Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

1 John 4;20-21

Seeds

Seeds

A poem by me

Have you seen the great variety of seeds?
Flying seeds, drifting ones.
Seeds that bury themselves.
Or pop away from their motherplant.
Some are colorful, other keep to one color.
Unique seed for each kind of plant.

Did you know that we are like seeds?
A great variety of personalities and looks.
Of skills and interests.
Flying, rolling, strolling, hopping around.
Colored by our imagination and creativity.
Absolutely unique, with unique potentials.

Do you know the potential of seeds?
Something much greater can appear of each one.
A tree, a beatiful flower, a spice, a bush.
But allways with the ability of creating seeds.
The plant allways a secret in the seed.
A plant requiring the death of one single seed.

Do know that we too need to die?
Die from ourselves, to grow in the garden of God.
And out of that dead seed, our true selves grow up.
A greater potential, alive, growing, bearing fruit.
A life in Christ is like a life as a plant,
Without Him, just like a seed. Just an unused potential.

Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

John 12;24-26

What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.

1 Cor 15;36b-38

Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.”

Luke 13;18-19

Skilpaddene

Skilpaddene

Av Johnny Danielsen

Engelsk versjon her. / English version here.

Det var en gang en helt spesiell type skillpadder. De var store, med brede flate skjold. Skjoldene var så flate og store at det samlet seg jord oppe på skjoldet, og med årene begynte det som oftest å gro opp planter av alle slag. Til og med trær. Det vokste rett og slett små hager oppe på skilpadderyggene. Men det var ofte stor variasjon på hva vokste oppe på skjoldene. Noen hadde nesten ingenting som vokste, andre kunne ha mye. Noen hadde skjoldhager med mye frukt, andre kunne bare by på blader, gress og annet grøntfor.

En gang møtte to skilpadder hverandre. Den hos den ene var skjoldhagen litt glisten, og mange av bladene på de små trærne var mer gul eller grågrønne de var grønne. Hos den andre skilpadden derimot, hadde skjoldhagen vokst seg så stor og frodig at det var ikke mulig å se noe av skjoldet. Bladene var kraftig grønne, og det var både bær, frukter og blomstrende blomster overalt i skjoldhagen.

Den første skilpadden ble litt forbløffet over å se en slik frodig hage, og lurte på hvordan det kunne ha seg. Han mente at siden de to levde i det samme området, burde jo hagene ha sett ganske like ut? Nå bruker skilpaddene sjeldent å spise fra hverandres skjoldhager, eller sin egen for den saks skyld. Men duften av blomster og moden frukt, vekte en slik hunger i den første skilpadden, at han til slutt spurte den andre “Unnskyld, men tror du at jeg kunne få smake litt av den frukten som vokser på ryggen din? Det lukter så godt!”

“Klart du kan få det!” svarte den andre, og stilte bredsiden til, slik at den første kunne velge og vrake.
Den første strakte hodet ut mot et eple som hang fristende på en gren. Det smakte søtt og godt, det var som frisk nektar. Det første eplet ble raskt fulgt av andre, men så la han merke til noen plommer, og måtte smake på dem også. Deretter kom noen kirsebær, og noen av de største blåbærene han hadde sett. Han hadde aldri smakt slik frukt! Til slutt ble nysgjerrigheten for stor. “Hvordan kan det ha seg at det vokser så mye godt frukt i skjoldhagen din? Vi lever jo i det samme området, burde vi ikke ha ganske like skjoldhager?”

Den andre så på ettertenksom på den første. “Jeg tror det er fordi jeg alltid er ute…”
“Ute? Er vi ikke alle ute?”, den første så forundret på den andre.
“Jo,” svarte den andre. “Men dere søker ly når solen skinner for sterkt… eller når det begynner å regne. Dere finner en hule eller skjuler dere andre steder.”
“Men det er jo fordi det ikke er trivelig å bli styrtvåt av regnet, eller å bli stekt av solen!” utbrøt den første.
Den andre smilte. “Det er nok ikke alltid så behagelig, spesielt kunne det være vanskelig i begynnelsen.” Han strakte hodet ut mot skjoldhagen til den første og bet av et blad. Grimasen han gjorde, røpte at bladet nok var en smule bittert. Så så han på den første skilpadden “En gang, var skjoldhagen min ganske lik din, men med tiden ble den så frodig.” Han ristet forsiktig på seg, slik at hele skjoldhagen hans raslet. “I dag gir den meg både skygge mot solen, og den holder meg både tørr og varm når det regner.”

