Saturday, February 12, 2011

What is my calling or my vocation?



This question has been on my mind for some time.
Perhaps it has been plaguing you as well. Or maybe you are sure, dead-set, knowing God's intention and plan for you. What does God want me to do with my life? Regardless if you are certain or wondering - this section from John Frame's Doctrine of the Christian Life gives a much needed light on the subject of calling/ vocation:

"Although the term 'vocation' suggests a divine revelation to each individual of God's assignment to him, the Reformers did not consider vocation to be a special revelation. Special revelation is limited to Scripture. But God gives each believer wisdom to discover how God has gifted him and how he can best use that gift in God's kingdom. That wisdom should of course be compared with the wisdom of other believers, who can help us to evaluate our gifts. It would not be wrong to describe this process as 'existential revelation'... In vocation, God enables us to apply the principles of Scripture to our own lives and to our circumstances. In this process, we come to see God's will for our lives and to gain assurance that we are in the place where God wants us to be.

Vocation comes to us, then, by way of
(1) God giving gifts to us,
(2) the [Holy] Spirit enabling us to discern those gifts through self-examination and through the confirmation of others in the church,
(3) God providing oppourtunities for us to develop and exercise those gifts,
(4) God providing wisdom so that we can use those gifts
[a] in ways that glorify him,
[b] extend his kingdom,
[c] fulfill his mandates,
[d] and in the end enjoy him forever."

- John Frame, A Theology of Lordship: The Doctrine of the Christian Life (Phillipsburg, New Jersey: P & R Publishing, 2008), 312-313. 

Whether we are called for Christian ministry, or called to work an honest job -
one thing is for sure: that we be apart of the local church. There we serve God by serving others, consistently having Colossians 3:21 as our focus:
"And whatever you do, in word or deed, 
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him." 

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