It is an overwhelmingly profound thought to realize that I have been called by God Himself and that His first calling is that I should be His. Even as I begin to absorb that truth and structure my thinking around it, I am still aware that in that calling God has a purpose for me to fulfill. A purpose, a calling that is not the definition of my significance, but an outflowing of the significance I possess because of Who has called me. He has called me to be His and to accomplish His purposes through me. I am not only called BY God, I am called FOR God.

This whole calling business isn't really as complicated as we make it out to be. We spend so much time trying to figure out what we are supposed to do. We ask the questions:

What did God make me to do?

What do I like?

What am I good at?

What can I make money at?

Will I be successful?

What will make me happy?

Will what God wants me to do make me happy?

What if I make the wrong choice?

We get so focused on our own self-fulfillment, our own success or failure, that we kind of miss the point. You and I haven't received a calling so that we can be fulfilled or happy, although those things are likely to follow as we answer the call. When I put my own fulfillment in the driver's seat as I consider calling, I forget that it isn't about me. God's calling is never about me. God's calling is about GOD.

When I first had the opportunity to work as a pastor, I had a great sense of fulfillment, a sense that I was doing what I was meant to do and I enjoyed doing it. That was exciting and made going to work fun, although it was overwhelming for a while as I had a lot to learn. As time has gone on, that feeling of fulfillment in the work has an ebb and flow, like anything that becomes familiar. Yet, at my core I have an overall sense of fulfilling the call that God has placed on me, doing the work He has created me to do, doing what I am meant to do FOR Him.

The tricky thing in pursuing this calling is to remember that it IS about God. If I am obeying Him and giving Him my best, then I am successful, even if things don't turn out the way I think they should or in a way that others recognize as being a success. It can be very difficult not to evaluate my work based on how I am feeling at a particular moment or how others respond to what I am doing. I have to remind myself that my life is not my own. I am called by God FOR God.

And, my friend, you are, too.

Key thought: I am called BY God FOR God.

A Scripture to Consider:

"It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing" .Ephesians 2: 9-10 MSG

A YES Challenge:

How do you evaluate your calling? What do you consider success?

Prayer:

Dear Father, I so often choose my direction based on how I feel. I really do want to please You, but, if I am honest, I often evaluate my options based on how they please me. Help me to remember that my primary purpose is to accomplish Your purposes, not to feel fulfilled or successful. I will trust You to fulfill me as I seek to live out the calling You have placed on me for Your success, not my own. My life is Yours. I say YES. Amen.