What is Your Calling?
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24)
What is your calling? Are you living it right now? Are you sure?
If you’ve been a Christian for any amount of time, these questions have probably crossed your mind. I know they certainly have for me, and from some of the conversations that I’ve had over the past few months, I can imagine some of you are probably spending quite a bit of time thinking about this too. So, can you know what God has called you to?
Recently, I have been reading a book that was gifted to me, The Path to Being a Pastor by Bobby Jamieson. Interestingly, while aimed at those men who are thinking about ordained pastoral ministry, it does ask a crucial question that is applicable to Christians everywhere: is ‘calling’ even the right word to use?
Mr Jamieson argues that calling is not, in fact, the right wording to use in most cases, at least not in our current context. He also points out:
… the Bible does not use calling language to mean what we mean. The New Testament frequently uses “called” to describe God’s effectual act of bringing us to saving faith (e.g., Rom. 1:6–7; 8:30; 9:24; 1 Cor. 1:9, 24; Gal. 1:6). The New Testament also uses “calling” to describe the life of holiness to which God has summoned us and for which God has empowered us through the gospel (Eph. 4:1; 1 Thess. 4:3–7). But nowhere does the New Testament use the verb “call” to describe God’s act of assigning us a vocation, pastoral or otherwise. … “Calling” attributes to God something that you cannot be sure of until it happens. “Calling” implies you know God has done something before he has done it. The Path to Being a Pastor: A Guide for the Aspiring, p. 25
When we use the word ‘calling’, we can run into some potential problems:
• What happens if we mess up? Are we failing God?
• What happens when we question what we’re doing? Is that deserting our post?
• Also, if God has called you to something, who can tell you He hasn’t?
What word should we use then? Paul says in Timothy 3:1:
If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.
Mr Jamieson suggests that we should use the word ‘aspire’ much more regularly than the word ‘call’ when it comes to living out our Christian life. And I think that I would agree. Why? I’m glad you asked! The reasons above speak to the possible downsides of using the word ‘calling’, but what are the upsides of using the word ‘aspire’?
There are quite a few, but in particular I want to focus on the thought that it is more a liberating word to use. Mr Jamieson continues:
Saying “I aspire” shifts your focus from the subjective to the objective. You need not struggle to discern whether you have been struck by lightning from heaven. … Your task is not to privately ascertain God’s will …Instead, strive for growth in godliness, and cultivate the gifts God has given you. Saying “I aspire” is freeing because it reminds you that, as always, the result is up to God. The Path to Being a Pastor: A Guide for the Aspiring, p. 30
What a wonderful and liberating thought! I want to leave you with this encouragement from Colossians 3:23-24:
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all!
Lochy
