Have you ever stopped and wondered what God has called you to do?

[OneLight]

1 hour ago, angels4u said:

Hi Alan,

For me, I find how older I get, how more I realize what life is all about, we're not going to be here forever and I pray that God will use me to bring more people into His Kingdom, Life is short and I pray that my legacy will be that I loved the Lord ,that's all I want people to remember about me.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, Hebr.12:1

 

I love to help in the Worthy ministry  and pray many people will come to the light of through this ministry, I have been here for many years now and I still rejoice very much when I hear somebody accepting Jesus as their Savior ! 

When we put Jesus first,it is amazing what He will do for us! 

God has given us all a gift and I believe mine is to encourage people as I'm a people person

Praise God for all He has done! My Savior lives

 

You sound like you are a planter of seeds.  I am more of like someone who waters as I continue to feed and nourish the seeds as they grow.  I stumble with words when talking to the lost.  Perhaps I am too direct?  Yet, when someone comes to me who already believes, it seems like a dam bursts with living water and I can help them grow.  This is what I feel God has me geared more to do.

[angels4u]

3 minutes ago, OneLight said:

You sound like you are a planter of seeds.  I am more of like someone who waters as I continue to feed and nourish the seeds as they grow.  I stumble with words when talking to the lost.  Perhaps I am too direct?  Yet, when someone comes to me who already believes, it seems like a dam bursts with living water and I can help them grow.  This is what I feel God has me geared more to do.

lol, I love to chat with people about the Lord and to encourage them when they are in need or down, I love people  and feel my calling is to be there for them, this world will fade away but everything done for Jesus will never fade away...I'm waiting for the day to see Him face to face!

 

[JohnD]

8 hours ago, OneLight said:

As I sit here reading through all the threads that catch my eye, I notice one theme that is evident, each of us believes we have something to give.  For some, it is encouragement from the heart, or an ear to listen to what others are going through.  It could be a hand to lift someone up or to hold the shield of faith big enough to cover both you and the one you are protecting.  Perhaps an eye to watch over others, or a nose to discern trouble or a blessing.  It may be a mind to help others think through their issues, or a mouth to speak the truth in every situation.  Some have feet to help people walk in the true peace of God, or it may even be the inner parts that go unnoticed such as gut felt prayer.  It may even be a backbone that strengthens the whole body and allows it to stand.

 

Have you taken the time to really know what God has called you to do and be in Him?  All too often we are far too busy to truly take the time to reassure that we are where we are supposed to be, doing what we are supposed to do.  I know that I have been far too busy with all the responsibilities I have taken upon myself to really give God the time He deserves, so as I ask this question to you, I am first asking this question to myself.

 

1 Corinthians 12:12-31 is what I am basing my question on.

 

For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.  For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.  For in fact the body is not one member but many.

 

If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?  And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?  If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?  But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.  And if they were all one member, where would the body be?

 

But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.  And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”  No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.  And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.  And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

 

Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.  And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.  Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?  Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?  But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

 

These verses made me stop and wonder, not about what office or position I would like, but what I am called to do in Him.  I understand that the gift He has given to me will move me toward a position in His body if I only took time to allow Him to show me.  What I am not sure of, due to my decision to fill my schedule with all kinds of responsibilities, is what am I in Him?  I have, in the past, tried to be all things to all people so I may reach everyone, to do everything, changing the parts as needed, unsure of what or where my strengths are.  In short, I have not truly taken the time to really know what my calling is.

 

So, have you taken the time to be sure you know what your calling is and given Him the time to mold you into what He has called you to be?  Something I think we all should seek with our whole hearts.

 

Believe in Jesus Christ.

Make the goal of you life's endeavors (whatever it is) a part of God's plan to evangelize the lost.

 

[Sower]

9 hours ago, OneLight said:

These verses made me stop and wonder, not about what office or position I would like, but what I am called to do in Him.  I understand that the gift He has given to me will move me toward a position in His body if I only took time to allow Him to show me.  What I am not sure of, due to my decision to fill my schedule with all kinds of responsibilities, is what am I in Him?  I have, in the past, tried to be all things to all people so I may reach everyone, to do everything, changing the parts as needed, unsure of what or where my strengths are.  In short, I have not truly taken the time to really know what my calling is.

 

So, have you taken the time to be sure you know what your calling is and given Him the time to mold you into what He has called you to be?  Something I think we all should seek with our whole hearts.

