GOD DOES NOT CHANGE HIS MIND

GIFTS AND CALLINGS ARE WITHOUT REPENTANCE

God's Choice Is the Best Choice — He Does Not Change His Mind to Something Better

Romans 11:29 KJV

“For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

There is something profoundly comforting about knowing that God's choice is the best choice.

When God chooses, He does not choose experimentally. He does not choose as a man chooses—trying one thing today, discovering tomorrow that it was not good enough, and then changing his mind for something better. God does not improve upon His first thought. God's first thought is perfect. God's choice is the best choice.

He may permit a man to wander.He may suffer with him.He may chastise him.He may allow him to learn through bitter experience.He may even let him go down into the depths of his own rebellion.

But when God has purposed something concerning His own, His purpose remains His purpose.

God does not say, “I chose you, but I have discovered somebody better.”

No!

Gifts and callings are without repentance.

God's election is not an apprenticeship experiment. His calling is not a probationary appointment. His gifting is not a temporary convenience. When God calls, He knows what He is calling. When God gifts, He knows what He is gifting. When God chooses, He knows whom He has chosen.

The Potter knows the clay.

The Architect knows the building.

The Creator knows His creature.

And the God who knew us before we were formed knows exactly what He has ordained in us and what He intends to accomplish through us.

1. JONAH: THE MAN WHO RAN FROM THE BEST CHOICE

Consider Jonah.

Jonah 1:1-3 KJV

“Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD...”

Notice something remarkable.

God had already spoken.

“Arise, go to Nineveh.”

There was the calling.

There was the commission.

There was the assignment.

There was the divine purpose.

But Jonah had another opinion.

He did not doubt that God was God. He did not become an atheist. He did not deny the existence of the Creator. He knew exactly who had spoken to him.

His problem was not unbelief concerning God's identity.

His problem was fear concerning God's assignment.

Nineveh was a great city, and its inhabitants were wicked. Jonah knew what kind of people he was being sent to. And therefore, although he knew God, he became afraid of the people.

So he went in the opposite direction.

God said, Nineveh.

Jonah chose Tarshish.

But Jonah's alternative was not better than God's choice.

God's choice was still Nineveh.

Glory to God!

Jonah could change his geographical direction, but he could not change God's purpose.

He could purchase a ticket.

He could board a ship.

He could go down into the ship.

He could go down into the sea.

He could go down into the belly of the great fish.

But he could not go outside the will and purpose of God.

2. THE LOT FELL UPON JONAH

There came a moment when the camouflage had to end.

Jonah 1:8-9 KJV

“Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?

And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.”

Oh, what a confession!

In the thick of trouble, Jonah finally became completely honest.

No more Tarshish disguise.

No more escapist's camouflage.

No more hiding behind the occupation, the nationality, the circumstances, or the ship.

The rubber had met the road.

The friction had become unbearable.

And only the bare truth could suffice.

God had finally directed the lot to fall upon Jonah, the sleeper.

Glory to God!

And what did Jonah say?

“I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.”

The prophet who had tried to escape was still a prophet.

The called man who had run was still the called man.

The gifted man who had become afraid was still gifted.

The commissioned servant who had fled was still the commissioned servant.

His disobedience did not make God's original calling disappear.

Romans 11:29 still stands:

“For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

3. GOD KNEW JONAH BEFORE JONAH RAN

This is where the mystery becomes beautiful.

God knew Jonah.

God knew Nineveh.

God knew Jonah's fear.

God knew Jonah would run.

God knew the ship.

God knew the storm.

God knew the sailors.

God knew the lot.

God knew the fish.

God knew the bottom of the sea.

God knew Nineveh.

And yet—

God still chose Jonah.

Think about it!

God could have selected another prophet.

God could have raised another servant.

God could have sent another messenger.

God could have allowed Jonah's rebellion to disqualify him and appointed someone else.

But God knew what He had ordained in Jonah.

God's choice was the best choice.

Jonah thought he could escape the presence of God by going toward Tarshish.

