Letters From Grandpa #48
- LETTERS FROM GRANDPA
- 48
Dearest Grandchild,
Today I want you to consider that God may be calling you to some specific task or ministry. Peter wrote: “Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10). Your calling may not be considered “religious” but in the final analysis it is. Whatever we do, we are to do in the name of the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Col. 3:17). If God calls you to be a factory worker, or a “stay at home mother”, then that is precisely what you should do. Once you understand what God wants you to do, I pray that you will be diligent to make your calling an election sure.
In the wilderness the people of God were given more than one calling. The first calling was the sounding of two trumpets which meant that everyone was to assemble. If only one trumpet sounded, however, just the leaders were “called” (Nu. 10:1 - 4). Thus we have a general call for everyone, and a specific call for leaders. God also had other special calls for individuals like Bezalel and Aholiab. These were Spirit filled craftsmen men who were called by God to make the furniture for the Tabernacle (Ex. 31:1 - 11). Not all people filled with the Spirit are preachers and teachers. These Spirit filled and gifted men worked with their hands.
Each of you must personally determine the calling of God in your own life. One way to help identify this call is by the desire that God places in your heart. The Bible word for “gift” is “charismata”. It comes from the root “chara” which means “joy”. When you do what God calls you to do, you will have a life filled with joy. Paul wrote: “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Phil 2:12-13) Note that God first gives you the “will” or “desire” and then He gives you the ability to “act” and fulfill that desire.
Great achievements seldom are the result of accidents. Alexander Fleming discovered a strange mold by accident, but developing this mold into penicillin required years of diligent effort and hard work. There is an old joke about the man who was being interviewed at the top of Mt. Everest. When asked how he got there he replied: “I really don’t know, I was just wandering around one day and all of a sudden here I was”. The utter absurdity of that statement is what is supposed to make it funny.
On July 20, 1969 Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. He said, as you know, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind”. This remarkable achievement was apparently the result of a lifetime goal. Here is a brief review of Armstrong’s climb to success.
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At the age of 5 he took his first airplane ride. It left an indelible mark on his life and I am told that it was at this tender age that he first dreamed of walking on the moon.
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Success in aviation therefore became the focus of his life.
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He took flying lessons and received his student certificate at the age of 16.
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A year later, in 1947, he enrolled in Purdue University to study aeronautical engineering. #
In 1949 he went into the service and after 18 months of rigorous training became a naval aviator in Aug. 1950.
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During his 3 years in the Navy he flew 78 missions in Korea then served 8 years in the Naval reserve.
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He flew some 200 different models of airplanes.
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He returned to the University and received his degree in 1955, and later earned a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering.
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In 1955 he became a test pilot and tested numerous high speed aircraft including the X-15. #
In 1958 he was selected for the U.S. Air Force Man in Space program.
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He became the first civilian to travel in space in 1966.
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He was a back up commander for Gemini 11, but chosen to be commander on Apollo 11. Buzz Aladrin and Michael Collins accompanied him as his crew.
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As we have already said, he made the first human foot print on the moon on July 20, 1969 a few seconds after 20:17 UTC.
His tombstone reads “Neil Armstrong” “Aug. 5, 1930 - Aug. 25, 2012". That simple dash represents a life time of labor. While we must not leave God out of the equation, we must also emphasize the fact that his success was not an accident.
Your success will not be an accident either. Someone quipped: “The harder I work, the luckier I get”. The person who aims at nothing usually achieves what they aimed at.
John 9 tells the story of a man born blind. The disciples asked: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" (John 9:2) Jesus answered: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” (John 9:3)
I believe this is also true of you and me. God allowed us to be born the way we are so that His work may be displayed in our lives. Please be diligent to make your calling an election sure.
I love you,
Grandpa Boyce