For I am the Lord, I do not change…Mal 3:6 NKJV

God is not arbitrary, nor is He whimsical or romantic. He doesn’t have ‘good days’ and ‘bad days,’ days when He is answering prayer and days when He is on vacation. God is not arbitrary. A more satisfying way to look at Him is that God is mathematical. Math is the language of creation. When the Voyager deep space probes were launched, they carried on their exterior panels math statements, not language, because the logic of math is universal, and language always needs keys, like the Rosetta stone, to understand. If ET encountered the Voyagers, he would understand math. The fact that God is mathematical is the only way He can be just to every man.

Many biblical truths can be expressed mathematically. For instance, Romans 10:9.

…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus… Rom 10:9a

and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead…Romans 10:9b

…you will be saved. Romans 10:9c NKJV

A + B = C. Do you see it? The great Bible researcher E. W. Bullinger showed how the whole texts of the individual books of the Bible fit together through introversions and alternations – mathematical structures. The Word of God communicates the nature of God – pure, holy, loving, caring, and mathematically precise. Jesus spoke of ‘little’ faith and ‘great’ faith, implying that faith was measurable – a mathematical concept. God is not romantic, but He is passionate in His ‘great’ – measurable (again, math) – love. Are you with me? Hang with me because I’m going to share something by grace that will help you immeasurably.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Rom 12:1 NKJV

We are called to present our lives as living sacrifices. We all have callings to perform. It’s reasonable to assume that the Lord would show us individually and specifically what sacrifices He requires of us to fulfil those callings. The passion of great men and women is to give themselves in service to a noble calling – the most vivid example being our Lord Himself.

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.  25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 1 Cor 9:24-25 NKJV

Athletes understand the sacrifices they must make to win the perishable crown. Wrestling is perhaps the most intensive competition physically imaginable. Sprinters run all out for only a matter of seconds. Long distance runners pace themselves. Football players have seconds of intense actions with a minute or more between plays. But wrestlers go with full intensity without a break until one breaks down and their opponent gains an advantage and pins them. Dan Gable won the Olympic gold medal in wrestling in Munich in 1972. Acclaimed as one of the great wrestlers of all time, Gable, speaking of the sacrifices necessary to win the ‘perishable crown’, said, “If I miss a workout, I know it; if I miss two workouts, my opponent knows it; and if I miss three workouts, the whole world knows it!” Would we as God’s soldiers and athletes give any less to obtain an incorruptible crown?

Now we are going to see three things – that you have a calling, and the Lord can tell you precisely what is required to fulfill that calling to get the incorruptible crown, and how He will help you do it, with grace and mercy.

4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 1 Cor 12:4-7 NKJV

I once was approached by a group of young men and asked, “When does a man of God retire?” I told them, “When a man of God retires, they bury him three days later.” That got them all excited and talking among themselves. Recently I met a senior Christian leader who expressed to me that he didn’t know that every believer had a calling. I said, “Check 1 Cor. 12:4-6, my brother.” Gifts – CHARISMATA, ministries – DIAKONIA, and activities – ENERGEMATA, are all energized by the same God who works all empowerments in every believer. Now, the question is this – how is He specifically empowering you? THAT is your calling. Speaking to my fellow geezer brigade members, there is no retirement in that calling, only seasonal changes to how it is carried out. The man of God is to bear fruit ALL the days of his life…

12 The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

13 Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.

14 They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing,

15 To declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. Ps 92:12-15 NKJV

How do you discover your calling? I’ve seen these survey questions that are supposed to help you figure it out, but I have never used them. How can you get spiritual answers by carnal means? If you walk carnally, you will always choose Eliab over David. Eliab checked all the boxes on Samuel’s survey, but he was wrong. The Lord doesn’t see as man sees…

6 So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Sam 16:6-7 NKJV

Many times He calls the weakest and most unlikely to do the greatest things (see Gideon, and ME), because He doesn’t want them to do it, He wants to do it through them. Do you see the difference? Occasionally He does call an Eliab, so you can check out a survey, just don’t trust it as authoritative. Learn to hear from the Boss yourself…

God’s calling can be progressively revealed. I got the specific call to Nairobi in Kenya in 1978 by way of a vision when I was alone in a time of prayer at our Bible college. Doors for that calling opened in 1994. We began to fulfill that calling in 1995. In 1999, He expanded that calling to all of Africa by revelation and gave me a mentor, Dr. Jack Tuls. In 2019, He told us to go to Europe, and then in 2020, and repeated in 2024, He said to go to all the nations, and He gave us a team to do it which we call the apostolic council, because they are all apostles. God surrounds me with people who are better than me. No surveys involved!

Once you have ascertained your calling by revelation, then you as a living sacrifice must ascertain what specific sacrifices you are called to make to achieve your incorruptible crown in regard to that calling. Remember, Paul says GO FOR IT in 1 Cor. 9:24, and yes, he is talking to you and me! As Dan Gable had specific workouts, specific sacrifices, to achieve his corruptible crown, you and I have specific sacrifices we must continually make to achieve our incorruptible crowns. Just ask and listen and be willing to change!

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. Heb 11:8-9 NKJV

At forty years of age I reached the hinge point, the KAIROS moment when it was time to change to full time pursuit of the calling, and it took almost a year to transition, even a move of my whole family across state lines. That was the birth of Lightbearers!

I feel a note of advice to keep everything in better balance is to realize that God comes first, family second and ministry or work third in order of importance. An overseer of any work or ministry must have his family in order first – you never sacrifice your family on the altar of your ministry, which is a familiar failing of many of these great athletes, military guys, businessmen, politicians, and others that chase perishable crowns. My wife and children have never gone without their needs being met, because I simply refuse to have it any other way. Get Number One in alignment, then number two, then you are ready for number three, which again is mathematical truth.

Obviously, there is a lot more that we could talk about on this subject. If you want personal counsel, let me know – (+1) 503-3025381, or respond to this email. We can get into specifics with your calling, and sacrifices specific to you that must be made, and we will walk with you.

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. John 4:34 NKJV

What is my calling? How is it to be carried out at this season of my life? What are the sacrifices I must make to achieve the crown incorruptible, and win my race? These are the questions you must put before the Lord and wait on Him. He will answer them. He will make His answers so clear, so definable and so understandable that you can carry them out with passion, purpose and great – measurable – faith. The joy of the Lord is your strength. My friend Joe, who is always full of joy, reminded me that enthusiasm is the approach to ministry, work and life. Let’s win our race, because we are living sacrifices! Amen? Love you!

Remember dear ones, we must be about our Father’s business…