Den første skilpadden strakte seg ut mot en fristende plomme og nøt den. “Smaker godt også! Men hvordan hjelper solen og regnet deg til å få en slik hage?” Den andre smilte igjen, og strakte seg selv og bet av et eple fra sin egen skjoldhage. “Jo du skjønner. Når du søker ly fra regnet, så rekker skjoldhagen din aldri å bli skikkelig vannet, og plantene som vokser på deg trenger vann. De trenger også vann til å stå i mot solen midt på dagen, og derfor er det lurt å finne steder med mye regn når det regner. Da holder plantene ut mye lengre når det er varmt.”
Den første nikket “Jo, jeg kan se det. Men hvorfor vil du være ute når det er varmt? Burde ikke plantene også ha bedre av å ikke bli utsatt for den sterkeste varmen og sola?”
“Du er ikke dum, du!” svarte den andre. “Det er ganger hvor det blir såpass varmt at jeg søker skygge. Men plantene vokser best når de får den varmen de trenger, og sollyset gjør frukten både større og søtere. Derfor er det lurt å finne gode, varme steder når det er sol og du har nok vann.”
“Mmm…” Den første hadde nettopp tatt seg enda et søtt og saftig eple. “Du har kanskje noe i det du sier. Men det høres både litt for kalt og litt for varmt, det du snakker om. Hvordan var det du begynte?”

Den andre ruslet bort til en liten bekk i nærheten. “Ikke bare planter trenger vann.” sa han, og drakk av det friske vannet. “Det begynte faktisk en dag da jeg møtte en annen skilpadde. Han hadde den mest fantastiske skjoldhagen jeg noen gang har sett. Blomster og frukt over alt, og han lot meg få smake.” Han slikket seg rundt munnen. “Aldri har jeg smakt slik frukt. Jeg lurte som deg på hvordan det kunne ha seg, og han delte den samme ideen med meg som jeg har delt med deg: å være ute.” Han lo litt “Jeg tror vel jeg egentlig hadde en drøm om å kunne spise meg mett hver dag på frukten av min egen skjoldhage. Men jeg begynte i alle fall å følge denne skilpadden jeg møtte, i håp om å lære å få en lignende hage selv. Men faktum var at jeg ble skuffet. Det tok ikke lang tid før plantene jeg hadde i skjoldhagen min begynte å visne.”

Den første så forskrekket på den andre. “Visne? Hvorfor det?”
“Se på fjellene, vokser de samme plantene på hele fjellsiden?” den andre smilte.
Den første snudde hodet mot fjellene, “Vel… nei, der er bart på toppene, gress og lyng lengre nede, og i liene vokser det trærne i ulike lag. Men hva har det med saken å gjøre?”
Den andre ristet på skjoldet sitt, “Se på din skjoldhage, og så min. Ser du mange av de samme plantene?”
Den første nikket “Klart det. Det er jo… uhm…” Han begynte å studer to to skjoldhagene nærmere. “Hmm… nei, faktisk ingen. Hvorfor det tror du?”
“Av samme grunn som at plantene vokser i ulike lag. Lagene skyldes ulike temperaturer, men du vil også se at der det er mye vann, vokser andre planter enn der det er tørt. Du ser da forskjell på ei myr og en skogkolle, gjør du ikke?” Han blinket skøyeraktig til den første.

Den første flirte “Jo, jeg gjør da det! Men hva har det med at skjoldhagen din begynte å visne å gjøre?”

“Jo, det som skjedde”, sa den andre. “Var at da jeg begynte å følge min nye venn, så var der som om jeg flyttet meg fra en skogkolle til ei myr… eller fra høyfjellet til lavlandet. Og de plantene som vokste i skjoldhagen min kunne ikke lengre overleve, så de visnet. Men litt etter litt begynte nye planter å gro. Jeg tror faktisk at det kanskje var noen frø som kom fra min nye venn. Men på den tiden var det lite som vokste enda, og det var da kulden i regnet var verst, og varmen på soldagene stekte meg nesten i mitt eget skall. Men plantene vokste i god, våt jord, og etter noen tiår begynte skjoldhagen å bli fin og frodig. Ikke på langt nær slik den er nå, selvsagt. Jeg trengte en god del flere år før jeg kom så langt.”

