Growing up in a Catholic/Episcopalian community, I was very curious about the ordained person and how he figured he was called by God. I can remember watching one of the young priests building a wooden trellis. His intentions were to allow a vine to grow within the trellis. I watched as he took his hammer and was pounding away at the trellis. After a little bit, he turned to me and asked, “Are you trying to pick up some pointers on gardening?” “No,” I replied. “I’m just waiting to hear what a priest says when he hits his thumb with a hammer.”
Why did I recall this event? Yesterday, I had breakfast with my brother in Christ, Steve. (See last blog to observe my interaction with him). Again, we were talking about all sorts of things and I love to talk with him, he inspires me. He seems to really understand my thinking. We were speaking of volunteers and he spoke of what we are called to do.
I thought on this many times yesterday and woke up this morning thinking about the above event. There was a young priest, devoting his whole life to God and giving up on some pretty important freedoms (in my mind at least). Why? What was he called to do? What is it God wants me to do? What are we called to do?
But first...
What we AREN’T called to do:
1. Your Job is Not Your Calling - Most of us change jobs during the course of our life. We may even change careers. If you're in a church ministry, even that ministry can end. We will all retire some day. Your job is not your calling, no matter how much it may allow you to serve.
2. Your Family is Not Your Calling – Don’t get me wrong here, God wants you to have a family and he blesses the families. But how can you have a relationship with your family if you don’t have a relationship with the father? You’re not called to be married.
3. Your Friends are Not Your Calling – Hanging with the Buds is cool. When you do this though... who are you glorifying? God wants to hang with you too!
4. Your Church is Not Your Calling – Going to church is real important but if you’re going to be seen going or think this will get you into heaven, good luck with that! Church is for fellowship; for growth; for praise and worship and for the tools you need once you leave the Church property.
5. Playing Sports is Not Your Calling – God may have gifted you with the skills to play a specific sport but again...who are you glorifying in your sport? Sport!
6. Talent is Not Your Calling – Again, God gave you a talent/skill, are you glorifying him with it? Or are you raising yourself above others because you have something a lot of others don’t? Are you worshiping God or leading people to worship?
7. Quoting Scripture from Memory is Not Your Calling – Satan knows the bible and probably can quote it better than all of us. Knowledge is a good thing but wisdom is a great thing. Memorizing the bible will get you into heaven as fast as memorizing the phone book. It’s not about the works.
I’m sure you could come up with a few.
So now we come to the most important part of this writing, what is your calling? I can’t answer that for you. God does the calling, ask him!
Read on:
How do you know your calling?
What does “the call” feel like?
Is He really calling me?
Three questions rolled into one that many people ask themselves.
Over the last few years in my Christian walk, God gave me a hunger for His Word. I devoured it like a person who had an unquenchable thirst. But the feeling of God’s calling to me can best be described as a feeling of wanting to run with the word. Like a horse ‘chomping at the bit’ there was an inner urge to take the word and run with it. The urge was strong and it’s there more so today than yesterday.
If you have this urge on the inside it’s the Holy Spirit within you giving direction. Listen to Him and you will never regret it—ignore it and it does not go away—because it is His calling.
I have never been to seminary or Bible School and have no credentials that are required to be a ordained Minister. I don’t feel very well equipped. Neither did the early church preachers and the Holy Spirit perform a great job with them.
1 Corinthians 1:20 - 25
Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.
Paul says where is the world’s wisdom and where are those with all the education? In spite of all their worldly wisdom they did not know God. They did not see Him behind everything that is; they missed Him in all that was created. They failed to listen to His word. They considered the word that was preached to be foolish yet God was pleased to save the souls of those who listened and dared to believe. And some He called to keep this message alive—we are one of those.
1 Corinthians 1:26 - 31
Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts... boast in the Lord."
When we were called to Christ we may not have had certificates of education nor were we influential and few of us had a noble birth. But GOD chose the foolish things of the world (again you and me) to shame the wise. He saw their weakness, just as He sees yours and mine.
Today He uses us, whom the world might consider foolish. Jesus chose common men four at least of whom were fisherman, and one a hated tax collector. He chose those that exactly fit the description Paul wrote about in 1 Corinthians 1
He chose the lowly things, the despised things and used them mightily to spread the Gospel over the entire known world. He chose those who He knew would have to rely upon the Holy Spirit to accomplish this mission. None of them boasted before God of what they accomplished but instead named Him as the source of their wisdom and strength in preaching and teaching the word and they gave Him the credit for every soul saved. Remember those fishermen got to preach to kings and before huge audiences of very learned people who needed to know Christ.
It can happen to you! Want some help? You better...
God called you and He will not leave you unequipped when it is He Who made the call. Doesn’t your heart say “Answer, answer Him? You came to Christ, accepted Christ, became converted, however you want to phrase it and through Christ you will have the wisdom that comes from God, the wisdom will not be your own but will be from the Holy Spirit.
John 14:26
“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
The Holy Spirit will aid you and point you to the center of Christianity, Jesus Christ. And Jesus will point you to the Father; the one who made this all possible.
Don’t be afraid to step out for God, He loves you and He forgives those little mistakes that sometimes happen when we are getting started.
The way I see it, you can ask God to know your calling, or you can continue to be foolish.
Your Choice...
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