Have you ever read Kisses From Katie by Katie Davis? You should! In the book Katie Davis is telling the story about how she gave up everything & went to live in Uganda & adopt 14 local children & taking care of literally a village, all because God made a calling on her life. I highly, highly encourage you to read it, great perspective.
I'm not all the way through the book yet, about half way, & I have been so moved by how sold out Katie was on her cause for Christ. Her life assignment. Her calling! I can't say that I am feeling a call to move to a desolate land & give up everything about my life, but I am being challenged to look at my life & evaluate the place that Christ has for me. What's my specific purpose? What direction does he want me to go in?
Christ has placed a calling on every Christian's life. Some, like Katie Davis, figure it out early. Some take a bit longer & make mistakes that lead them to their calling. Some know their calling & choose to ignore it.
I have heard to many people think that the only way to answer the calling for Christ has been to go out on to the mission field & leave your life behind. This is not always the case. Colossians 3:23 says "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men". Whatever you do. This is not permission to do whatever it is your heart desires & say your doing it for the Lord. This isn't sitting at a bar getting drunk with the locals & saying your "ministering" to them. This isn't saying go minister to the women at the Magic Mike movie or the girls down at the strip club. Not at all! Vs. 23 is saying that whatever job or life situation or class your in, work at it & do it the best of your ability as unto the Lord. Bust your tail there, because you would for Christ...work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.
We are all placed in different jobs, situations, life circumstances, physical locations & our ultimate calling is to live & work & share in the place we are. 1 Corinthians 12: 4-11 says that we each have specific gifts & talents to use in our daily lives, no two are exactly the same as are no two people the same; "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to teach one the manifestations of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he demands."
Those verses are specifically talking about spiritual gifts but a little lower in my bible, the commentary says "Specific gifts, places of service, & activities vary but they all have their best effects when they build up the body of Christ. God creates a unique place in the body for every believer. Part of the exciting adventure of following Christ involves discovering one's service contribution & then making it available to God."
We each have a calling a place God wants us to be, a place to serve him, but where is it? How do we figure it out? Luke 10:27 says it very clearly, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart & with all your soul & with all strength & will all your mind". Do that, love Christ with every part of your being, & He will lead you to the place He has for you. It may be Uganda. It may be across the country. It could even be in your own front yard, but He will lead you to it if you love Him with your entire being & you use your life to serve him.
We all have a mission field & you wake up every morning to your mission field. Our calling can be our jobs or at our church. It could be in another country or it could be helping those who need it in your own town.
I've found my calling....behind my lens. And I will shoot (photographically) as unto the Lord.
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