How to find and fulfill your calling today
"Through Him we received grace and apostleship to call all Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for His name's sake." Romans 1:5 NIV
I learned something from the Spirit today. Here it is: Before I can fulfill my specific calling as a believer, I must fulfill the general calling of all believers. That means you and I both have the same calling, and if we obey it, we will find our specific, individual calling. We have the same calling as Jesus' first followers. His Spirit gives us this call. Here it is--the Spirit's call to you and me:
"Follow me."
Another way to put it would be this:
"Obey me."
Paul said that we, the "Gentiles," the believers who are not Jewish, are called to obey God as evidence of our faith in Christ. Paul also said that "to whom we present ourselves slaves to obey, we are that one's slaves whom we obey, whether sin leading to death, or righteousness leading to life." Paul then says that we are "slaves of God." This means God owns us, defines us, and determines all of our actions. He alone controls us. This is our first and foremost calling, the call of all of who believe in Jesus: Obedience to God.
If we don't obey the Spirit, or follow the Spirit, in the same way the first followers followed Jesus did, we have no right to ask God for our specific calling. In fact, for now, we should assume that our specific calling is nothing else but this: Follow the Spirit. Or obey the Spirit.
Some of you may wonder how to practically do this. Think of it this way. If you want God's specific commands in your life, you must obey His general commands in the specific areas of your life. Here are His two commands that we can all obey today and right now:
Jesus said these two commands are the summation of all of God's commandments. Now if we obey these two commandments to the best of our ability in our specific situations and relations, we will be led by the Spirit in the specific areas of our lives. In other words, we will find and fulfill our calling today.
This is what God showed me in the scriptures, and what I pass on to you who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
I learned something from the Spirit today. Here it is: Before I can fulfill my specific calling as a believer, I must fulfill the general calling of all believers. That means you and I both have the same calling, and if we obey it, we will find our specific, individual calling. We have the same calling as Jesus' first followers. His Spirit gives us this call. Here it is--the Spirit's call to you and me:
"Follow me."
Another way to put it would be this:
"Obey me."
Paul said that we, the "Gentiles," the believers who are not Jewish, are called to obey God as evidence of our faith in Christ. Paul also said that "to whom we present ourselves slaves to obey, we are that one's slaves whom we obey, whether sin leading to death, or righteousness leading to life." Paul then says that we are "slaves of God." This means God owns us, defines us, and determines all of our actions. He alone controls us. This is our first and foremost calling, the call of all of who believe in Jesus: Obedience to God.
If we don't obey the Spirit, or follow the Spirit, in the same way the first followers followed Jesus did, we have no right to ask God for our specific calling. In fact, for now, we should assume that our specific calling is nothing else but this: Follow the Spirit. Or obey the Spirit.
Some of you may wonder how to practically do this. Think of it this way. If you want God's specific commands in your life, you must obey His general commands in the specific areas of your life. Here are His two commands that we can all obey today and right now:
Love God with all of your heart and soul and strength.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
Jesus said these two commands are the summation of all of God's commandments. Now if we obey these two commandments to the best of our ability in our specific situations and relations, we will be led by the Spirit in the specific areas of our lives. In other words, we will find and fulfill our calling today.
This is what God showed me in the scriptures, and what I pass on to you who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
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