I’ve been writing here recently on the subject of call and vocation. I firmly believe that our call or vocation flows from discipleship to Jesus Christ. That is why the terms “call” and “vocation” do not solely or primarily apply to those doing “ministry” in a professional or other ecclesial sense. Call is a disciple’s life.
Often, people I am discipling or counseling are flustered when I propose that we should seek the will of God and expect an answer. Nevertheless, I must continue to propose that the entirety of a disciple’s life is subject to the will of God. There is nothing that can be set aside. By becoming disciples of Jesus Christ, we have submitted ourselves to a long, deep obedience to Jesus in order that we may be children of our Father in Heaven. This obedience is long, because it will last the rest of our lives. It is deep, because it touches every fiber of our being. It touches every place where we have to make a choice.
At first, this might seem overwhelming to disciples who realize that they do not know what God’s will is or how his character works. Nevertheless, over time, through being discipled and mentored and through the discipleship norms of the called community – the church – a disciple discovers how to discern and do the will of God. As maturity develops, certain things become a given. Other things are still battled out day to day.
One of the first habits of this kind of discipleship that may develop is the perpetual, momentary inquiry as to what God desires us to do with the next moment or the next several moments. Surprisingly, even when we have a relatively structured day, we have a lot of moments in which God may speak. We have a lot of moments in which he can guide us into something we never would have expected. This could occur in conversation, in thought, and in action. Often, this is strengthened by mini-pauses between events, so that we may listen to God’s “well done!” and discern further direction.
There is no escaping this long, deep obedience, once we have committed to discipleship. God will not allow any part of our life to escape transformation. And this is to our benefit. For we must always remember that any untransformed, unredeemed part of our life will not survive the transition to the New Heavens and the New Earth. God found it good, right, suitable and excellent to put that part of us there in the first place, and now he still finds it good, right, suitable and excellent to be transformed into something that we will have for eternity.
Thus, such submission to transformation – as unpleasant as it may be – is worth the effort, the pain, and the difficulty – in order to have something that will last. So let us away with the survival mode tactics of what I can get away with and still be in the will of God, or it hurts too much so I’ll wait, and dive in! We will find the reward worth the struggle – and more.
Therefore, I propose an alternative solution: I’ll try posting more on vocation and call and deal with as specific a topic in each post as I can manage. Then, we can generate genuine discussion through rather briefer comments.