Allegiance to the Call

“I have done as you have commanded.”

Ezekiel 9:11 (NIV)

In our passage, the man with the writing kit at his side returns to the Lord with his mission accomplished. He knew his assignment and the terms to complete it.

Have you ever felt convicted to write a piece that an editor didn’t feel convicted to publish? You worked and reworked to make sure it was ready. But, what you submitted wasn’t what the editor needed.

Maybe success is not measured by reward, but by faithfulness to what God has called you to do.

How does inspiration strike you? Whether an idea niggles at you for weeks, or pops up instantaneously, it can take you by surprise when fleshed out. What an awesome opportunity to watch an idea form. It has the power to inspire, intrigue, and inspect your audience. Best of all, work done for the Lord may impact someone for eternity.

I remember reading an article about doorways that convinced me that they are welcoming agents and first impressions. Now, I notice doorways when in unfamiliar neighborhoods. Who would have thought writing about a doorway would be important? But that author found an angle to made it compelling, and it did affect me!

Let’s link arms in obedience to write for God! He put writers on earth for a purpose, and as we fulfill that design, we too will experience the satisfaction of telling the Lord, “I have done as You have commanded!”

Exercise:

You have been writing. You have been mailing in work to editors. You are learning to discipline yourself to keep office hours. You are seeing the efforts of your hard work adding up to a nice list of queries.

But, what if it’s been months with no response from your query? General response time is six to eight weeks! Your mission today, should you choose to accept it, is to follow up on that long-lost piece. It could be buried on an editor’s desk. It could have fallen through the gap when the publication changed hands. But you need to politely inquire as to the status of that piece!

Go in obedience to God, to follow up on something He inspired. You obeyed Him by writing it in the first place, now obey Him by following up on what He orchestrated. 

Refresh the memory of your editor and sell the advantage to printing your piece. You can do it!

Over 140 of Sally Ferguson’s devotionals have been published in Pathways to God (Warner Press). She’s also written for Light From The Word, Chautauqua Mirror, Just Between Us, Adult Span Curriculum, Thriving Family, Upgrade with Dawn and ezinearticles.com. Prose Contest Winner at 2017 Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference.

Sally loves organizing retreats and seeing relationships blossom in time away from the daily routine. Her ebook, How to Plan a Women’s Retreat is available on Amazon. 

Sally Ferguson lives in the beautiful countryside of Jamestown, NY with her husband and her dad.

Visit Sally’s blog at www.sallyferguson.net