But God was already there.

Jonah went down into the ship.

God was there.

Jonah went down into the sea.

God was there.

Jonah went down into the belly of the fish.

God was there.

And eventually Jonah went to Nineveh.

God was there.

The God who called him in the beginning was the same God who met him at the end of his rebellion.

4. THERE IS NOWHERE TO FLEE FROM HIS PRESENCE

David understood this mystery.

Psalm 139:7-10 KJV

“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.”

Praise the Lord!

Even there!

That is the God of the Bible.

He is not merely the God of Sunday morning.

He is not merely the God of the church building.

He is not merely the God of the pulpit.

He is not merely the God of the prayer room.

He is God everywhere.

He is God in Nineveh.

He is God in Tarshish.

He is God on the ship.

He is God beneath the waves.

He is God in the wilderness.

He is God in the fire.

He is God in the lion's den.

He is God in the prison.

He is God in the palace.

And He is God in the valley.

His presence cannot be escaped, and His purpose cannot be frustrated.

5. WHICH GOD DO YOU SERVE?

This brings the matter home to us.

Those men on Jonah's ship had their gods.

But Jonah knew the true God.

And there is a searching question for every believer:

Which God is your God?

Is your god a God who is present in church but absent in the marketplace?

Is your god present when you are among believers but absent when you are among unbelievers?

Is your god present in Nineveh but absent in Tarshish?

Is your god present on the ship but absent in the deep?

Such a god is not worthy of the worship of a born-again soul.

But Jonah's God was everywhere!

Glory!

The God of Jonah was in his homeland.

He was in Joppa.

He was on the ship.

He was in Tarshish.

He was beneath the sea.

He was in the belly of the fish.

And He was in Nineveh.

Praise His holy Name!

6. PAUL: ANOTHER MAN WHO WAS CHOSEN BEFORE MEN UNDERSTOOD THE CHOICE

Now consider Saul of Tarsus.

Men knew Saul according to his past.

God knew Saul according to His purpose.

Ananias had heard terrible things about him.

Acts 9:13-16 KJV

“Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:

And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.

But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.”

Notice God's language:

“He is a chosen vessel unto me.”

God did not say:

“Ananias, let us investigate this man.”

He did not say:

“Perhaps I made a mistake.”

He did not say:

“I did not know what he was doing.”

He said:

“He is a chosen vessel unto me.”

Ananias knew Saul by reputation.

God knew Saul by foreknowledge.

Ananias knew what Saul had been doing.

God knew what Saul had been chosen to become.

That is the difference between man's knowledge and God's knowledge.

Men look at history.

God looks at purpose.

Men look at the outside.

God knows the vessel.

Men look at what the man has done.

God knows what He has ordained the man to do.

Therefore, Ananias could not teach God who Paul was.

And neither can we teach God who His chosen vessels are.

7. GOD DOES NOT MAKE CONVENIENCE APPOINTMENTS

This is important.

God's appointments are not convenience appointments.

He does not call a man because the man happens to be convenient.

He does not gift a vessel because He suddenly discovered a vacancy.

He does not choose somebody because His first choice failed.

God does not guess.

There is no guesswork in divine election.

There is no emergency committee meeting in Heaven where God says, “Jonah has failed; who shall we use now?”

There is no panic in Heaven.

There is no shortage of wisdom in God.

There is no mistake in His eternal purpose.

The God who called Jonah knew Jonah.

The God who called Moses knew Moses.

The God who called David knew David.

The God who called Paul knew Paul.

And the God who calls His people today knows exactly what He is doing.

8. “WHOM HE DID FOREKNOW…”

Paul gives us the divine order.

Romans 8:28-30 KJV

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son...

Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”

Look at the order:

Foreknew.

Predestinated.

Called.

Justified.

Glorified.

This is not God trying something and waiting to see whether it will work.

This is divine purpose.

Before the calling became audible, the purpose was already known to God.

Before the gift became visible, the purpose was already known to God.

