10.16.2010
Calling - Part 1
10:48 PM | 
Posted by
Codie Leath
The next 3 posts are about knowing God’s calling for your life. I recently attended a Bible study with 10 other women discussing this very topic. Two things are for sure…it’s a confusing topic for most of us AND we all really desire to know our calling. Imagine the peace of mind and inner stillness that comes with being right where you are supposed to be!
To define calling, let’s use a metaphor. Imagine life as God’s gigantic corporation, His workplace for us, filled with millions of jobs. He’s the CEO and you’re His employee. Your calling would be your specific placement in this company with a specific task to perform or role to fill that utilizes the abilities He made you with. Can you see how this could be confusing? How can I know that I’m working just the right job in God’s enormous company of life?
Well, the whole idea of a calling suggests that there is work to be done. And when you define that work to be winning lost souls to Christ, the whole thing comes into view and simplifies significantly. No, I may not yet know exactly my perfect fit in God’s kingdom work where I’m maximizing my SHAPE (Spiritual gifts, Heart desires, Abilities, Personality, Experiences,) but I do know that if I’m sharing my faith with those around me, I’m at least moving in the right direction.
I learned to share my faith 13 years ago. I memorized 4 main points with a couple of verse references to go with each point. Then I learned how to communicate the 4 points in a kind, relational way by watching my friend do it. It was simpler than I had anticipated. As I started to try, it became more and more natural. I can easily fit the gospel into everyday conversations now. And you know what…some of my friends came to Christ along the way! Some have even led others to Christ and are still walking with God to this day. I recently spoke at a women’s retreat for college students where I was blown away to meet a girl who introduced herself to me as my spiritual great, great grandchild!
Now, ask me if I knew my specific placement in God’s workplace back in college when I first started sharing my faith? No, I could barely articulate my strengths and weaknesses let alone my calling, but God was pleased to use my simple efforts. And looking back at the last 13 years, they have been without a doubt full of the satisfaction that comes from living out one’s purpose.
With that said, I do have some thoughts on knowing your calling. There is a WHAT, WHERE, and HOW to your calling. The WHAT I’ve already mentioned - winning lost souls to Christ. All believers share this general calling to proclaim the good news of Jesus rescuing us from God’s wrath and our sin. We proclaim it with our words as well as affirm it with our lives. Proclamation and Affirmation…I remember it because it rhymes. The WHERE and HOW aspects are where each of our callings gets more specific. I’ll address these points in the next 2 posts.
But for now, let’s ask ourselves these questions: Do you know how to share the gospel? Can you do it in a kind, relational way? Is there anyone you can watch to learn how to do it? Do you have any friends who don’t know Jesus? Are you praying for them regularly? How can you show them Christ’s love this week?
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2 comments:
Yes, tell me more about your system of witnessing. Very enjoyable and enlightening.
We have just tonight completed our annual missions conference where we were challenged to "go into all the world.....". What a blessing to hear from four different missionary families.
That you Rhena for your comment! I will definitely blog more about this in the future. I love that we can "go into all the world" in so many ways - reaching out to our neighbors, praying for the lost here and all over the world, giving to oversees and homeland missions, and serving with those missions as well. It's all part of going and we do it literally "as we go".
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