Den første skilpadden smilte. “Så drømmen din gikk i oppfyllelse da? Hver dag så spiser du deg mett av din egen skjoldhage?”
Den andre ristet på hodet. “Det var nok drømmen min. Men tiden med min gamle venn lærte meg noe nytt. Det var sjeldent jeg så ham spise av sin egen skjoldhage. Han spiste som regel det samme som de fleste skilpadder gjør.”
Den første var forundret “Men hvorfor det? Han kunne jo ha spist den aller beste maten som finnes!”
“Det var det jeg også mente. Men det jeg så ham gjøre, var at han delte av frukten fra skjoldhagen sin til alle han møtte. Både skilpadder og andre.”
Den første var endra mer forundret. “Delte med andre? Hvorfor det?”

“Jo,” svarte den andre skilpadden. “En dag spurte jeg ham om det. Han spurte meg om hvor mange skillpadder jeg hadde møtt som hadde hatt en slik skjoldhage som ham? Har du sett mange?” Han så spørrende på den første.
Den første ristet på hodet: “Du er den med den frodigste skjoldhagen jeg har sett, ingen andre har kommet i nærheten engang!”
“Det var det samme svaret jeg hadde, og den gamle svarte at det var derfor.”
“Derfor?”
“Det sa jeg også. ‘Derfor’ sa han. ‘Fordi det er alt for få skilpadder som får smake slike frukter. Derfor drar jeg rundt og deler av min frukt til alle som vil ha.'” Øynene til den andre ble blanke. “Det var da jeg mistet en drøm… og fikk en ny drøm. Jeg fulgte ham noen måneder til og lærte mer, før jeg forlot ham for å dele av min frukt med andre. Derfor.” Han smilte til den første. “Vil du ha litt mer frukt?”

John 3,17-21

Johannes 3,17-21

Jeg var på en Gudstjeneste tidligere i sommer og kjørte storskjermen. Under prekenen ble jeg inspirert til å tegne og skrive ned det følgende.

I was at a service earlier this summer running the big screen. During the sermon I was inspired to draw and write down the following. The norwegian writing is translated to english below.

John 3,17-21

John 3,17-21

The Cross - part 1

The Cross - part 1

The Cross - part 2

The Cross - part 2

Norsk

Korset er et symbol på smerte og lidelse. Det finnes ikke mange andre [verre] måter å ta livet av andre mennesker enn på et kors. Mennesker lurer på hvorfor Gud tillater at mennesker skal bli utsatt for smerter og lidelse. Men Jesus’ død OG gjennoppstandelse er kanskje det beste eksempelet på hvorfor Gud tillater lidelsen. Fordi Gud kan vende set som var ment ondt til noe godt. Og det at Jesus ble ofret for oss, er både forferdelig og bra. Det forferdelige er at det var den eneste muligheten for at vi skulle kunne bli frelst. Men det fantastiske… er at gjennom den smerten, lidelsen og byrden Jesus led på korset, så har vi muligheten til å bli vasket ren. Vasket ren ved Jesus’ blod. Lidelsen ble altså snudd til ett av de største miraklene i verden: At vi, tross vår synd og skyld, har fått frelse i Jesus Kristus! Men vi kan ofte se noe tilsvarende i våre egne liv. Det er ofte motgangen som gjør oss sterkere i møtet med framtidige utfordringer og motgang.

English

The cross is a symbol of pain and suffering. There are not many other [worse] ways of killing another people than on a cross. Humans wonder why God allow people to suffer pain and sufferings. But Jesus’ death AND resurrection is possibly the best example of why God allow suffering. Because God can turn what was meant evil to something good. And that Jesus was sacrificed for us, is both terrible and good. The terrible part, is that it was the only way we could be saved. But the fantastic… is that through the pain, suffering and burdens Jesus suffered on the cross, we have the oppurtinity to washed clean. Washed clean with Jesus’ blood. Then the suffering was turned into one of the biggest miracles in the world: That we, contrary to our sin and guilt, have got salvation in Jesus Christ! But we can often see something similar in our own lives. It is often our hardships that make us stonger in the meeting with future challenges and hardships.