Before the ministry appeared before men, God already knew the vessel.

9. THE POTTER KNOWS THE VESSEL

Isaiah 64:8 KJV

“But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.”

The clay does not tell the Potter what vessel it wants to become.

The Potter knows.

The clay does not say, “Make me something better than what You intended.”

The Potter knows what He is making.

Isaiah 29:16 KJV

“Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say him that framed it, He had no understanding?”

And again:

Isaiah 45:9 KJV

“Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?”

Oh, Church!

Who are we to advise the Potter?

Who are we to tell God that His choice was not the best choice?

Who are we to tell God that He should have made us differently?

Who are we to tell God that He should have called somebody else?

Who are we to tell God that another ministry would be easier?

Who are we to tell God that another assignment would be more comfortable?

God's choice is the best choice!

10. MOSES COULD NOT ARGUE HIMSELF OUT OF HIS CALLING

Think about Moses.

God called him, but Moses immediately began producing excuses.

“My speech is inadequate.”

“I am slow of speech.”

“Send somebody else.”

But Moses' weakness did not surprise God.

God already knew the stammering tongue.

God already knew the temperament.

God already knew the limitations.

God already knew Moses.

And still—

God chose Moses.

Moses could resist.

Moses could complain.

Moses could hesitate.

But Moses could not improve upon God's choice.

And when man resists God's first thought, he does not produce something better.

He only makes the journey harder.

The will of God is not improved by our resistance.

His purpose is not upgraded by our excuses.

His calling is not made better by our delay.

The earlier we surrender, the better.

11. ISAIAH: THE RIGHT RESPONSE TO THE CALL

How much better to respond like Isaiah!

Isaiah 6:8 KJV

“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?

Then said I, Here am I; send me.”

There it is!

“Here am I; send me.”

Not:

“Where are You sending me?”

Not:

“What will they say?”

Not:

“How much will it cost?”

Not:

“Will they receive me?”

Not:

“Is there an easier place?”

But—

“Here am I; send me.”

That is surrender.

That is faith.

That is confidence in God's choice.

When God chooses, the safest place in the universe is the center of His will.

12. HAVE YOU EVER FELT OVERWHELMED BY THE CALL?

Perhaps somebody reading this knows exactly what Jonah felt.

You know God has dealt with you.

You know there is something He has placed in your heart.

You know there is a gift.

You know there is a burden.

You know there is a ministry.

You know there is a service.

You know there is something you are supposed to do.

And you ask:

Where do I start?

How do I proceed?

What will people say?

What will it cost me?

What if I fail?

But remember:

God did not call you because He was unaware of your weakness.

He knew you before you knew yourself.

He knew your personality.

He knew your limitations.

He knew your family.

He knew your circumstances.

He knew your failures.

He knew your fears.

And yet He called.

Therefore, do not measure God's calling by your ability.

Measure your ability by the God who called you.

13. EVERY NEW-BORN SOUL IS A VESSEL

When a man or woman comes into the experience of the new birth in Christ Jesus, that person becomes a vessel in the Master's hand.

There is no useless child of God.

There is no purposeless member of the Body.

There is no accidental Christian.

There is no spiritual spare part in God's Kingdom.

Every vessel has a place.

Every gift has a purpose.

Every calling has an assignment.

Every member has a function.

God's choice is the best choice.

Perhaps your ministry is not public.

Perhaps your calling is not celebrated.

Perhaps your service is never applauded by men.

That does not make it insignificant.

The hand cannot say to the foot, “I have no need of thee.”

God knows the function of every member of His Body.

14. GOD'S FIRST THOUGHT IS THE BEST THOUGHT

Here is the heart of this message:

God does not change His mind to anything better because there is nothing better than God's perfect thought.

He can change circumstances.

He can change methods.

He can change seasons.

He can redirect a journey.

He can discipline a servant.

He can remove an obstacle.

He can open another door.

But He does not have to discover a better purpose.

God's first thought is perfect.

We often change our minds because we receive new information.

God never receives new information.

