On March 10, 1876, the first phone call was made. Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor, called his assistant, Thomas A. Watson. \u201cCome here,\u201d said Bell to Watson in the historic call, \u201cI want to see you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God\u2019s Summons to His Service<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n God is not like Mr. Bell. God\u2019s call is not a one-time event. His posture toward us is one of continual calling and invitation. The Christian is urged to \u201cwalk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called\u201d (Eph. 4:1) by living the \u201clife that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him\u201d (1 Cor. 7:17). In essence, God tells us, \u201cThis is who you are,\u201d and then he opens our eyes to how we should live in response to that call. Jesus gives us heavenly CPR, breathing the Holy Spirit into our lifeless lungs, and then invites us into \u201cgood works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them\u201d (Eph. 2:10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n To put it another way, there is work to be done. But this too starts with God. God is the first and greatest worker, and the Scriptures reveal a God who enjoys his work. He pronounced his creation \u201cgood\u201d and then invited his children into the family business. He could have kept snapping his fingers and making new babies, gardens, and homes. Instead, he blessed his children with vocation. They make babies. They work the ground. They harvest food. They cultivate the world. Though God certainly works in supernatural ways, his work is more often of the regular variety. He feeds the world through farmers, funds business through bankers, and cultivates beauty through artists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet calling gets more practical too. We are custom made by our Creator to fill a place and fulfill a destiny. We are summoned to serve a purpose. Arriving at that purpose requires us to answer certain questions that excavate our individuality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, how am I endowed? As created beings, we are hardwired with certain strengths and talents. These gifts, some of which are spiritual (Rom. 12:3\u20138; 1 Cor. 12:4\u201311; 1 Pet. 4:10\u201311), are not accidental. They speak to us of a path God invites us to travel, where we find roles and service compatible with our giftings. It\u2019s like discovering the sport to which our equipment belongs. Exploring the question of endowment (which includes asking others!) helps guide you toward your vocational call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, what have I experienced? The question of vocation meets us on a road already traveled. Men are not newborns. They arrive into adulthood having passed through significant experiences. A broken home, a college scholarship, a wayward sibling, an uncle in rehab, and countless other milestones along our journey shape our calling; our calling is vitally connected to our story. Paul\u2019s upbringing, education, and experience with Christ made him a unique witness to the Gentiles (Eph. 3:1\u20139; Phil. 3:3\u201311). Luke\u2019s training as a physician probably made him more credible and conscientious as a historian (Luke 1:1\u20134; Acts 1:1\u20133). Understanding \u201cwho I am\u201d and \u201chow I got to be this way\u201d are crucial questions in interpreting my experience and identifying my calling from God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last, what do I enjoy? Men are not dispassionate, lifeless beings. We have passions, desires, aspirations\u2014things we enjoy and feel irresistibly drawn to do. They elicit pleasure from us, and when we\u2019re honest, we often feel God\u2019s pleasure in the pursuit. \u201cGod made me fast,\u201d said Eric Liddell. \u201cAnd when I run, I feel his pleasure.\u201d Vocation often follows passion and ambition. It is conceived when desire marries pursuit. It explores what makes us thrive. The question of enjoyment asks what pursuit brings us the greatest pleasure for the utmost glory of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first phone call began with the words \u201ccome here.\u201d The first call from Jesus began with \u201cfollow me.\u201d Following Jesus means we come to him and learn who we are: sons and daughters of the king of the universe. But Jesus never stands still for long, and so our coming to him always results in our following him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before Jesus calls us to do, he first calls us to be. From that place of intimacy, where we are loved, known, and accepted, we can learn to hear the voice of God calling to us. He is calling you today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How will you respond?<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Excerpt from ESV Men\u2019s Devotional Bible<\/em> \u00a9 2015 by Crossway. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n