My initial observation of your concern of not knowing exactly what you are called to do, is you are looking for a label to call yourself, or to think of yourself.  Some identity.  I have a similar situation in that I cannot label my spiritual gift, or gifts. I ask people what they think my gift is, having known me thirty five plus years, and I get several different answers. But I am not concerned in not knowing. I believe the not knowing helps keep my pride in check, and does not limit where and what the Lord leads me to do. If there is something or someone before me and there is a moving within me to be involved, I simply acknowledge the Lord and act. I think what I read of your gift, your calling, is where you are, right now. Right where God has brought you. God used some very unqualified people to do His miraculous work, so that qualifies me. I think our willingness is the qualifier. Reading the above quote, it appears you have a desire for the brethren, and a love to reach the lost. If you will read the next chapter 13, after the 1 cor 12 that you posted,  we are shown the best gift, charity, love-affection-benevolence. Sounds to me you have that. I do not have to know my gift to produce fruit. I only have to abide.

 

 

[OneLight]

6 hours ago, Gary Lee said:

My initial observation of your concern of not knowing exactly what you are called to do, is you are looking for a label to call yourself, or to think of yourself.  Some identity.  I have a similar situation in that I cannot label my spiritual gift, or gifts. I ask people what they think my gift is, having known me thirty five plus years, and I get several different answers. But I am not concerned in not knowing. I believe the not knowing helps keep my pride in check, and does not limit where and what the Lord leads me to do. If there is something or someone before me and there is a moving within me to be involved, I simply acknowledge the Lord and act. I think what I read of your gift, your calling, is where you are, right now. Right where God has brought you. God used some very unqualified people to do His miraculous work, so that qualifies me. I think our willingness is the qualifier. Reading the above quote, it appears you have a desire for the brethren, and a love to reach the lost. If you will read the next chapter 13, after the 1 cor 12 that you posted,  we are shown the best gift, charity, love-affection-benevolence. Sounds to me you have that. I do not have to know my gift to produce fruit. I only have to abide.

I left out the first verses of 1 Corinthians 12, which pertain to the gifts, on purpose.  What I was speaking to is the calling on a persona life.  That is why I felt it important to bring in 2 Peter 1:5-11, which enforces the instructions to know what your calling is.  Gifts support your calling.  Yes, love is the key for if we had all the gifts and no love, it would amount to nothing.

Though we are always to be ready to give an answer for our faith, so the lost can know salvation through Christ, I also believe each of us should know our place in Him. 

For years I was comfortable not knowing where I fit in Him as I was too busy following what I read in scripture about providing for my family that I believed that was enough as long as I loved Christ and followed my ideas I got from my reading and studying, not fully knowing what I should be doing.  I also grabbed onto the idea that if you work hard you should play hard, so you had some sort of balance in life.  If I were to be blunt, I would have to say that we become so busy doing what we think we should be doing, we just keep plowing through life without really knowing what we were created for, what we are called to do; as long as we just keep doing something, we should be fine.  It is like walking through the woods without using a compass, zig-zagging our way to our goal.  We eventually will reach where we should go, but a lot of time and effort was wasted in doing so because we were so self confident we knew where we were going and refused to look at the compass.  Time and effort that should of been used more wisely.

You see, life today is so much different than life only 100 years ago.  There are so much to distract us, to keep our minds busy, that we don't spend the time with God like our forefathers did, as they had much less distraction.  This is a call to stop and take time seeking God so we can be sure we are doing what His has called us to do, to know what our calling is in Him.  Too many of us just ride the wave of life without knowing, which is why the body today has become so ill prepared to deal with the lost, so lost ourselves in distractions that we are no longer effective in our communities, in the lives of our neighbors. 

[OneLight]

9 hours ago, JohnD said:

Believe in Jesus Christ.

Make the goal of you life's endeavors (whatever it is) a part of God's plan to evangelize the lost.

That is something that should be at the forefront of every believer, yet is remains in the milk of the word as even the newest believer can understand we are to reach the lost.  I am speaking about becoming mature in Him where we know what we should be doing, what He has placed on our hearts to do.

When we mature in Him, we are changed for a purpose.  Discovering what that purpose is in each of us is where I want to take this thread.  The simplicity of all this is that some plant, some water, so God gives the increase.  Though we are one in Him, we each have their job to do.  Digging deeper, we see that there are functions within the body He has set up.  Just jumping in where one would like to be can, and often does, cause problems.  One may want to be a prophet when they are a teacher, or one may want something like helps but they are called to do something much more.  Knowing where we created to be is very important.  Just like when we were children, we use to sit back and daydream of all the possibilities in life.  When we mature, we whittle down the large list of what looks exciting to a more narrower list of what we have found we are both good at and what we enjoy doing.  Finally, when we mature to a certain point, we move in a certain direction.  The same can be seen as we mature in Christ.

 

[Sower]

"So, have you taken the time to be sure you know what your calling is and given Him the time to mold you into what He has called you to be?  Something I think we all should seek with our whole hearts."