Nothing happens that makes God say, “I did not know that.”

Nothing surprises Him.

Nothing catches Him unprepared.

Nothing makes Him revise His eternal wisdom.

Therefore, when God chooses, He chooses with complete knowledge.

His choice is the best choice.

15. “THE GIFTS AND CALLING OF GOD ARE WITHOUT REPENTANCE”

Romans 11:29 is therefore not merely a comforting verse.

It is a revelation of God's faithfulness.

“For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

God does not repent for calling you.

God does not repent for gifting you.

God does not repent for choosing you.

God does not wake up tomorrow and say, “I should have chosen somebody else.”

No!

His gifts are without repentance.

His calling is without repentance.

His purpose is without repentance.

His foreknowledge is without repentance.

His election is without repentance.

And when God has purposed something, He has already considered everything that will arise along the way.

16. JONAH'S FAILURE DID NOT MAKE GOD'S CHOICE A FAILURE

This is the difference between the failure of a servant and the failure of God's purpose.

Jonah failed in his obedience.

God did not fail in His purpose.

Jonah ran.

God pursued.

Jonah slept.

God awakened him.

Jonah went down.

God brought him up.

Jonah resisted.

God corrected him.

Jonah finally went.

And Nineveh heard.

God's purpose prevailed.

Therefore, never confuse your struggle with God's inability.

You may be struggling.

You may be afraid.

You may have delayed.

You may have made mistakes.

But God's calling does not become a mistake because you have struggled with it.

Gifts and callings are without repentance.

17. GOD CAN USE EVEN CREATION TO ACCOMPLISH HIS PURPOSE

Jonah learned something astonishing.

God had prepared a fish.

God had prepared a storm.

God had prepared a worm.

God had prepared a gourd.

God had prepared an east wind.

The Creator commands creation.

The sea obeys Him.

The wind obeys Him.

The fish obeys Him.

The worm obeys Him.

The sun obeys Him.

The moon obeys Him.

The stars obey Him.

The angels obey Him.

And therefore, God's purpose does not stand upon human strength alone.

He is God!

He can make the fish carry His prophet.

He can make the storm stop.

He can make the impossible become possible.

He can make the vessel that feels inadequate accomplish the assignment.

18. “ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD”

Romans 8:28 says:

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Notice:

According to His purpose.

Not according to our preference.

Not according to our comfort.

Not according to our schedule.

Not according to our understanding.

According to His purpose.

Sometimes the very thing we call a disaster becomes part of the road by which God brings us to His appointed destination.

The storm became part of Jonah's journey to Nineveh.

The prison became part of Joseph's journey to the throne.

The wilderness became part of Moses' preparation.

The persecution became part of Paul's ministry.

The cross became part of redemption.

Therefore, do not judge God's choice merely by the difficulty of the road.

A difficult road does not mean a wrong calling.

Sometimes the greatest calling carries the greatest opposition.

19. THE CALLING MAY BE HARD, BUT THE CHOICE IS RIGHT

God told Paul:

“For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.”

Notice that God did not hide the suffering.

The calling was glorious, but the road was costly.

The gift was great, but the price was real.

The ministry was powerful, but the suffering was deep.

Yet God did not say, “Because this will be difficult, I shall find another vessel.”

No.

He chose Paul.

And Paul eventually testified:

2 Timothy 4:7 KJV

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”

He finished the course.

The course God gave him.

Not another man's course.

Not a more comfortable course.

His course.

20. STOP TRYING TO IMPROVE GOD'S CHOICE

There is a place where every believer must come.

You must stop arguing with the Potter.

Stop comparing your calling with somebody else's.

Stop asking why God did not make you another person.

Stop asking why your assignment is not easier.

Stop thinking that somebody else's gift is better than yours.

Stop trying to manufacture a ministry that God did not give you.

Stop trying to become what God did not call you to become.

God's choice is the best choice.

The eye should not try to become the ear.

The ear should not try to become the hand.

The hand should not try to become the foot.

