"where your calling takes shape"
it got all sorts of slack from people about what it meant, and whether or not it was cheesy, and whether or not it is biblical, and so on and so on... blah.
truth is, my calling did take some significant shape during my four years of undergrad. i learned a lot about God, myself, worship, relationships...oh, and my degree programs of course. those years were irreplaceable for me in what i learned. i might not do them the same, or choose the same school, or come to the same city if i were to do it all over again. but the beauty of it is that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. he's the same at taylor as he would have been at bethel or anywhere else. i could easily look back at those years and realize that God was leading me toward a specific "calling" in life, if you will.
a few months ago, i listened to a four part andy stanley sermon series about finding God's will for your life (free on the north point ministries podcast). the title was definitely not what drew me in. i was going on a road trip so needed some listening material & thought andy probably had some good things to say. he did. what stuck in my mind most from those teachings was the reminder that most of what God has called us to is right in his word. we spend so much time trying to discern what God has called us to as if there is a giant lofty mystery we must uncover in order to live a life that pleases him. am i the only one that feels that way?
the good news is that we know very clearly what kind of life God has called each of us to. he tells us what kind of relationships he calls us to, and what kind of heart he calls us to have in all we do. he calls us to honor him in all that we do, and calls us to rejoice in him.
considering the last five years, i realize God has called me to many things. he has called me, as his child and disciple, to love him and love others. he has called me to serve those in need, and to work as though working unto the Lord. he has called me to prioritize him, to make him my *all*. he has called me to find joy in him alone.
here are a few scriptures that remind me of what our true calling in Christ is. i've added a few italics to emphasize some things.
1 peter 2:9 says:
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
2 timothy 1:9 says this:
[God] who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began...
isaiah 62:12
And they shall be called The Holy People,
The Redeemed of the LORD;
and you shall be called Sought Out,
A City Not Forsaken.
isaiah 42:6-7
"I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness;
I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations,
to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
romans 1:6
...including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ
i corinthians 1:9
God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
this is not an exhaustive list by any means, nor are they all along the same meaning of "calling" but i hope you get an idea what i am trying to share.
bottom line: we are called to be like Christ.
here i am five years out of school and trying to map out a plan for the next five years. here's what my map looks like:
if it looks like a map to nowhere, that might be true. but i hope i honor Jesus in all he has called me, no matter where that map ends up. even when i don't know what path he is specifically leading me toward, i know he has called me to be like Christ as i walk.
this week, i heard an incredible new song for the first time. the words of this resonate with my heart right now more than any song i've heard in a while.
Sometimes your calling, comes in dream
Sometimes in comes in the Spirit's breeze,
You reach for the deepest part of me,
And call out for the things of eternity.
But I'm a man, of dust and stains,
You move in me, so I can say,
Here I am, Lord send me,
All of my life, I make an offering,
Here I am, Lord send me,
Somehow my story, Is part of your plan,
Here I am
When setbacks and failures, and upset plans,
Test my faith and leave me with empty hands,
Are you not the closest when it's hardest to stand?
I know that you will finish what you began.
These broken parts you redeem,
Become the song, that I can sing
Overwhelmed by the thought of my weakness,
And the fear that I'll fail you in the end,
In this mess, I'm just one of the pieces,
I can't put this together but you can.
(song by downhere)
No comments:
Post a Comment