Embracing God’s Call on Your Life

In Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus, he prays their minds to change perspective to see “the hope of [God’s] calling” on their lives.

I don’t pretend to be any kind of Bible-interpreting expert, but I do know that following God’s call on our lives is important enough to mention a few times.

With that said, Paul doesn’t want the church to miss the specific and unique calling God’s placed on each individual.

We are in need of the same mind enlightenment today as the ancient church at Ephesus, to know what God is calling us to do. He put us each here with a purpose to ultimately make His name known to the ends of the earth, to be salt and light to those we meet, and to bring God honor, glory, and praise in what we do.

To believe we aren’t part of this plan is to have a faulty understanding of the Father. God didn’t and doesn’t forget a single person.

Part of enlightening our minds is God’s revelation to us that we are not forgotten, that He always planned for us to be involved somehow.

God doesn’t show all that He’s planned specifically for us in advance. He shows us one step at a time. One day at a time. One moment at a time.

If He showed us much more than that, the majority of us (me, included) would probably be too overwhelmed and frightened by the scope and scale to pursue His plan.

God can use us in such big ways we can’t fathom if only we trust Him with each small step we take.

So many people have been led to serve in remote countries or places that are openly hostile to the gospel message. Some people have seen their journaled, unlikely-to-actually-happen dreams become reality, or a hobby become a thriving business. God uses our small acts of faith and stewardship for big, kingdom-sized impacts.

For so many of us, we underestimate our role to play in the grand scheme of things.

Rather than believe God can use anything and everything we offer up to Him, we buy into the lie that we are only us, with few strengths and nothing to offer.

In our eyes, teaching the children in Sunday School, playing an instrument in the orchestra, singing in the choir, leading a small group, working electronics in the sanctuary, doing our jobs to the best of our ability everyday we go to work, etc. seems such a small thing compared with the globe-trotting missionaries in Africa or China.

These small offerings of our service seem inconsequential in the mission to spread the gospel. What are we really accomplishing for God in these quiet acts of obedience?

The fear mindset holds us firmly in its grasp, refusing to let us be used by God in big ways or allowing us to believe that’s even possible.

We sit in our comfortable church pews hearing about the courageous missionaries risking their lives around the world and doing good work in our cities, wondering how our seemingly insignificant contribution could be used to make any lasting impact on the kingdom of God.

“What could God use me for? I have nothing to bring to the table except _________.”

Fill in the blank with whatever it is you bring to the Lord’s table but feels so small as to be unusable by God.

Let me assure you, sister, whatever you bring, God can use. It is in your act of obedience, no matter how small, that God begins to use those gifts in big ways.

Remember we were not given a spirit of fear by our Father.