Vocational Disciplines (2)

But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever elseYou may send.” So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and He said: “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do. So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God. And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.” So Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brethren who arein Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.”Exodus 4.13-18

It can take a while
We have said that every believer must discern his or her calling from the Lord, the vocation within which we seek the Kingdom and glory of God in every area of life. This can take a while, as we see in the case of Moses. But even as Moses finally gave up arguing with the Lord and accepted what God had prepared for him, so we too may expect to discern the Lord’s unique calling for us.

We have further said that we can expect to discover that vocation within the confluence of our burdens, past experience, skills and abilities, and opportunities and needs. Seeking the Lord with these matters in mind will help us to discern areas of personal growth, church participation, and earning our daily bread that will fill up and improve the time we have each day for seeking the Kingdom and glory of God.

One’s calling from the Lord can change, of course, but, even if it does, we still need to be able to discern where the Lord is leading us. Vocation involves how we use our time within that sector of the Lord’s vineyard where we have been sent like Him to bring near the Kingdom of God (Jn. 20.21). All our time comes from the Lord. It’s His time, on loan to us, and He expects us to receive, invest, improve, and return it to Him at the end of each day, radiant with His glory and praise (Eph. 5.15-17; Matt. 25.14-30).

So, having discerned our calling, we need to embrace it.

The Lord our supply
Why would anyone hesitate to fill up the time of his or her life seeking the Kingdom and glory of God? Like Moses, we can all think of “good reasons” why we’re not the one for this or that area of service. Or why it’s just too much trouble to try to improve our walk with the Lord. Or how we just don’t have the time. Or the skills. Or whatever.

But the calling from our Father to seek His Kingdom and glory doesn’t go away simply because we choose to ignore or minimize it. One day He will require an accounting on our part, and we want to make sure we will receive the “Well done, good and faithful servant” He desires to pronounce over us. The sooner we embrace the idea of God’s calling – that He has a unique calling for each of us as citizens and ambassadors in His Kingdom – the easier it will be to accept the particular calling God has prepared for us.

At some point, in other words, we’re going to have to say “Yes” to God – to the idea of calling and the fact of His unique calling for us. We’ll know that we’ve embraced the idea of God’s calling when we’re seeking Him in prayer, in His Word, and in the confluence of those four areas previously described. We’ll be on the way to discerning our individual calling when we seek the counsel of wise friends, church leaders, co-workers, and those who know us best.

Once you’ve discovered and embraced the Lord’s calling for your life, the next step is to demonstrate that embrace by, well, taking the next step.

Next steps – always
In Moses’ case the next step was to gain his father-in-law’s blessing. Not a bad idea, that. If we have become aware of God’s leading in a particular direction, we can embrace and firm up that calling if our loved ones, colleagues, mentors, and so on extend their blessings. If they do, they may even be around – like Jethro was for Moses – to help us fulfill that calling (Ex. 18).

And fulfilling your calling, whatever it may be, is always a matter of next steps. God does not call us to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Granted, our next steps may be a little scary at times – think of Esther going into the king, or Peter stepping out of that boat. But God has promised to light our path with His Word (Ps. 119.105), to fill and lead us by His Spirit (Eph. 5.18-21), to guide us into all truth (Jn. 16.13), to be with us always (Matt 28.20), and to direct our steps (Prov. 3.5, 6). For our part, we need to keep moving in directions that will find us working out our salvation in the confluence of our burdens, experience, skills, and opportunities, for the glory of God and the progress of His Kingdom.

I recall a “Miss Manners” column that I read some years ago. It’s pertinent to our discussion. Miss Manners was asked by a young girl who was getting ready for her first prom how to walk in high heels. Here is Miss Manners’ response, in full: “Right foot, left foot; right foot, left foot.”

Embrace the calling God is putting before you, then start looking for the next steps that will get you moving in the direction of His Kingdom and glory. He’ll meet you as you do, and will help you every “right foot, left foot” of the way.

Next steps: Let’s assume you have a sense of God’s calling for you in His Kingdom and for His glory. Have you embraced that calling? What “next steps” can help you get moving along in pursuit of that calling? Talk with a trusted Christian friend about these questions.

T. M. Moore

This week’s study, Vocational Disciplines, is part 5 of a 7-part series on The Disciplined Life, and is available as a free download by clicking here. We have prepared a special worksheet to help you begin getting your disciplines in proper shape for seeking the Kingdom. Write to T. M. at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for your free PDF of the “Disciplined Life Worksheet.”

A rightly-disciplined life requires a Kingdom vision, and that vision is centered on Jesus Christ exalted. T. M. has prepared a series of meditations on the glorious vision of Christ, based on Scripture and insights from the Celtic Christian tradition. Order your copy of Be Thou My Vision by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.