Be what God made you.

Do what God called you to do.

Use what God gave you.

And do it with all your heart.

21. “PLAY THE MAN!”

Therefore, beloved, play the man!

If God called you—answer.

If God gifted you—use the gift.

If God commissioned you—go.

If God opened the door—walk through it.

If God gave you a burden—carry it.

If God gave you a Word—stand upon it.

If God assigned you a field—work it.

If God sent you to Nineveh—do not purchase a ticket to Tarshish.

Because Tarshish may have a ship.

Tarshish may have a pleasant journey.

Tarshish may have a comfortable cabin.

Tarshish may even have a cheaper ministry.

But Tarshish is not better than Nineveh if Nineveh is where God sent you.

The safest place is not the easiest place.

The safest place is the place of God's will.

22. THE BEST RESPONSE IS: “HERE AM I; SEND ME”

So when the voice of God comes—

Do not argue.

Do not bargain.

Do not postpone.

Do not hide.

Do not compare.

Do not run.

Say with Isaiah:

“Here am I; send me.”

And if you are afraid, go afraid.

If you feel weak, go weak.

If you feel inadequate, go inadequate.

Because your sufficiency is not in yourself.

2 Corinthians 3:5 KJV

“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.”

That is the secret.

God does not need a vessel that is sufficient in itself.

He needs a vessel that will surrender itself to Him.

23. GOD KNOWS HIS OWN

The greatest comfort is this:

God knows His own.

He knows the vessel.

He knows the gift.

He knows the calling.

He knows the weakness.

He knows the potential.

He knows the road.

He knows the destination.

And He knows exactly what He is doing.

Therefore, if He has called you, trust Him.

If He has gifted you, trust Him.

If He has chosen you, trust Him.

If He has commissioned you, trust Him.

His choice is the best choice.

He does not change His mind to something better.

There is nothing better than what God has ordained.

24. THE FINAL WORD: GOD'S CHOICE STANDS

Jonah ran, but the calling stood.

Moses hesitated, but the calling stood.

Ananias questioned, but God's choice stood.

Saul persecuted, but God's purpose stood.

Peter failed, but God's purpose stood.

David stumbled, but God's purpose stood.

And through it all the eternal principle remains:

“For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

So if God has called you—

Do not run to Tarshish.

If God has gifted you—

Do not bury the talent.

If God has chosen you—

Do not despise the vessel.

If God has commissioned you—

Do not wait for human approval.

If God has given you an assignment—

Do not ask whether there is another assignment that is better.

There is no better assignment than God's assignment.

There is no better calling than God's calling.

There is no better gift than God's gift.

There is no better place than God's will.

There is no better choice than God's choice.

God's first thought is the best thought.

He knew before we were.

He chose before we understood.

He ordained before we appeared.

He gifted before we manifested the gift.

He called before men recognized the calling.

And He knew every weakness we would ever possess before He ever placed the calling upon us.

Therefore—

Trust His choice.

Trust His calling.

Trust His gifting.

Trust His purpose.

And when the voice comes:

“Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”

Let the answer rise from the depths of your soul:

“HERE AM I; SEND ME.”

And when fear says, “Run to Tarshish,” answer:

“No! God's choice is the best choice.”

When doubt says, “God should choose somebody else,” answer:

“No! The gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

When weakness says, “I cannot,” answer:

“My sufficiency is of God.”

When men say, “You are not the vessel,” answer:

“The Potter knows His vessel.”

When circumstances say, “The purpose has failed,” answer:

“All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”

And when the road becomes difficult—

PLAY THE MAN!

Rise up!

Take your place!

Use your gift!

Answer your calling!

Walk in your commission!

And go where He sends you.

Because God's choice is the best choice.

GOD DOES NOT CHANGE HIS MIND TO ANYTHING BETTER—THERE IS NOTHING BETTER THAN HIS PERFECT WILL.

GIFTS AND CALLINGS ARE WITHOUT REPENTANCE!

PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME!

AMEN.