I am a (old) carpenter. That is my calling. God has blessed me with His three score and ten, I am blessed. The verse stating Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I assumed was dealing with salvation, as some were leaving the faith at that time. Perhaps a wrong assumption. But I can learn. Rom 8:29-30  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

"What I was speaking to is the calling on a persona life". See above

"Notice that we are to strive by adding to one, then another.  Just sitting back and praying, waiting for an answer, is not really the way to move forward.  God already has given us instructions on how to know". For me, the tiniest bit of obedience confirms in me I'm doing His will. I fall back on the basics;"if you love me, keep my commandments"

I don't get too involved anymore with programs or current popular ideas on learning God's plan for my life, or just where I fit in. I have been a member at only one church since God has called me, a good church that preaches Jesus and Him crucified. As a carpenter, my "part" in the body became apparent early on, and have been blessed mightily. The regrets were only getting so involved in being a worker for God, and not allowing God to work through me. Not getting to know God, not abiding. I then learned,  as a grafted on branch, (believer), I was purged (pruned) by the Father, of the  unnecessary  vine growth (me) and began to produce more fruit. I can now see God in the tiniest things, the mundane work, and I'm lifted up. The cool glass of water to the weary stuff. A word, some sweat, a prayer, what ever called for at the moment. A great desire for God to bless me with some weary soul, lost or saved, to be encouraged or witnessed to. I guess my "spiritual" calling is simply to abide, to practice a presence of God, and commit to the tiny bits of obedience, as much as liest in me. Hope I stayed on topic.  "So, have you taken the time to be sure you know what your calling is and given Him the time to mold you into what He has called you to be?  Something I think we all should seek with our whole hearts."

 

 

[Dennis1209]

I'm deeply ashamed to admit this, but I'll be held accountable before God in the near future, and all will be revealed. So why shouldn't I give my testimony and admit it now in public?

I resisted God's calling for the vast majority of my life, decades, and walked in my own lusts and desires. I never turned an ear toward God to listen to what he called me to be and do. I'm now deeply saddened and regret my decisions and wasted life and opportunities to serve the Lord. I'm sure I'm not the only one in that boat. 

I have since sincerely repented, rededicated my life to the Lord and want to do the Lord's will and have prayed for His guidance and His will. I'm still trying to listen. Repentance is a wonderful thing that returns lost 'joy' back into your life. No amount of money, toys or things can bring permanent joy to your life.

[kwikphilly]

Blessings Brother.....

      I've obviously not been listening either,not for a little while now........I do know that I am an encourager,I'm never unable to see the good in anyones situation and with all HOPE in Christ I do my best to help them to see it as well,that in itself I attribute to Gods Glorious Ways,a Gift,the Gift to see the glass half full   But my Calling,at this time it is the "where" that I'm not sure of.......and as you have mentioned earlier,praying & sitting around waiting is not the right approach either-it's an excuse I think(for me anyway)    We can get comfortable where we are even though we are being prompted to move in another,new direction and therefore do nothing but remain where we are. These days I think I've been quite unproductive & ineffective,its high time to get in gear

    So,my answer to you is yes,I'm always asking but not always listening........isn't that funny? Asking yet not willing to hear,if I was I know there has to be more than what I am doing right now,which is not much imo    Not much to add at this time Brother,I'm struggling a bit       With love-in Christ,Kwik

[OneLight]

39 minutes ago, kwikphilly said:

Blessings Brother.....

      I've obviously not been listening either,not for a little while now........I do know that I am an encourager,I'm never unable to see the good in anyones situation and with all HOPE in Christ I do my best to help them to see it as well,that in itself I attribute to Gods Glorious Ways,a Gift,the Gift to see the glass half full   But my Calling,at this time it is the "where" that I'm not sure of.......and as you have mentioned earlier,praying & sitting around waiting is not the right approach either-it's an excuse I think(for me anyway)    We can get comfortable where we are even though we are being prompted to move in another,new direction and therefore do nothing but remain where we are. These days I think I've been quite unproductive & ineffective,its high time to get in gear

    So,my answer to you is yes,I'm always asking but not always listening........isn't that funny? Asking yet not willing to hear,if I was I know there has to be more than what I am doing right now,which is not much imo    Not much to add at this time Brother,I'm struggling a bit       With love-in Christ,Kwik

You understand what I am trying to say!  Yes, we get comfortable doing whatever we are doing, and feel that if we are doing something for God, it has to be right and accepted.  This is the scary part for me as He may very well use what I have done, but the question is, am I doing what I should be doing? 

You can hear the watchmen cry from the rooftops that His time is near; "Wake Up, fill your lamps, trim the wick and be ready".  Yes, we should, but what are we to do while we wait?  We should be about His work, and that means knowing what we are supposed to do so we can do it.  So many are stuck in their comfort zone, still debating the milk of the word, not growing in maturity so to digest the meat of the word and step out in their calling.  It's time to not only wake up and be ready, but to also wake up and do His work, the work we are created to do.