When I was born my parents named me William Erick Kangas and that was that. From that point on that was my name. I had no say in it I had no input I had no way to argue. I grew up being William Erick Kangas and I will probably die being William Erick Kangas. That’s what I am Called and that’s what I respond to. I am William Erick Kangas like it or not.
When My father was Born he was named William Erick Kangas. He was Named after his Grandfather William Kangas., and his other Grandfather Erick Eckstrum, who we both named what they were named when they were born and had no say in the matter.
William Erick Kangas means Resolute Protector, Mighty One, Keeper of the forest.
William Erick Kangas is a wonderful name and I’m glad to have it.
Others are not so fortunate: Abbie Birthday, Ima Hogg, Shanda Lear. These are the names of real people who were not christened so gracefully.
I was named after my father
What were you named after? What does your name mean? Who are you?
There was a family that had three daughters. One day the oldest, rose, came up to her mother and asked her why she was named rose. Her mother replied that when they were taking her home from the hospital a rose petal landed on her forehead and they thought it was so beautiful they named her rose. The second daughter, Lilly, also came and asked them why she was so named. The responded that when she was only a few days old a Lilly landed on her head and just stayed there it was so serene and calm they thought it would make a marvelous name. The next day their third daughter cinder block asked them MAAH MAHH GAA
In Genesis 1, when God creates the world, there is an interesting pattern that emerges. We see God creating something and then calling it something
He creates light and calls it day
He creates an expanse and calls it sky
He creates dry ground and calls it land
But when he creates man he doesn’t call man anything.
God deals with people a different way, he calls us as individuals.
So who are you?
The Hebrew word for call is kaw-raw’
In exodus 31 it states
Then the LORD said to Moses, "See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts-
The word for chosen in this passage is kaw-raw’
kaw-raw’ goes beyond your name. You have been called, but that means you have also been called out. You have been appointed
Ephesisans 2:10 states “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
You have A Calling
You are here for a reason
You are more then an accident
It doesn’t matter how you got here God wanted you here and he has a plan for you, a calling, and a name.
How do we know this?
Because he tells us.
Jeremiah 1:5a: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.
Pslam 139:16 “your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Epesians 1:4 “Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.”
Sometimes we know the calling of God, sometimes we don’t, but God is on a mission to catch you in his dreams.
The Bible tells us the story of Jacob. Jacob was the father of all the tribes of Israel. God had called him before hand to be so.
He was the younger of two brothers, twins.
God had told his mother before he was born
"Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger." (Genesis 25:23)
Jacob had a calling with a capitol C. He was to found a nation, and all his life he knew his calling.
He spent much of his life trying to grab hold of this calling, and most of his life falling short.
He manipulated his brother.
He lied to his father.
He stole his birthright.
He dressed up and pretended to be his brother just so he could receive his fathers blessing.
He tried to be someone else, just so he could be who he was called to be, and wound up with nothing.
We can do the same thing.
What has God called you to be? Remember Psalm 139? What has God written in his book for you today?
Is it a student? Then be the student God has called YOU to be.
Is it a brother? Then be the brother God has called YOU to be.
When we try to be who God has created us to be by being someone else. We will become neither.
At the begging of his life when Jacob is asked who he is he replies Esau, the name of his brother.
He is hated. He is chased away from home. He is left sleeping on rocks, working in foreign lands, and being cheated. A far cry from the calling that he had, but somewhere in there he finds a change.
When he returns to his homeland after many years he runs into God who asks him who he is, and this time he responds Jacob.
It’s that night that Jacob get renamed
God tells him he will no longer be called Jacob but Israel
Remember God’s calling for him before he was born, his calling to be a nation?
He becomes that nation the day he is who he is, Jacob and not Esau.
This is a lesson that Jacob takes with him the rest of his life.
In Genesis 49 Jacob is about to die and he calls his Sons together. He gives them all a calling. For some the calling is great Judah is called a lion, Dan, a lethal serpant,
For others it’s not quite as cool. Ruben is called a bucket of spilled water. Isschar is called a Strong Ass.
You are here because God has called you.
You are alive for a reason.
Congradulations! You’re alive. That testifies you have a mission.
You are God’s solution to a problem.
And that solution will only be realized in God.
God states in Isaiah 43, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”
God has made you
God has called you
God is with you
So that you can be who God has ordained you to be
Not anything less.
I remember going through school I was told I could be anything I wanted to be. A musician, a fireman, a basketball player, a Translator Of Technical Manuals, Elephant poop catcher. ANYTHING… In today’s society I could even become a woman, an Asian, or completely blue. But God has called me to something better then any of that. He has called me to be his child. Just as Jacob brought his sons together and called each of them God has brought us all together and given each one a calling.
And that calling is for today.
God has ordained each of my days, each of my hours, each of my breaths.
I like to think about it like a palm pilot in heaven filled with plans, dreams, missions, and assignments.
Do you find it hard to wake up in the morning?
Do you feel like you will never be as talented as him?
Do you feel jealous of her beauty?
Do you find you’ve told so many lies it’s hard to know what’s even real anymore?
Do you hate yourself when you are alone?
Do you cry yourself to sleep at night?
Do you wish you could cry, but don’t feel anything?
Right now I want to tell you that you are here with a calling.
You have been made just right.
You have been crafted in love, and have been made to love.
I don’t care what your family has told you about yourself, I don’t care what the kids at school said, I don’t care what they diagnosed you as. The God of the universe created you spot on, and God doesn’t make mistakes.
Turn to him to find out why.
And then do it.
