“Yes, each of you should remain as you were when God called you. Are you a slave? Don’t let that worry you – but if you get a chance to be free, take it. And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, you are now free in the Lord. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 7:20-22 NLT)
Calling can be confusing when we try to separate what God has created and equipped us to do, and what “calling” looks like specifically as a follower of Jesus. We often hear the expression “called to ministry,” which can be misleading when we consider that EVERY believer is “called to ministry.” “Ministry” is service for the Lord in whatever manner and in whatever setting we serve. Our life is an act and avenue of ministry.
While I was called to serve a specific congregation as their Pastor, God also “called” me to be a salesman for a secular company. Was one position more “spiritual” than the other? Not from God’s perspective! God’s call extends to whatever we do from day to day, whether “sacred” or “secular.” From God’s view EVERY area of our lives is “sacred,” meaning, He sets us apart for sacred use in whatever setting we find ourselves, whether in the kitchen making a meal, on the assembly line, making a living, or in an office, making a deal.
Calling to “ministry” has come to be reserved for those who serve a church, religious or Ministry organization, but Biblically, EVERY believer is called by God to represent Him in and through whatever we do. But here’s the point: we don’t “call” ourselves into whatever we think we might enjoy doing.
Calling is of God. He knows us best, after all, He designed us to be exactly as we are and who we are. But sometimes we have, or come to have, distorted views of who we are and/or what we’re “called” to be by outside “forces,” either drugs, alcohol, prescribed medication, demonic oppression or even demon possession.
But let’s be clear, a child of God CANNOT be possessed by a demon, and we need not fear demonic activity. The clear basis of “calling” is communication with God. Foundationally, all communication with the Lord is sacred and personal. It may, and often does, have implications for service in various ways and in manifold types of arenas, but whatever He calls us to must render glory and honor to the Lord or it’s not God’s call.
Ivan Mesa wrote: “We don’t choose our callings; by definition, we’re called to them. Repeat: God calls us; we don’t call ourselves.”We’re initially called to be God’s child by virtue of the new birth through Christ alone by faith alone. But that’s only the beginning of our calls.
Perhaps it would be clearer to think of “call” as “instruction,” or “Spirit-direction.” For example. As a believer I’ve been called to marriage, ministry, mission, and miscellaneous other assignments that have included working at a newspaper, selling cars and insurance, working with a moving company, as well as having positions of Ministry with churches.
In my retirement, my primary “calling” is to write this blog and to reach my neighbors for Jesus, as well as love my wife, children, and grandchild like Jesus would love them if He were me. So, to the extent I allow Him full access to me, He flows in and through me to carry out His ministry.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 