Photo: A promotional church bulletin cover for one of my seminars on Encouraging Mentors

Many of us receive what we may describe as crank or scam calls. Such callers are only aiming to get from you what they want but never give you what you need. In addition, there are many “calls” that rush at us the moment we awake in the morning. Famous Christian author C.S. Lewis has warned us to not allow such voices to wreck our day and defeat us even before we begin. Instead, he urges us to reject competing voices who call us and instead focus completely on Jesus.

It is the identity of the call which determines whether that call to your heart and mind is merely a call or a calling. When Jesus calls us, we need to listen to him with full attention. To all who receive Jesus as Saviour and God, your call becomes a calling that envelops all your life. Jesus calls each of His genuine disciples to live and bear lasting spiritual fruit for God’s glory and for the eternal destiny of others (John 15:16).

Acts 9:15 reveals how the Lord Jesus called Paul in the first century AD to be His chosen representative to the non-Jewish world. In response, Paul testified that he was not disobedient to the heavenly vision or calling from God (Acts 26:19). He was even willing to suffer and be imprisoned for living out his faith in Jesus. To Christian believers in his day, he said: “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received (Ephesians 4:1, NIV). God has a plan and purpose uniquely designed for you. While urging others to act faithfully in their calling from God, Paul was deeply aware how he also needed to consistently live out his God’s calling and purpose and to finish his life well. He wrote…” I press on toward the goal to win the prize for what God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14).

Next Step: Discipline each and every thought and action of your daily life in fulfilling your calling from God as you intentionally choose to obey His Word.