God's Mission and Our Calling

God’s mission and our calling are very much connected.

God is at work redeeming the world to Himself. He also calls workers to labor in His field. We are called to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. We are called to be ambassadors of Christ. In Luke 4:18-19, Jesus reads this in the temple, “‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’” He then states in verse 21, “‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’” Jesus had just recently been baptized and fasted for forty days in the wilderness. He knew who He was and what His task would be.

We are anointed for a task. “On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If a man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’”( John 7:37-38) This verse speaks of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit after Jesus ascends into Heaven. We need to be reminded of who we are in Christ. We are blessed with the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit not only convicts us of sin but equips us for good works. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10) The Holy Spirit is also described as our comforter. We are not alone. God has promised not to forsake us or abandon us.

We are blessed to be a blessing. If a person only thinks about his own happiness, he will never be content. We are all growing old and will not live upon this earth with our current bodies forever. “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:17) The Holy Spirit is to flow through us and we are supposed to be a blessing to other people. In life, we each have different callings and gifts. We all have a sphere of influence. Isaiah 61 tells us we will be called oaks of righteousness; a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor. We should be about rebuilding, restoring, and renewing all elements in our culture.

I am believing this year will be a year of the Lord’s favor upon your life. Again, we are blessed to be a blessing. We should not squander God’s blessings but be a steward of God’s blessings. I am believing God for greater opportunities to be a blessing to people this year. It is so important to take our eyes off of ourselves and to keep them fixed upon Jesus. We are to be the salt of the earth. We are to be the light of the world. Perhaps one good place to start is with your neighbors or people associated through your work. The Holy Spirit will lead you to know who you should reach out to. ~Charlie DeTellis