Practical Tools Archives - Fireplace Faith

You have asked the question, "What's my calling in life?" But to be honest, you don't always know. As you progress in life, you wonder, "Am I living my calling?" "Did I miss something?" Many mistake their primary "calling" from God as their career, family, education, or even location. Then, feel if those areas are uncertain, they must be missing their calling. These are not your first calling in life. Then what is your calling? In this post, we will explore the Bible's answer and give you two steps for responding to the call on your life. 1. Hear the Call Israel was a tiny tribe of about 70 people when it went to live in Egypt with Joseph. Fast-forward 400 years, and Israel had grown into over 600,000 people and had been turned into Egyptian slaves. After the famous story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt, God led them into the desert, and for the first time in their history, they were their own nation. Like any brand-new nation, Israel needed a set of rules and a constitution that the country would live by. God, through Moses, wrote this constitution, giving laws and regulations in a series of books called the "Torah" to guide the people as a nation. In Deuteronomy, the last book of the Torah, God gives Israel this law to their nation. "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Dt. 6:4-5)." The word "hear" in the original language is šāmaʿ, pronounced "Shema." And it means to "Hear, Listen, and Obey." God was giving Israel a "calling" to obey as a nation. That calling? To love the Lord with all their heart, soul, and strength. The nation's calling to be in love with God was forever inscribed in its constitution. This calling became an anthem, a mantra for the people of Israel, and was called the "Shema." To this day, every Sabbath, the Jewish people recite the "Shema," reminding themselves that their primary calling in life is to love God with all their heart, soul, and strength. This reveals God's heart for a nation and for his people. Fast-forward thousands of years, and Jesus is being asked by the Pharisees what the greatest commandment of God's 613 laws is. Jesus answers by reciting the Shema "(Mk. 12:28-30). "One of the teachers of the law…asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Remember that this isn't just a great teacher giving his commentary on what, in his professional opinion, is the most significant law for humanity. This is Jesus, God in the flesh, commenting on his own words! This is God himself telling us what is the most important thing for a human to do with their life! The "calling" for each individual's life is to love the Lord with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is the purpose of humanity. In other words, here is your life calling. Pursue being in love with God with all that you have! This is why those who do not know God are so lost and empty inside. They are missing the primary calling for their existence. No wonder they feel purposeless! Enjoying this Post? Subscribe to receive more content! JTNDc2NyaXB0JTIwc3JjJTNEaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZmaXJlcGxhY2UtZmFpdGgubXlrYWphYmkuY29tJTJGZm9ybXMlMkYyMTQ4MjMyMjY3JTJGZW1iZWQuanMlM0UlM0MlMkZzY3JpcHQlM0U 2. Obey the Call Remember how the word "hear" in Hebrew also means "to obey?" Knowing you should love God with all you have is not enough to fulfill your calling. You must respond to the call. When I was a missionary in Colombia, I shared my testimony with Cocaine addicts at a rehabilitation center. (I share the entire story here). Then, I gave a call to see who would like to come into a relationship with Jesus. A family came forward, husband, wife, and child, all addicted to cocaine. "I feel like you and I have lived the same life." The husband said to me. For the longest time, I could not figure out how he believed that because my life was nothing like his. Looking back, I realize that it wasn't the details of my life he was responding to; it was the emptiness I explained feeling when I was living life without a relationship with God. When I spoke about how every human heart is designed to be in love with God, (Learn how to rekindle passion for Jesus here) and it is the only way to fill the emptiness inside, he came running forward in response. Many believers think they will find fulfillment when they reach their "calling." Then, when they finally get a spouse, have children, and get a career, they still feel empty. It is because your calling is not a destination or thing to be achieved. Your calling is being in love with Jesus. (Learn more about how to find your secondary callings here) The Bible points to this message: Receive God's love and grace and love him back to the best of your abilities. That is it! Thinking this way shifts everything about how you set up your life. When I experience pain, I realize that life isn't about overcoming or avoiding pain but about learning how to love God with my whole heart, even in pain. When I experience blessings, I realize life isn't about obtaining blessings but loving God with my whole soul amidst the blessings. When I experience life transitions, move to a new location, and grow older, I realize the one constant is still keeping my focus on Christ and loving him with all my mind. Whether I have a job or am jobless, whether I have plenty or am poor, I realize life isn't about the money or career but learning how to love God with all my strength in every stage of life. God did not make all our callings impossible. He did not say you must be a stadium-filling evangelist like Billy Graham, a best-selling Christian author like Rick Warren, or a famous Christian athlete like Tim Tebow. Instead, he gave a calling to all believers that is possible for believers to live out. Yes, we will all have different tasks God asks us to do. But the calling remains the same for the people of God. As long as you can look at your life and say, "I am trying my best to love him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength." Then, you can rest knowing you are walking in your calling. May each day we pray not, "God show me my calling," but rather, "God show me how to be even more in love with you today." What do you do to help you feel more in love and connected with God? Let us know in the comments!

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