Everyday Christianity: First Things (5)
But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches… Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. 1 Corinthians 7.17, 20
We are what we think.
The way Christians thinks about the life of faith determines how we live that life, and how we practice what we believe.
One may, for instance, hold the view that life eternal, once received, involves little more than holding on against the pressures of the world, the flesh, and Satan until the Lord returns to take us to our home with Him forever. We go to church, enjoy our Christian friends, and participate in such Christian activities as appeal to us. We want a Christian life that is good enough for us, and when we reach that, we settle in for the duration.
This way of seeing the Christian life contains truth, to be sure. But it can lead to a rather passive life of following the Lord, with little risk, a minimum of discipline, and not much striving to improve in grace and the knowledge of the Lord.
A step up from this is to see our life in Christ in terms of mission. As we have seen, Jesus sends us into the world as leaven, salt, and light to bring the Good News of salvation to the lost. A mission view of Christian life adds to the good enough view some activity of reaching out with the Gospel. We must prepare and be equipped to tell the Good News, that many more may learn of His redemption and be saved.
Of course, this view also contains a measure of truth. But if mission becomes the defining activity, much else can be left undone.
A calling to ministry
Less frequently we hear the Christian life referred to as a calling. We’ve seen that this is true of our life in Christ—we are called to Him and to His Kingdom and glory—but we have a more restricted view of calling in mind here, which entails some special class of Christians who have received a “calling” from the Lord to preach His Word or undertake some other form of “full-time ministry.” A “calling” comes from God to those He has called to Jesus and to His Kingdom and glory, that they might consecrate themselves, prepare, and follow Him into the special work He has made ready for them.
And yes, there is some truth in this as well. But this narrow view of calling, since it is relegated to a small and select group, obscures the larger truth of Scripture concerning calling. For, in a very real—indeed, essential—way, all believers are called to the work of ministry.
Called to ministry
Each of us has a calling from God. Within that calling, we are set apart to Him for holiness. We are saints. We want to improve our calling, to bring holiness to completion in the fear of God (2 Cor. 7.1; 2 Pet. 3.18). We abide in the Lord and grow in Him within the particular calling He has given for each of us.
Every saint exists within a context made up of relationships, responsibilities, and roles, to which God sends us day by day as His ambassadors and witnesses. This is our calling as a follower of Christ. Every day we encounter new situations or opportunities where we apply God’s grace and truth in wisdom for His glory.
In this life of calling, God draws us to Himself, that we might find in Him the strength and grace to do our work with gladness. The called life knows two states: the state of work, for which God has redeemed us, and the state of rest, in which we are refreshed in Him.
The state of work involves all the relationships, roles, and responsibilities that take up our waking moments. We are agents of grace, ambassadors of Christ and His Kingdom, salt, light, and leaven in every situation, with all the people, in whatever we do and how we do it, so that grace spreads to others, God is glorified, and praise and thanks rise increasingly to Him (2 Cor. 4.15).
Our times of rest find us reflecting before the Lord on the work we have done, reclining into Him and His Word for spiritual and bodily refreshment, and planning and preparing for the work we will do on the morrow.
Work and rest define our calling in Christ at every moment, every day.
This sense of calling is the proper way to view our lives as Christians; rhus, we must make sure we understand what it requires and how we must pursue it. The work we’ve been given to do as the called of the Lord includes, but is greater than, the job at which we work. This calling is the arena, unique to each one of us, in which we pursue and express our everyday Christian life.
We are the called. This is our calling. Every day.
For reflection or discussion
1. How would you explain your “calling” from the Lord?
2. How can you improve your sense of being “on call” as an ambassador of Christ and His Kingdom?
3. Do you think it would make a difference if all those who are called lived out their callings unto the Lord? Explain.
Next Steps—Preparation: Who are the people in your context, your calling, the people you encounter day-in and day-out? Begin praying specifically for each one, and for yourself, that you might have grace to share with each of them.
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
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This week: Our Read Moore podcast is from the book, Patrick: A Devotional History. In our Crosfigell teaching letter, we are studying examples of the spiritual poetry of the Celtic Revival. And in the daily Scriptorium column we are working our way through the Gospel of Matthew. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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