God's Calling For Our Life

God's call on your life is unique to you and only you. God has never in the history of mankind created an insignificant human being. Of course there will always be people that make choices to follow a path that is drastically different than God's plan, whether they refuse to accept His invitation to become part of his family or they refuse to put the effort into growing stronger spiritually, or whatever, the facts remain that God does have plan for each and every one of us.

God's calling on your life is an individually based invitation that is personally addressed, personally written and personally delivered. And just like any other personal request, it demands a personal response. It demands action on our part.

So how do we know God's calling on our life? In my studies on calling, both in the Bible and in the lives of those close to me, I've noticed a consistent method at work.

1) God's Calling Is Personal - we are first called to a person. Jesus Christ. We receive Christ when we respond to his first call but our experience doesn't end there. In Colossians 2:6-7, Paul exhorts us to continue receiving Christ, making Him our foundation. The root of everything we do.

2) God's Calling Serves His Purpose - Scripture clearly links our calling to God's purpose. Check out II Timothy 1:8-9. God's purpose is all about people. He loves people so much He sent His son Jesus to die for us and provide a single path to live in His presence for eternity. If your purpose is not linked to people, then it's not a God inspired calling.

3) God's Calling Is Your Passion - What are you passionate about? The mission field? Serving children? Serving senior adults? Your passion should be a God-given pursuit that fufills your spirit. It doesn't mean you will love all of the tasks related to your passion, but it does mean that your spirit will be filled when you are operating right in the middle of your God-given passion.

4) God's Calling Has A Path - Water follows the path of least resistance. God's path is the antithesis of water's. God's path will very often take you through some tough obstacles. God's path is the path of a pioneer, and while it has its share of fun times, it also has its share of hardships. We learn and grow the most in the storms, not in a calm, placid sea.

5) God's Calling Has A Position - All of us have different roles and different positions as we journey through our life. Sometimes we are primarily a spouse, sometimes a father or mother, sometimes a care giver to our parents. When it comes to leadership, we assume too often that it's all about an elevated position. But God views us as leaders no matter what role or position we hold. God places each of His leaders in roles within and for His kingdom; we have roles in our family, church, community and workplace. The trick here lies in seeing our different leadership roles from God's perspective: we are there for the people that God places in our path. One or more of your current roles may seem small, but if God's placed you there, it's important!

The bottom line: if we are faithful in the assignments He's called us to - regardless of their perceived significance - then God knows He can trust us with other assignments? Extraordinary leaders treat every role they are in as important, because to God, it is.