Deeper Still by phil mccallum | Archive

Look Out for the Called

No Comments 17 December 2009

Press the arrow to listen to “Follow You” by Leeland. It’s a perfect intro for today’s devotion.

Scripture
Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:10

Observation
I’ve been thinking about something for 10 years and today I’m ready to talk. A decade is a long time to keep something to yourself. It started with a conversation with a pastor turned carpet salesman. He was angry with his dead-end job. He felt worthy of better things because in his words, “I have the call of God on my life.” Selling shag or berber wasn’t his idea of God’s call. His words worried me, because they suggested that there was a first-class section in church of pastors who were called by God and back in coach were all the rest who somehow missed out.

But that is not what the Bible teaches. After 10 years of reflection on God’s call and every Christian, here are my thoughts.

The call of God isn’t just for pastors,
Every single Christian is called
For how can a person be saved without God calling them?

The call of God lures us to heaven,
And called ones bring heaven to earth wherever they go.

Called people are desirably different from the people around them,
That’s what holiness means.

Words like
hope,
freedom,
friendly,
praising,
blessing,
peace,
resilience,
and
determination,
describe them.

Every Christian is in full-time ministry.
God is their provider.
They are on God’s payroll.
So they are full time ministers.
Called ones are priests bringing people to God.
That’s a full time job.
Serving on God’s staff should motivate the called to be the best they can be.

Most of the called aren’t exceptional people,
But they do extraordinary things
All because of the call.
They are ordinary people in mundane places,
Eternal beings, zipped up in earth suits of builder, teacher, accountant or whatever vocation they may be.
Most of the time God asks them to stay right where they are when they were called
And make to a difference there.

Every called person has a spot
And around that spot is an audience
That no one can reach but the called person.
A builder can reach builders best.
A teacher can reach teachers best.
An accountant can reach clients best.
The called have their earth suit for a reason.

The called should be ready for the unexpected.
If they are faithful in their spot
There is no telling where God just might take them
Before they finally arrive home.

Application
My job for the rest of my life is to help ordinary people discover how extraordinary God’s call on their life really is.

Prayer
Father, help me to awaken called ones to live up to their calling. Amen.

My Return Address

Press the arrow to listen to John Waller “Still Calls Me Son” while reading about your life purpose.

Scripture
Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God…. Romans 1:1

Observation
If a letter should have a return mailing address, what should a human life have? There should be some kind of indication of who we are, where we are from and where we are going. The sentence should be short enough for a mailman to read at a glance. That one phrase should sum up our life.

When he wrote letters, Paul didn’t put a return address at the top, he put a simple statement about himself.

Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God…. Romans 1:1

That crisp set of words put his life mission in focus.

His core identity was as a slave in chains to the Messiah Jesus.
He had a calling to be a spiritual entrepreneur to launch new congregations.
He was reserved for a special work of whatever it took to tell the good news message.

We need that sentence, because when we end up at the wrong address, we know where to go back to. Life tends to take us away from living, because we lose touch with our purpose in the confusion of existence. As my mentor often said, we need to reinvent ourselves backwards, by remembering our original purpose and returning to it. Sometimes, when lost, it is best not to look for where we are going, but to return to where we began to begin afresh to find our way home. If we know our return address of life purpose, we can always retrace our life purpose to the start.

Application
That was a simple sentence to wake up to every morning and to give clarity to the day. Too often my sentence becomes fuzzy. I lose track of my core identity. I hear other voices and lose the call. I forget the special work. I need to refine my sentence, my core, my call, my commission.

Prayer
Father, today, sharpen my pencil and clarify the words that give me direction. Amen.