Your One and Only Life #7: A Calling Summary
A calling is a summons from God to a unique task based on His purpose. In His appointed time, God will summon you to receive your calling – a ministry assignment that is unique to you. It will be a task that He has prepared and equipped you to fulfill. The assignment will be based on what God is doing in the world in this generation. It will further His Kingdom in the world by meeting needs, solving problems, or extending values.
God uses a variety of creative methods to issue His callings. These methods can be organized into two general categories – direct and indirect. He may choose to summons you directly during your Bible reading, prayer time, or through His whispers. Or He may decide to summons you indirectly through another person, life experiences, dreams, or even angels.
In the same way, God uses two main approaches to reveal your calling – immediate revelation or progressive revelation. You may a sudden epiphany – an aha moment – in which your calling becomes clear. Or God may choose to gradually reveal your calling over a period of time.
A calling has five distinct components, but your calling may or may not include all of them. Furthermore, the sequence of components in your calling may differ from the diagram above. First, God summons you to Himself and commands you to GO somewhere or to someone. Next, He gives you something to DO – a specific action or a message to convey. Your assignment will require you to utilize your spiritual gifts, or in some cases, your natural abilities. Third, God will direct you to use your spiritual or natural gifts TO benefit a certain audience. Your audience will either be a group of people, such as new believers, or a social problem, like poverty. You serve your audience SO that a specific outcome will take place that aligns with God’s plans and purposes. The outcome may involve meeting a need, finding a solution, or extending a core value. Finally, God promises LO, “I will be with you” as you pursue your assignment and makes available to you all the resources of heaven.
My own calling came through listening to God’s whispers as I was reading the Bible. One Saturday morning in 1995 I drove to a state park to spend a day alone with God. It rained all day long, so not surprisingly, I was the only person there. Fortunately, I found a covered picnic shelter where I could sit and meet with the Lord.
I began by singing worship choruses. Then I bowed my head and asked, “Lord, what do you want me to do with my one and only life?” I opened my Bible and started reading through John 13-17.
First, I read the chapters quickly without stopping. Then I re-read them slowly and took notes. The third time through I read them devotionally. Whenever a verse jumped out at me, I stopped and asked, “God, what are You trying to tell me here?”
As I came to the last chapter, I sensed that God was about to tell me something important. My anticipation grew as I read what Jesus told His Father, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4).
Suddenly, I saw the answer to my question. God gave Jesus work to do on earth. His work was to die so that we could live. Then I realized that His work was something only Jesus could do. He was uniquely qualified for the assignment God gave Him. The last thing I noticed was that Jesus completed his work and God received glory on earth.
I realized these same principles apply to me. God has work for me to do. It’s work unique to me – something only I can do. And when I complete it, God will receive glory on earth. In essence, I recognized that God was summoning me to my unique assignment – to help other believers know and live out their calling.
God called me while reading the Bible in a state park. Undoubtedly, He will call you in a different way for you, too, have a calling unique to you. And in His time and in His way God will reveal it to you.
This blog post © 2013 Designed to Serve®
An excerpt from the upcoming book Your One and Only Life, © 2013 Steven A. Lake. All Rights Reserved. May not be reprinted, reposted, photocopied, distributed or sold without the expressed written consent of the author.
The eBook Your Own and Only Life will be published by the end of this year. Please signup to be notified when the book is completed by sending an email to Steve Lake right now.
Dr. Steve Lake is a retired educator with over 30 years experience in the American public schools. He has served in a variety of position, including teacher, elementary school principal, junior high principal, Associate Superintendent, retired from public education as Superintendent of Schools in Lincolnwood, IL. He has his Bachelors, Masters and Doctor of Education degrees from Northern Illinois University. For the past 25 years Steve has attended and been a member of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington and Northfield, IL. At Willow Creek Steve has taught adult classes on spiritual gifts, life purpose, and spiritual disciplines. He has ministered overseas in Angola, Zambia, Honduras, Germany, and Russia. Steve is co-founder of Designed to Serve, a ministry that equips Christians to live out their unique God-given calling. Steve is married and has two adult children who are married.
