"It is easier to serve God without a vision, easier to work for God without a call, because then you are not bothered by what God requires; common sense is your guide, veneered over with Christian sentiment. You will be more prosperous and successful, more leisure-hearted, if you never realize the call of God. But if once you receive a commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God wants will always come like a goad; you will no longer be able to work for Him on the common-sense basis." Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest"Calling." It's hard to define. What does it mean to be CALLED by God to a certain task or ministry? Most of us live our lives serving, working, toiling from committee to ministry to short-term mission trip without a clear sense of the path on which our Shepherd is leading.
So how do we stop shuffling papers, organizing dinners and creating more programs?
Psalm 46:10 - "Be still and know that I am God..."
It's only in the stillness that we learn who God is - and only after we learn more of who our God is can we learn who He has created us to be. Only then can we know His calling on our lives.
I'm of the opinion that we cannot truly know our calling until we are well into our adult years. The teens and twenties are intended for our Supervised introspection. As God opens the doors for victories and failures, we learn much about who we are and even more about who He is to us. Is He God all the time or only in crisis? Is He the harsh Judge or our merciful Father?
As I prepare for my forty-seventh year, I believe I know my calling - and yet I continually struggle to maintain focus on that call. So many distractions eagerly nip at my heels to steal away my attention, my energy, my passion. But my Heavenly Bridegroom awaits, beckoning me with His Call...
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