‘Tis the season for graduation! It’s a bittersweet time. One chapter of life ends while a new one begins. The door closes on friendships that have lasted a decade or more, but just ahead are relationships that will probably last a lifetime. There’s some anxiety at moving into the unknown, but there’s also excitement at the possibilities.
It is at this point that young adults begin to consider what they’re going to do with their lives. When asked what they’re going to do after high school, the underlying question is, “What career field are you going to pursue?” It is at this point that young adults start to define themselves by their work. “Who am I” is determined by what I do for a living. There’s nothing wrong with making this connection. But I do think it’s only secondary in achieving a joyful, purposeful, and satisfying life.
There’s an issue we all need to settle, not just graduates, but folks of every age, that will determine the trajectory of our lives. Before we make major decisions we need to ask, “What’s God’s call on my life?” If I was chosen by Him before the foundation of the world, if I was predestined to adoption in His family by the work of Jesus Christ, if I am His handcrafted master piece created to walk in good works, what direction should my life take? If I was designed by Him and for Him then what’s the reason for it all? It’s the question that believers constantly ask preachers, but hardly ever ask themselves: “What is God’s call on my life?”
If you can get that question down, everything else falls into place. You’re better able to determine your vocation by knowing God’s call. If a chosen career path should end, it’s no big deal. You realize that was just one assignment among many to fulfill your call. The type of person you should marry should be determined by your call. If for example, God calls you to a cross-cultural missionary focus, it’d be unwise to marry someone whose main goal was to live a quiet life in the country nestled comfortably on family land. Your calling determines the knowledge you acquire and the skills you gain. I’d go so far as to say that your hobbies should spring from your calling. Your calling will sustain you when devastating circumstances hit. Your call gives your life direction and stability. Change happens, but your call remains constant. It’s like the North Star, that upward vision on which you can get your bearings at any point – no matter your age or stage.
I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that knowing your call will change your life. You will no longer see it as a series or random events – some good, some bad – but as the unfolding of God’s story with you as one of the characters. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you your call. I don’t think any person can do this. Ultimately, you must receive it from God. He has to reveal it to you. You must be open to embrace and act on it. This morning I’m going to share some clues about your calling. The best I can do is explain some of the marks of your life’s mission in a very general way. But you can bet that if these three marks are in place you’re living the life God intended.
The Marks of Your Life’s Mission
In our scripture reading this morning Paul described his call to Ephesians. Your call will not look like his. The days of inspired apostles and prophets are over as far as we know. But we can study his call to help us more fully comprehend our own.
The first mark of your life’s mission has to do with purpose. What’s your call for? It will …
1. Uniquely reveal the Great Revealer
When you strip away all the differences in God’s call to individuals it comes down to this one purpose: our lives are supposed to reveal God to a clueless world. First God calls us to know Him, then He calls us to make Him known. The first portion of that pattern is the same for every believer. We come to know God through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We come to know that God is rich in love and mercy. We experience His grace in free salvation by trusting in His Son. Making God known occurs in a variety of different ways.
Listen to Paul’s description of his calling. This is not about how he came to know God when Christ appeared to him on the Damascus road. To the Ephesians he relates how he was called to uniquely make God known:
Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 3:2-6
The Jewish people knew from their own scriptures that Gentiles (or non-Jews) would worship the true God one day. But they figured the Gentiles would be second class citizens at best in the kingdom of God. Paul’s call was to make full citizenship to both Jew and Gentile known. He was called to reveal God and His grace primarily to non-Jewish people. We know from other passages in Paul’s letter that his life mission was to share the Good News of Jesus Christ in places where the message had never before been proclaimed. Paul uniquely revealed the Great Revealer wanted to create a third race comprised of Jews and Gentiles who followed Jesus Christ.
Paul made God known in the way he had been shaped. He was an intellectual and a skilled debater. Therefore he reasoned with people about Jesus Christ. Paul was a competitive, entrepreneurial type. This made him a zealous evangelist. He was fearless in confronting false teacher who tried to infiltrate the churches he established. Paul was a skilled tentmaker. On many occasions he revealed the Great Revealer while working. I can assure you that his craftsmanship was excellent because I’m certain he conveyed something of God’s character in the quality of his tents.
