{"id":888,"date":"2023-02-01T04:08:35","date_gmt":"2023-02-01T10:08:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/?p=888"},"modified":"2023-01-31T07:09:52","modified_gmt":"2023-01-31T13:09:52","slug":"know-your-calling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/know-your-calling\/","title":{"rendered":"Know Your Calling"},"content":{"rendered":"
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One of the things that stands out to me about both Jesus and Paul is that they knew the work that God had called them to do. In John 17:4 Jesus comments that He has completed the work that God gave Him to do. Similarly Paul often refers to his calling and staying focused on what God has called him to. (Acts 9:15, Philippians 3:13-14).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

General vs Specific Calling<\/h4>\n

The Bible makes it clear that we are all called into a relationship with God (1 Thessalonians 2:12; Ephesians 4:1-6; 2 Timothy 1:8-9). This is a general calling. We are also called into specific ministries. Paul was to take the gospel to the Gentiles. Peter was called to bring the Jews to repentance. Our specific calling might be raising a family, running a business, leading a church or worship group, or other ministry. For RW as an organisation, we are called to create a wholistic discipleship movement. You hopefully have been called to play a specific role in making that happen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How are we called?<\/h4>\n

While the Bible shares little about any specific moment of calling for Jesus, we know that, as God the Son, He voluntarily took on the calling to redeem mankind. This calling was given from before the foundation of the world (Isaiah 42:6-7; Psalm 2:4-8; 1 Peter 1:20). \u200b\u200bPaul\u2019s calling came in one dramatic encounter (Acts 9:1-19).\u00a0 For the disciples, while they were specifically called to follow Christ, a full understanding of what God was calling them to do took time. In Mark 10:37-38 we see that they were still confused about exactly what Jesus was asking them to do.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If we are unsure about what God is calling us to focus our efforts on, then take time to pray and ask Him to bring clarity. It might be that, like for the disciples, it takes time to become clear. Continue to ask God to bring clarity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The benefits of calling<\/h4>\n

Some of the benefits of knowing your calling include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Focused:<\/b> For all of us there are many great opportunities to serve God, but there is also limited time. It\u2019s easy to become overwhelmed by all the possibilities for how we can use our time. Knowing exactly what God has called us to do can help us to focus and remove distractions. In Mark 1:38 Jesus was not distracted by the pressure of people.<\/span><\/p>\n

Endurance<\/b>: In the life of Paul we see that right from the beginning he was told that he would suffer for the cause. Even as he went to Jerusalem, not knowing what would happen, he was still willing to go because he believed that it was what God was asking him to do (Acts 20:17-35).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

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