The Bible says that God calls us or elects us to trust in Christ, so what do you do when God has a calling on your life?

He Calls

If you read any of the prophets and even the apostle’s letters, in the very beginning they always write that it was God Who called. It was not something they did on their own. The Apostle John wrote that it was “to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13). Not once in the Bible did a man or woman call themselves. God called the reluctant Prophet Jeremiah (Jer 1), God called the Apostle Paul, who was “an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God” (Col 1:10), even if it meant striking him down on the Damascus Road. It was not by the will of Paul. It was said of Lydia that “The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul” (Acts 16:14). Even our own calling to salvation was not by our own efforts. Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44). “No one” is clear enough isn’t it?

He Equips

God doesn’t call the equipped but He equips the called and I am thankful for that. If I depended on my own human efforts, there is nothing of any significance that I could do. It is God Who gifts the person. It is He Who calls us for a particular work. God wouldn’t call someone to a ministry or work and then leave them ill-equipped. If God has called you to something, then He’s equipped you for that something, whatever it is. Now, find it!

He Provides

Since God has called and equipped believers, then He will also provide the means for them to do it. God has the entire universe at His disposal and needs nothing from anyone, so trust God, because if He’s opened the door, He’ll provide the funding you need to walk through it. If not, either wait at the door, or find another door. God would not call you to something and then not make it possible for you to do it.

He Empowers

Saint Paul Writing His Epistles by Valentin de Boulogne (public domain).

It was Paul himself that wrote, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13), but this does not mean that Paul can do anything he wants, or he can do all things through his own strength. He admits it is “through him,” meaning Jesus Christ that he could do all things. In fact, without Jesus Christ, we can’t even do nothing at all for God (John 15:5), but again, these “all things” must be within the sovereign will of God and supported by Scripture.

He Enables

If God has called you, and equipped you, and provided for you, and then He will no doubt empower you. He will enable you like an electric extension cord when it’s plugged in. Without the power, an extension cord is only as good as a second rate tie cord you can use (poorly) to tie something down, but that misses the purpose of that cord! It’s meant to be plugged in, and we need to plug in to our calling, whatever or wherever that might be. It is nothing until we are plugged into the will of God that we can do anything at all. That’s opposed to doing nothing without Christ.

Who God Calls

If you remember the story of Gideon, he was hiding for his life, in a winepress, trying to thresh out some barley so that the starving Israelites could eat. He would have been the very last person you’d expect to call for such a might work. Why would God even call him to command such a small force against a powerfully dominant enemy is a mystery to many? The Midianites were skilled, experienced soldiers. Gideon’s men were shepherds and farmers. Gideon was the least of his tribe and in the least of the tribes, but to God it didn’t matter. Even though Gideon was the “runt of the litter,” it was God who was doing the calling, and because of God, Gideon was able to go before the enemy’s thousands with only 300. As you may know, the enemy was destroyed.

Gideon learned to trust God step by step.

In the World’s Eyes

The world would not have chosen such a man as Gideon, but remember; God chose a young, lowly, humble shepherd boy to be the second king of Israel in David; Israel’s greatest king (next to Christ), so don’t ever think you can’t contribute to God’s work just because of what the world thinks of you; it’s what God thinks of you that actually matters! You’ve probably heard this before: God never calls the equipped; He equips the called. That does seem to be true when you look back at church history. Often, it’s the last person you’d ever expect to end up as a giant in the faith. Never underestimate anyone because God can work through anybody He chooses. And when He chooses, He will equip!

God Rejects the Proud

If someone feels that they’re already equipped to do a ministry and need no assistance from God, they may not be called in the first place. God will stiff-arm anyone who is full of themselves and feels that they are self-sufficient. God is opposed to the proud and will only extend His grace to the humble of heart (James 4:6).

God Looks at the Heart

Thankfully, when God calls, He knows who the best fit for a particular ministry is, and He doesn’t look on the outside. You know that “The Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7). God can see the heart; we cannot, therefore, He is infinitely more qualified to make that call than we are. Trust Him. I do.

Conclusion

It would make no sense for God to call us to a task, but not qualify us to do the job or equip us for His work. God always provides a way for His will, and we can have confidence in that, but God only calls the humble because He looks at the heart and not on the outside. God would not call you and then not equip you. God may choose to call someone we think isn’t qualified, or maybe God calls someone and they think they’re not qualified, but it is not our choice. God always equips those who He calls. It’s not about ability; it’s about availability. Ninety percent of serving is just showing up!

Here is some related reading for you: In What Ways Are Christians Called to be Like Jesus?

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Tagged as: calling, Election, God's Calling, serving