Mensa Otabil - God's Calling
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Welcome to a brand new week! This week, we’re going to look at some important ideas that affect the way we live our lives and the way we respond to God. We start with Romans chapter 8, verse 28: «And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.» We’re going to focus on the phrase, «according to His purpose.» We know that all things work together; that’s another aspect of it. But God has called us according to His purpose. To experience the fullness of life that God wants us to have, we have to accept and live with the mindset that God has called us and that He has called us according to His purpose. God’s calling for us is always a high calling; it is the highest calling.
What do we mean when we say something is a high calling? It means that, among all the things that draw our attention-people calling you to do one thing, people calling you to do another, or even things you want to do for yourself, along with the things your parents want you to do — above all those calls and demands, there is a higher demand that God is placing on our lives, and that is what we call His higher calling. It goes higher than everything else, and we have to come to that awareness within ourselves. There is something God wants us to do that is higher than any other thing we want to do in life. If we find ourselves in that higher calling of God, we will achieve our highest output, our highest significance, and our highest joy.
Now, God’s high calling for you is also referred to as His perfect will for you. This means it is a perfect fit for you; it is the perfect thing you are meant to do with your life. God’s high calling for me is not going to be the same as God’s high calling for you, and your high calling may not be the same as His high calling for your spouse. The place that God has designated for each one of us is based on what He has called each of us to do. So if God calls me to do «A,» He will create a spot called «A» where I fit in, and only I will fit in that space perfectly. Other people may try; they may pretend, imitate, or copy, but nobody is going to fit in the place that God has designated for me. This is a mindset we must have: that God has a calling for our lives, and that calling is according to His purpose.
To truly live our lives in a way that brings significance to ourselves, we must be where God wants us to be. It’s a very simple truth, but it is very difficult to obey. Why? Because life is full of imitation. Human beings are prone to imitation; we learn by imitation. We learn to speak by imitating others, and we learn to walk by imitating people. Much of what we do in life involves imitating someone else. There is value in imitation, as someone may have done something right from which we can learn. However, when it comes to the calling of God, there is no imitation; there’s only originality. This is why it’s challenging to find our place in God’s calling: much of our lives have been programmed for imitation. We have to pray that God gives us the grace to be followers of His higher purposes, rather than mere imitators.
That also means we must be ready and prepared for where God wants us to be, as it will require significant change. It may make many demands on us. What God wants you to do with your life may sometimes be uncomfortable for you, but if you follow Him, yield to Him, and prepare yourself for Him, He will take you to amazing places and do amazing things with your life.
Let us pray. " Heavenly Father, You have called me according to Your purpose. I will be what You want me to be. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.»