Your life’s mission has the goal: to uniquely reveal the Great Revealer. With this as your perspective you can see how a call can fit in a variety of vocations and stages of life. Can a college student reveal the Great Revealer in their work and study habits, in their relationships, and in their lifestyle? Could a person running a restaurant reveal the Great Revealer in their service, prices, quality of goods, attitude, integrity, working conditions, and philanthropy? Could the Great Revealer be revealed by a teacher, a homemaker, a politician, a doctor, a salesman, an athlete, a musician, a scientist, or a factory worker? Would it be possible for a person we would term “shut-in” to uniquely reveal the Great Revealer? You’d better believe it.
That’s what God’s call is all about. Ask yourself these questions: Who has God created me to be? What’s my life situation? How can I make God known in light of who I am and where I am?
Chiropractor Perry Hefty and his wife, Arlys, wanted to be in what they considered "ministry" for many years. One day when Perry was crying out to God about this deep desire, he heard God speak: "Begin with what you have." So instead of getting the $2.5 million he would have needed to start a healthcare ministry and retreat center for missionaries, pastors, and other full-time Christian workers, Perry started doing what he could: giving free chiropractic services to Christian workers who were in financial and physical need. That was in 1994. Since that time, Perry’s office has given away hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of services—about a third of his business—to help restore physical, and often spiritual, health.
"Many of the missionaries and Christian workers who came to the office were deeply discouraged," says Perry. "But they felt they needed to put on a bright and happy face so they could raise ministry support. So we dedicated ourselves and our facility to being used by the Lord to heal and restore his people." Perry and Arlys prayed for people in the office, encouraged them, and counseled them, often building relationships that continued long after treatment ended.
When Perry constructed a new office building in 1999, he and a prayer team prayed over the land, the building project, and the business and ministry that would take place there. Even after they moved into the building, Perry says he often stayed late to anoint the doorways with oil and pray for the people who would come in the next day. "Patients noticed the difference. They would often comment, ’Wow, it just feels so peaceful here,’" Perry says.
The Heftys still dream of building that Christian retreat center. But in the meantime, they’ve learned that God is happy to use them to minister, whatever business they’re in.
By Brian Mavis at sermonnews.com
The second mark of God’s mission is that it will enable you to …
2. Develop an appropriate smallness
I’ve noticed that people generally make too much or too little of themselves. Your call from God will help you find a balance between pride and insecurity. This will happen when you realize that God’s mission calls you to be His servant. The servant part brings much needed humility. The fact that you’re God’s servant, fulfilling His purposes means that you life has great significant even though you’re a humble servant.
Notice the great balancing act of Paul’s calling. Knowing his life’s mission brought an appropriate smallness to the greatest of God’s apostles.
I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 3:7-11
Was Paul chosen for his mission because of some good quality within? Nope. It was by God’s grace, a free gift. Not only is salvation by grace, so is one’s call. Paul described himself as the “least of all God’s people.” Before his conversion he persecuted the church. Paul ordered Christians put out of the synagogues and cast into prison. It’s highly likely that he signed the death warrants of some. We know for a fact that he gave approval to and held the coats of the murderers of Stephen, the first martyr of the early church. Paul should have been disqualified, but God qualified him. Paul viewed himself as a servant. In the original language he says that he’s a “deacon of the gospel.” A deacon was a table waiter who put their services at the beckon call of the customer. Paul’s gratitude and servant’s heart gave him an appropriate smallness.
But even as a lowly servant, Paul saw the importance of his mission. He was privileged to make known what God had kept hidden to previous generations. Paul was given a revolutionary message: Jews and Gentiles freely forgiven of sin and citizens of the kingdom of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He blew them away by proclaiming the message that separates Christianity from all other religions namely salvation is by grace, not by following a list of rules.
And still there was more importance to his mission. The message that Paul and the church declared was noted by spirit beings in the heavenly realms. He says that the message being proclaimed by believers made known “the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.” In Ephesians rulers and authorities are evil spiritual beings who contend with human beings. Paul never really explains why they need the Gospel proclaimed and demonstrated. Perhaps it’s to bring their conversion, or announce their defeat, or to cause them to marvel. No one really knows. But what he makes clear is that living out ones call affects the spiritual realm. Think about that. Even when your humble service is unseen it affects the heavenly realms.
