In this sermon, Brother K. P. Ohanan shares the story of his wife, Gisela, and her calling to be a missionary. Gisela felt a distinct burden from the Lord to serve as a missionary, even though she was expected to conform to societal norms and learn social graces. She made the decision to give her fragile body to the Lord and dedicate her life to serving Him. This burden led her to weep for those who did not know Jesus and to willingly endure hardships, such as being left alone in a hospital with typhoid. Brother K. P. Ohanan emphasizes the importance of having a true calling from the Lord and being willing to forsake all for the sake of the Gospel.

Many of us have a job or profession and realize there are qualifications and qualities that our employer looks for. They're usually detailed in a job description. But what does God look for in a Christian worker or servant? That's the question of the day on The Road to Reality as we visit 2 Timothy 1 with K.P. Yohannan. You'll learn it's much more than a job, it's a calling. Secondly, Timothy was prone to illness. He was sickly, not got a cold this month and after 2 years he get next cold, no. It was a continuous problem he had to live with physical illness. So Paul says in 1 Timothy 5 verse 23, Timothy, stop drinking only water and use a little wine because of your stomach and the frequent illness you have. So I'm not recommending you go and get drunk, please. I'm simply saying to you, Timothy was one who lived with physical deficiency. Are you living with something like that? And you're called to do something huge and significant. You say, my God, I'm not able to handle it. I'm tired, I'm sick. Well, Timothy was one like that. Thirdly, he was timid. He was an introvert, very shy. So many verses, 2 Timothy 1 verse 78, 2 verse 1, 3 verse 12 and 4 verse 5. All these verses talk about even after 15 years of plus training, Paul still says, Timothy, get up. Don't be shy. Don't be timid. Don't be afraid. Naturally, Timothy was one who was not a sanguine by his makeup and temperament. He was not a type of personality, aggressive, a leader. No. If Timothy walked into a room, you will not find he's there because he will hide somewhere. If you call him to lead, he will say, please, please, don't, you let him do it. No, Timothy was not one who naturally want to take any responsibility. He wanted to run away from any responsibility. How different from today's Christianity. People murmur and grumble and fight and squabble for position. I've been in it for 10 years. I'm not promoted. I am more able to teach than this fellow. Now, look at him. Look at her. She is teaching, but I got a better degree. All kinds of imaginations we live with. May we learn from Timothy. A.W. Tosser said this, a true and safe leader is likely to be the one who has no desire to lead, but it is forced into a position of leadership by the inward pressure of the Holy Spirit and the press of external situation, such where Moses and David and the Old Testament prophets. I think there was hardly a great leader from Paul to the present day, but was drafted by the Holy Spirit for the task and commissioned by the Lord of the church to fill a position he had little heart for. I believe it might be accepted as a fairly reliable rule of thumb that the man who is ambitious to lead is disqualified as a leader. A true leader will have no desire to lord it over God's heritage, but will be humble, gentle, self-sacrificing, and altogether as ready to follow as to lead when the Spirit makes it clear that a wiser and more gifted man than himself has appeared. So was Barnabas when Paul came into the picture. So, what is a call? When my wife gave her life to the Lord as a teenager in Germany, she says immediately after that, there was such a distinct burden came upon her heart. I am called to be a missionary by the Lord. I want nothing else in my life. Having been born in this home in Germany, where by their circumstances and requirement, girls are sent to learn the social graces of the community and learn certain behaviors so they can be accepted in the elite in the society. So in this home, there are two girls, my wife Gisela and her older sister. So when her parents said, it is time you should go to take these lessons, Gisela said, I can't. Why? Daddy, sorry, I can't because I committed my life for full-time service of the Master. Jesus called me to be a missionary and I cannot do it. Then she got hold of a coin, a South American coin with inscription on it and the head of a tribe. Like we have coins with Gandhi's head or Nehru's head. And she put a hole in this coin and took a string and tied it and she wore this as a necklace. She says, every time I stood in front of the mirror to wash my face or comb my hair, every single day, the first thing I saw, not only my face, but the coin hanging here on my neck. And that coin reminded me, I am called by the Lord, I must be different. I cannot be like others. When she was going for her higher studies, she said, dozens of her friends had so many things they were involved with, good things. But she said to herself, they can, I cannot. Her character, her formation, her decisions, everything, even buying clothes. When her sister would buy a new dress, so very often with the money that was given to them by the parents. Gisela would wear the old dress or keep the ones going. Refuses to buy clothes and take the money and send it to a Wycliffe missionary working in South America who was translating Bible for 15 long years. But for you, Timothy, be different. Others can, they have the freedom, it is not wrong, but for you, be different. So what is the call? You cannot do anything else. The burden never leaves you. Nothing else can take that burden away. So what does that call do to us on the inside? One, it gives us the joy to forsake all, to give up all. The man who found the pearl of great price, sold everything he had just to buy that. So it was with Abraham, born with silver, gold, plates and spoons and he left all. So Moses left the ivory throne. So the disciples left their boats and their nets. It was after I left home in Bangalore attending the mission conference along with hundreds of other young people. That night, the night of all nights I never can forget when Jesus impressed upon my heart with such a burden to commit my life to go to North India. I wept through the night. I never forget that night. The pillow I was sleeping on was soaking wet with my tears. With fear and trembling, part of the prayer I prayed kneeling beside that little bed. Lord, I have nothing to give up. I don't have degrees. I have no money. I am not tall and big and healthy. I have no name. I have nothing. No reputation. Nothing. All I have is this fragile little body of mine. You want it? I'll give it to you. That was the beginning of my journey. No wonder I wept numerous times on the street looking at people that did not know Jesus. No wonder when I had typhoid, when my colleagues left me in Ajmer Government Hospital, never telling me when they will come back. No relatives, no friends, no one. Kind of they left me. If I die, that's it. I never asked who will take care of me. I never asked where is my salary because I had none. I had nothing to ask for. For always I could look back in the tiny room by the little bed on my knees, a pillow soaking with my tears, talking to him who called me that evening. Come, follow me. And I said, yes. I had nothing to give up. He gave me himself. I want to ask you, where are you in your heart? We've been receiving some lessons in leadership today on The Road to Reality with KP O'Hanlon. Since 1999, GFA has been serving in the slums of South Asia, providing food, medical care, and sharing the love of God. In recent years, we've noticed desperation-filled slums in Asia are growing, with millions living in extreme poverty and struggling to survive. We'd like to ask you to consider doing something that can really make a difference. A good place to start is by going to our website, roadtoreality.org. There we can give you more information, and you can even donate to slum ministry there, too. Again, that's roadtoreality.org. As you may know, when he was on Earth, Jesus was all about helping the outcasts of society. And you can do the same at roadtoreality.org. Or call us at 866-946-2742. That's 866-946-2742. Please listen in next time as Brother KP O'Hanlon shares another inspirational message to help us along the Road to Reality.