The House on the Rock

Articles - Denis Podorogniy

Seven Truths About Your Calling

What is the purpose of Life?

Now days many people come to Jesus to be free and find new life. Being a believer and following Christ has become a tradition for multitudes around the world. Nevertheless, so many of us have questions about the purpose of our life. We often hear people ask “why do we live?” Everywhere people are searching for fulfillment in their soul…they want to be satisfied that they did something that really mattered for eternity.

People can answer differently: “we live for our grandchildren; to go to the University; to build a house; to give birth to children.” All these things are good, but you cannot consider them your purpose for living. There is more to life than living just for common things.

Maybe you think that millionaires have a great life, did you know that many of the richest men live in fear? There are many examples where rich and famous people come to the end of their life, senselessly suffering from drugs, alcohol, depression and loneliness. Wealth and celebrity don’t guarantee you happiness. So, is it worth it to live for money?

Some people pursue money just to survive and not for luxury. Maybe you are consumed only with having a car or an apartment. Bachelors think to be married is the most important thing. Married couples have problems and dream about reconciliation. The poor dream to increase their income. The rich dream to keep their prosperity. The sick dream of being healthy. Some have all these things but they are still unhappy.

In spite of our needs may be, we can not find the purpose of our life without knowing the One who created us. The purpose of our life cannot be found in our needs or desires. True, there are many things which we need and we have to progress to reach them, but these things cannot be our goal in life.

Only the Author of Life has an answer to our purpose for life. When a person lives by his own thoughts and makes his way by himself he will never be satisfied.

It is interesting that many people know the purpose of different things surrounding them, but they don’t know their own purpose. The answer to knowing our purpose is found in realizing the calling of God for us. A person who has not found his calling has emptiness inside. Though nonbelievers resolve this problem by pursuing a career, in reality, a person is unable to distinguish his true purpose without the Creator. If we want to know why and how we should live, we must go to God to get the answer so we will have no complaints at the end of our life. When God created us He designed a plan for us. Before we were born, He had designed all our days. (Psalm 138:16)

God has a determined purpose for each man. Everybody has a specific calling for what we should do in this world, and in that alone we will find fulfillment for our life. God knows our destiny before we are born. Jeremiah 1: 4-5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

Jeremiah did not start prophesying the moment he was born. He did not start pursuing his purpose as a child, but in time he found it and began to walk it out. To walk in God’s plan for your life takes time. You have to grow into it and develop in character.

When we hear teaching about “callings” at church people often think, “who am I…Apostle or Prophet?” They are like little children who cannot choose a future profession (to be an astronaut or a president). Later people understand that not all are apostles or teachers but each one has his own calling and a unique plan given by God.

Paul was called to be an apostle from birth, though he didn’t realize it until later. Galations 1:15-16 “But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace…..” Many Christians just attend church on Sunday and call themselves parishioners, but to be a member of Christ’s body means much more. Just like in a human body, each organ has its own purpose and there are no unnecessary parts. In the Body of Christ, everyone has a purpose and when a man understands his purpose he is able to move through circumstances with confidence and reach his goal. Paul said about himself in 1 Corinthians 9:26 “Therefore I don’t run like a man running aimlessly…” , and in Phillipians 3:14 “I press on toward the goal to win the prize….” No one in the church is without a calling. God forgets no one, and your call exists whether you realize it or not.

Many Christians want to know God’s will for their life, but they do not understand how to reach it. Here are seven truths about the call of God that I believe will help you:

1. It is Irrevocable –

Romans 11:29 says, “For God’s gifts and his calling are irrevocable.”

What does this mean? Does it mean that the call has an evil destiny and cannot be avoided? Does it mean if my calling is from God it will come true even if I quit. Some think God is an aggressor (or violator) in our fate and he will make us do what he wants by force.

All of this is wrong.

Just because we are called does not mean it automatically comes to pass. The call is irrevocable but a man can do stupid things himself and reject it. Psalms 135 says, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” If God tells you to do something but you refuse, you will not be able to soothe your conscience. There is no place where a man can flee from God. For example, Jonah’s call was specific to him though he didn’t want to fulfill it, but God didn’t change his mind.

Sometimes people think that if they don’t desire to fulfill it, then maybe God will changed his mind as well. God doesn’t function like this. We can run from our call, but our call will never change. It is our fault if the call is not fulfilled.

2. It Requires Faith –

Hebrews 11:8 says, “By faith Abraham when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” There is a big difference between faith and knowledge. Some think if they are called, God will make their way clear ahead of time, but we can not fulfill our calling without faith.

