My Purpose??

That our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 1: 11-12

A calling…from God…

Hmm…

The Merriam Webster online dictionary states that a calling is, among other things, “a strong inner impulse toward a particular course of action especially when accompanied by conviction of divine influence.”

A.Strong.Inner.Impulse.Toward.A.Particular.Course.Of.Action…

The definition suggests that this strong desire comes from inside. It is not ordained by other people or circumstances, like a job or a profession. It is an urgency that originates in our soul. For the child of God, it’s the nudging of the Holy Spirit that moves us toward certain direction, action, activity or task. As the Scripture above states, it is from God and He is the One who makes us worthy of it.

That’s great…but…

Does that mean I have a God-appointed calling?

And if so, how do I recognize it?

The Bible study on 1 and 2 Thessalonians that I am currently doing puts it this way:

“Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?” yes _____ no______

“If your answer is yes, then child of God, you have a ministry, a calling.”

I guess that takes care of the first of my two questions above. If Jesus is my personal Savior, I have a calling that was given to me since before I was formed in my Mother’s womb. (Psalm 139: 13) We need not to wonder. Every child of God has been set apart for a purpose. 

Now, how do I figure out what that purpose is?

I have a feeling we may find some clues in Scripture. Let’s see…

Deuteronomy 14: 2, “for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession.”

Luke 10: 27, He answered, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

1 John 4:8,  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 

Hmmm…

In summary, we see here that God chose us to be His very own “treasured possession.” We are the apple of His eye. (Deut. 32: 10) Then we learn that Jesus strongly confirms the mandate to Love God with all we’ve got as our number one task. Therefore, it is valid to say that our chief purpose is to be His and to love Him. Paraphrasing what The Westminster Shorter Catechism states, the chief end of the children of God is to glorify God, and to rejoice in Him forever! 

So…

Do I have a God-appointed calling? 

You betcha! And so do you, child of God!

Our main and most important God-ordained track, purpose, calling, ministry is to be His child and to love Him above all…to glorify Him and to enjoy Him for eternity. And the only way to love Him is to know Him, for He, Himself is Love. Without Him, there is no possibility of love. That is our course of action, to bring God glory as we walk hand in hand with Jesus alongside this valley of tears. And the fuel that ignites our strong inner impulse toward this goal is Love, which is God Himself. What an incredibly divine riddle!

Today, let us digest this truth.  Tomorrow we will continue to explore the ramifications of this discovery and we’ll reflect on where loving Him, and glorifying Him may take us next.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit--fruit that will last--and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. John 15: 16

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