TO WHOM HAS GOD CALLED YOU?

TO WHOM HAS GOD CALLED YOU?

 

First and foremost, God has called you to himself—to get to know him, love him, and glorify him. But has he also called you (asked you to follow him and obey him in a specific way) to minister to a particular group or certain age range of people?

 

For whom does your heart break? Whose cries echo in your ears? Few thrills compare to the discovery of your life’s calling, including specifics about who, what, where, or how you are asked to humbly serve. If you have already heard the details about to whom you are called, jot that down today in thanksgiving. If not, ask the Lord to reveal to you ministry opportunities to the general population, as you prayerfully surrender to his will and await further instructions from him.

 

HAVE YOU HEARD THE CALL?

 

Do you gravitate toward church pastors who are computer illiterate, anxious to teach them how to prepare a PowerPoint presentation? Has God specifically urged you to pray for the lepers in Calcutta, India, or to support the orphans in Tijuana, Mexico? Do you feel compelled to visit those in jail? Do you ache for children who have special needs, for your church’s youth ministry, for those adults with no church family, or for visiting missionaries? Are you a friend to unwed mothers, the homeless, elderly, oppressed, fatherless, or widows? Are you drawn to those who are indigent, fire victims, orphans, hearing impaired, house-bound, or war veterans? Do you feel led to work with a parachurch organization to reach the unsaved around the world? Renee Stearns, an attorney, wouldn’t trade God’s call on her life for all the money in the world.

 

RENEE STEARNS RECEIVED AN EARLY CALL FROM GOD

 

For twenty-eight years, Renee has been the wife of her college sweetheart, Rich, who is president of World Vision US.

 

Before starting a family, Renee served as a legal services attorney for the poor. Over the years, she has raised five children and been active in church ministry as a speaker and teacher. God has given Renee the privilege of partnering with him to accomplish his purposes in the world, whether that is to take a stand against the AIDS epidemic, feed the poor, or comfort widows and orphans.

 

If you had asked Renee, as a child, what she wanted to be when she grew up, she would have clearly told you, “I don’t want to be a nurse or a teacher. I only want to help the really poor people.” Since becoming a Christian in her teens, Renee has learned that her relationship with Jesus Christ is a lifelong process of growth and development. She knows that it is far more than a spiritual veneer; it is a journey of obedience to

Christ and his Word. This attitude continues to take her deeper in her knowledge and understanding of who God is and what he desires for her life. She loves looking to him daily for her next step.

 

She says, “What breaks my heart is that too many people refuse to accept the call, because they feel that the world’s problems are too overwhelming and that their contribution would be insignificant. The truth is that God is watching to see what we will do with what he has given us, no matter how much or how little that is.”

 

To Whom Has God Called You? Philip Was Called by God

 

Philip, the evangelist, was one of seven men chosen by the apostles to serve the early church by ministering to the Greek speaking widows and the poor. He also was given another targeted assignment, this time from an angel of the Lord who said: “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” Philip obeyed God, met an Ethiopian, and baptized him upon the man’s request. Read Acts 6:1–6 about the widows and Acts 8:26–40 about the Ethiopian. Philip was called specifically to minister to widows and to an unbeliever. In what general way is Philip’s calling also our calling as Christians?

 

SCRIPTURE TO PONDER

 

[God said,] “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

 

SUGGESTED PRAYER

 

Dear God, before you formed me, _________, in my mother’s womb you knew me, before I was born you set me apart. Today I pray that you will continue to direct my footsteps. Work in my life, so that I can more clearly hear to whom I am called. Help me as I yearn to know my next step on the journey of serving others.

 

So . . . What Insight, Prayer, or Action Step Has God Laid on Your Heart Today?