Friday, August 26, 2016

Do You Know Your Calling?






I think the “call to ministry” as designated for select individuals is misleading.  All Christians are called into ministry because all Christians have spiritual gifts that are to be employed for service to the body of Christ. (1 Peter 4:10)  That doesn’t require a definite “calling,” but a daily working out of those gifts as we grow in our Christian walk and seek to serve the body.  

1 Corinthians 12:12-24 identifies that everyone has a part to play in the growth of the body. (Also in Ephesians 4:16)  I don’t dismiss the fact that God may have specific roles or even specialized ministries that He directs us to, but it is more revealing of our progress in the faith.

In my way of thinking it is a tragedy that members of the body of Christ are often thought of as being divided into two categories, those who are "called to the ministry" and those who "do secular work." When in reality, both groups are called by God, and every member of Christ's body is called to ministry.

Just because God calls only some of His children to vocational ministry does not mean that those whom He doesn't call to vocational ministry are any less called to do what they do.  If you ask, for example, any pastor or evangelist how he knew that God was calling him when he began to pursue vocational ministry, a very small number of them will tell you about hearing God's voice or seeing a vision.

The majority will simply tell you that they "felt led," realizing that God gave them the desire and gifts to serve Him in some vocational ministry.  It comes down to the fact that they were interested and felt qualified; the same criteria that most people use to determine their career.

God gifts people in different ways, and how He gifts them makes them more suited for some careers than others.  And who can say that the gifting of the accountant, carpenter, homemaker, nurse or teacher is any less of a gifting from God than the gifting of the pastor or evangelist?

A “life calling” will influence your vocational choices, but it is much bigger than your career or job.  Every person, and definitely every Christian has a “Life Calling” from God.  Finding your life calling may be the most important thing you can do, for it is discovering your purpose for living.  My “life calling” is what God wants me to do with my life, and how I fit in with what God intends to do on earth to bring His kingdom to pass.

Just imagine, if it weren't for all those so-called "secular" gifts (which are actually all sacred), it would be impossible for anyone to pursue a calling to vocational ministry, for the simple reason that the large majority of vocational ministers are sustained by those who earn money in "secular" jobs.  To put it plainly, if everyone were called to vocational ministry, everyone would be starving.

All of this is to say that all of Christ's followers should seek His will regarding their specific vocational calling.  And regardless of what it is that God calls us to do, we should follow Paul's admonition that, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." (Col. 3:23-24)

These words are not written only for pastors and missionaries.  All of us work for Jesus.  So we should give Him our very best.  When we do, there is an excellent possibility that we will succeed in our vocation and further His kingdom at the same time.

Oh, and by the way, it is important to keep moving.  We sometimes refuse to move until we are certain of the call.  But it is easier to redirect something already in motion than to get something moving.  When we step out in faith, even if our step is not quite in the right direction, God is faithful to guide us.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)




I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic, so be sure to comment below and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.  








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