You see how all of this brings an appropriate smallness? Your call to be a servant has great significance. No need for pride because you’re not all that special. No need for low self-esteem because God appointed you to a mission for a special purpose. Once you comprehend this aspect of God’s call no service is too lowly and none is insignificant:
In Atlanta, GA, Bryan Flournoy sits in a downtown church, sipping coffee and taking inventory of his life: He’s 33 and homeless. He’s a stranger in Atlanta, where a bus dropped him off from California last month. He needs a place to live, and he needs it yesterday. In a few minutes, he’ll be hoofing across the city, looking for work. For now, his feet soak in hot water as a preacher buffs them with a pumice stone.
Every Monday afternoon for the last year, the Rev. Bob Book and his wife, Holly, have transformed the Church of the Common Ground into a spa for the homeless. They scrub the feet of the city’s forgotten, mirroring the act of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. The service, repeated at clinics and churches elsewhere, isn’t simply symbolic - it helps stave off foot infections, which affect the homeless disproportionately and can lead to more serious health problems. Men and women also leave with polished dogs and a shot of self-esteem.
Book says the ritual is patterned after services practiced by many Christian congregations leading up to Easter. He takes it further with about 35 homeless men and women each week: Five at a time, they get a soak, pumice, nail trim, massage and a fresh pair of socks. Volunteers wearing gloves provide apricot scrub, ointments, air freshener for shoes, nail polish and even insoles. The church doesn’t tackle medical issues; Book tells people with serious foot conditions to come back when there’s a doctor volunteering time at the church.
By Matt Neace at sermonnews.com
The third mark of your life’s mission will allow you to …
3. Find the silver lining in every dark cloud
Responding to God’s call and maintaining it will lead to a positive, joyful attitude no matter what circumstances come your way. Paul wrote about his call while chained to a Roman centurion 24/7, awaiting trial before the deranged emperor Nero, who would render a verdict of innocence or death. Paul could have been discouraged and defeated. He could have whined about his circumstances. Instead, he looked to his call from God and he found the silver lining in his dark cloud:
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— … In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory. Ephesians 3:1, 12-13
The NIV offers a terrible translation of these verses. He was saying something like this: “Don’t be discouraged about my imprisonment. Have confidence because you’ve been given access to the God and Christ is faithful. His purpose will be achieved through this and more of you Gentiles will come to faith.” Paul viewed his circumstances as just another assignment on his path to fulfilling God’s call for him to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. Paul declared the message of Jesus Christ to the Roman emperor. This was all a part of God’s plan. Bad circumstances were not an obstacle to his call, they were a way to achieve it.
When you walk in your life’s mission that’s how you start viewing life. Even the disappointments and tragedies you experience take on meaning when you factor in God’s call.
Joni Eareckson Tada is an American Christian author, artist, and founder and CEO of Joni and Friends, an "organization accelerating Christian ministry in the disability community". She wrote an autobiography entitled Joni and appeared in a film of the same name. She has a daily radio program also called Joni and Friends, which has over one million listeners each week. "Cindy, I can hardly believe I’m coming up on 38 years of living life as a quadriplegic. Back in 1967, as a young teenager, I took a reckless dive into some shallow water in Chesapeake Bay that crushed my vertebrae and my neck, and that left me floating face down in the water, unable to move, unable to breathe. Thankfully, my sister pulled me up out of the water. They rushed me off to a hospital, where the doctors told me that I would be totally and completely paralyzed from the shoulders down for the rest of my life. "I begged my friends to aid me in suicide. I was so depressed, so discouraged...and when I was even brave enough to think about living life sitting in a wheelchair for the rest of my life, without use of my hands, I begged my friends to aid me in suicide. I asked them to bring in their mothers’ sleeping pills, their father’s razor blades, anything to put me out of my misery." Unable to use her hands after the accident, she learned how to paint by holding a brush in her mouth. She moved to California in the late 1970s, where she met Ken Tada, son of Japanese parents, whom she married on July 3, 1982. They continue to live in California. Joni has grown spiritually through her physical suffering.
God used her greatly. She has been a great witness for God and an encouragement to many. She has written many books… She has visited 35 countries sharing the Gospel. A movie about her life has been translated into 15 languages. In fact, it is very likely that God has graciously used Joni far more as a paralyzed woman than if she had never had the accident. God turned her mourning into joy. She has not chosen to serve God in a wheelchair, but God blessed her, and used her to bless many others.
Paul Carlson and Christian Cheong at sermoncentral.com
An agreeable career is great. Finding and living out God’s call is so much better. Your life’s mission is energized with the very power of God. -You get to reveal the Great Revealer. You will develop an appropriate smallness. You will find the silver lining in every dark cloud.