You will always encounter things you did not expect. The way is not always covered with flowers and everything is not always easy. There are moments we have only faith to rely on. If we had known everything beforehand, we would have been afraid. We can go through difficulties thanks to God’s supernatural support, grace and strength. And so we go step by step.

Consider the Bible story about Moses. He was put into the basket on the river with crocodiles, but the basket was in God’s hands. The same is true with Abraham who went to a country he didn’t know about. He didn’t know what to expect there, but he went because God had told him to and he went without knowing the details. This is the moment of faith. We enter our calling by faith. You can not separate your calling from faith.

3. It Requires Preparation –

Some people worry when God has not used them after three or four years have passed since they came to Jesus. A great calling starts with great preparation. Remember Moses was not 18 when he lead people out of Egypt. At first he lived in Egypt for 40 years, then for 40 years he was a shepherd in the desert. God spoke to him by the burning bush when he was 80.

Was he called from the beginning? Certainly, he was, but he didn’t enter his calling from the beginning. He tried to do his best for his people when he was 40, but it ended sadly and he had to live in exile. By the time he was 80 the character of Moses became mature. Being in the desert helped develop him. He pastured sheep for many years and when it was time to pastor God’s sheep he was ready for it.

Consider Joseph. He was called to save God’s people from the coming famine, but he had to go through many difficulties along the way. In the right time he was appointed to be Pharaoh’s adviser, and to rule Egypt. He had wisdom by God’s anointing, and because of the experiences he endured. God prepared him as he brought him through these unpleasant circumstances. God is preparing His people for His work. We become stronger when we are made to overcome grief, endure injustice, resist sin, and keep steady in faith. Only then God begins to use us. A time of preparation is required to emerge your call.

4. It Comes at a Specific Time –

Everyone experiences times of decision in their Life. We must be careful to acknowledge God in these moments of choosing. He helps us to know what to do.

When a man is about to go out of the country to make money, God can say “Stop! I don’t want you to go there.” We can argue with God by explaining how much money we will make there, but God does not change. We must always give preference to Him and not our own ideas or other peoples desires for us. We should remain committed to His will when there is opportunity to go another way.

Some opportunities He will lead us to seize because they will never come again. Take the story of Esther for example. She was taken to the Kings palace and it seemed at first that it was by chance. When a difficult time came to the Jews, Mordecai said to Esther “if you remain silent at this time relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”

Thankfully, she recognized the opportunity God was giving her. How we respond in such moments will determine if we enter our call or not.

5. It Requires Sacrifice –

We never enter the fullness of our call without paying a price for it. Matthew 16:25 says, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” The things of God are precious, and they are not obtained cheaply. Jesus paid a high price for us and he expects that we esteem the call as much as he does. Our obedience to Him will reveal how much we value His will and his ways for us.

Our way on the earth is the way of sacrifice. It is a good sacrifice when we leave our sins, pride, selfishness. We can not enter our call having all these things. Sometimes God points to things in our life and says “If you want to follow me you will have to renounce those things.” One time God asked Abraham to give him a sacrifice,… it was his son. For some people their job or hobby can stand before them fulfilling their call. It should never be so. God is a jealous God and nothing can take His place. If we want to follow Christ we have keep Him in first place. We have a price to pay, but it is worth every penny.

6. It Requires Faithfulness –

Fulfilling a great call starts with faithfulness in little things. Luke 16:10, 12 says, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much……And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?”

A man can not be a director of a plant if he stays idle. In Japan managers are required to work in every position and understand every job, otherwise he will not be able to manage (or to run the plant). A manager must know practically, not merely theories.

How can we enter the great call if we have not done the little things first. If a man dreams to take care of many people or to reach many people but he isn’t willing to serve the few, he dreams about great things in vain. Such a man can not enter his call.

7. Serving Comes First–

Very often a man having gained understanding about his call begins looking for help from others. “Help me to enter my call,” he says, however, first you should be faithful to your leader and help him in his call, and then God will bring someone to help you.

Joshua Nun did his best to do what Moses had told him. He was faithful to Moses and to God’s plan. This is why Moses choose him to lead the people.

When the prophet Elijah called Elisha to ministry, Elisha left everything and followed him. When the time came for God to take him up he asked Elisha to leave him. Elisha answered “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” He made a decision to serve Elijah.

He could have said, “I am ready to be a prophet. I have served Elijah and learned from him and then I left him when he himself asked me to.” But Elisha did not leave him…he fulfilled his duty to Elijah and he inherited a double portion of his anointing.

God always uses people who were ready to help others enter their call first.

Today you may be Elisha who serves Elijah but tomorrow you can be Elisha who has the double anointing. Today you may be Timothy who serves Paul, and tomorrow you may be a pastor in a city like Ephesus.

Knowing these principles will help you to enter into the fullness of your call.