Life is a paradox. We want to plan for the future and provide for our loved ones but must also learn to live in the “now.” We want to enjoy living our lives and explore everything yet we have a deep sense to fulfill our call and only live for the Lord. Spiritually, believers are complete in Jesus but we are in a state of continual mind renewal to be transformed into the very image of Christ in this world. We want Jesus to “come quickly” but we are to be about our Father’s business seeing the continual increase of his kingdom through our influence in the world. Each human on the planet has their own responsibility to follow God and experience His provision yet we are to clothe and feed the poor, take care of widows and preach the Gospel in all the world.
These ideas are not either/or, they are to be lived simultaneously. Living content in everything, in every situation but always desiring God’s glory to be fully manifested in every situation. I don’t call it tension, I call it life. These ideas create tension when we approach our “call” from a mind set that we’re somehow not fulfilling our purpose if we’re not doing enough. Lack, in any form, should never define our call.
Have you ever felt like you weren’t fulfilling your call?
Have you ever felt like you were always waiting for something to happen?
Have you struggled with feeling like you’re not doing enough?
Everyone feels that way at times, you’re not alone. The truth is we can never do enough to repay God for the salvation we’ve been given in Jesus. The good news is he’s not asking us to repay him, he’s wanting us to enjoy our salvation. In fact, He created this planet for us to enjoy life and our relationship with Him. Life has never been about finding out what we’re supposed to do for God.
Our purpose is to be God’s child. Once we receive Christ’s righteousness, we have fulfilled our purpose. From there we are free to discover our call. But if we never walk out our call we are just as valuable to God, just as righteous, just as spiritual, just as saved as any who does many great works in His name.
We find a tension in our redeemed state. The greatest strength and source of peace we can experience is through resting in the complete work of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. The paradox arises as we’re resting. Never again are we to work for righteousness, blessing, favor, wisdom or acceptance but when these spiritual blessings bear fruit in our hearts, all we want to do is make an impact in people’s lives with the love of God.
A mature believer’s paradox is to rest in him but give up our lives to the degree that the only things we do are the things that our Lord would lead us to do. Every believer wants to only say and do what God’s spirit would lead us to say and do but the believer who doesn’t do that from a place of completeness in Christ will experience a conflict, feeling like they’re not doing enough.
The only way to truly discover your call is to be rock solid in your purpose of being God’s child.
Philippians 4:6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
Take some time to listen to this message in which I go into much more detail about these ideas.
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