Thursday, October 8, 2009

Purpose For Your Life

“We also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power.” 2 Thessalonians 1:11


I remember as a child hearing people talking about getting a “calling.” Mainly, I remember it in regards to someone talking about how they became a Pastor. “When I got the call…” they would say. As a child, I remember wondering if the phone rang in their moment of getting “the call.” I didn’t really get it. To be honest, it would be much later in my life that I would truly understand what that really meant.

As I got older, I gained a new understanding to what it meant. My take on it was that it meant you figured out what you were to do with your career. At one time I was set on becoming an audiologist. I felt I was getting a calling to test hearing and to work with ears. I was getting closer.

Years later, I now sit and reflect on what a calling really is and feel like I finally have a grip on what it means. Henry Blackaby writes, “God initiates our calling and reveals it to us through His Holy Spirit. His Spirit then guides and empowers as we serve God not only in our vocation but also by participating in His kingdom work. God has a purpose for your life, and it involves far more than earning a living.”

In my mid twenties, my relationship with Christ changed. It blossomed and took on a deep and meaningful level I can’t describe. In the beginning of this season, I started to hear the phone ring. One day I picked it up. The next thing I knew, I was on a plane to minister to orphans in a country I knew nothing about. As I sat on the plane departing the US, I wondered if I should have let my machine pick up the call.

Today, I’m thankful I answered it. My calling is to serve (specifically to “the least of these” talked about in Matthew 25). How do I know? Because it is there that I find Him. It is there that I see Him. It is there that I know I am right where I am supposed to be and in His kingdom work. What about you? Have you answered the phone yet? God DOES have a purpose for your life far greater than earning a living. What is it? Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will open. Take a deep breath, and answer the phone.

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