[picapp align=”left” wrap=”true” link=”term=voice+mail&iid=833610″ src=”8/9/7/4/MacWorld_Expo_Contiunes_eb73.jpg?adImageId=12983773&imageId=833610″ width=”234″ height=”350″ /]I recently met with a friend of mine for lunch. He is one of those men most cannot help but to desire to be his companion. He is intelligent, easy-going, extraordinarily talented, a good conversationalist. As we chatted over our food, he said the most extraordinary thing, “God’s been calling me; I have just let him go to voicemail.” In one simple, contemporary phrase he poignantly captured not only his personal spiritual reality, but also the reality of most of the Western Church.

I immediately told him I was going to use his phrase. He graciously extended his blessing.

The worship of the God of Israel, Isaac and Jacob has always focused on God’s unique and personal intervention in the lives of those he claims to own. This intervention is often referred to as “the Call.” It is the conviction, adopted and applied across a thousand or more generations that God speaks with authority to what we are to be, where we are to go, what we are to possess, yes even to what we say and think. After all, he is God.

Once upon a time not so long ago, God’s call had no “rollover” option. Humans were forced to act in either obvious rebellion or complete obedience. Modernity created a pseudo, “third option”: receipt without response.

“Yes, God, I know you called. I am not necessarily opposed to doing as you wish, but am much too busy to get to the details of your instruction, so be patient, I will consider your command in the order it was received.”

While the “third option” may be comfortable to us, it is nothing less than damning sin. Those of us who are parents would not accept the “third option” response from our children; and we are finite. How much more an offense to tell the infinite Sovereign of the Universe, “I’ll get to it when I can, if I can. Don’t worry, though, I got it saved for future reference.”

It makes me shudder to think how many times I have uttered the very same sentiment as my friend. Lord, let it no longer be so.

And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.” John 3:36 (NLT)