A New Calling

https://odb.org/MY/2021/10/30/a-new-calling

Some of us experienced a dramatic and radical change in our lives after knowing Jesus like from a hard core criminal to a lifetime witness for Christ in today’s ODB life illustration. Or from a leading persecutor of believers of Christ to the preeminent theologist for Christ whose thoughts formed the fundamental and foundational tenets of our faith in the case of Paul. Some of us might have been fully indulgent in the 3 vices – women, drink and gambling but turned a new leaf when we got to know Christ. Yet some of us might have only seen a less dramatic but still significant change in the sense that we now have a new purpose in life, we are developing a new worldview of things, we know our final abode is heaven, we live a life of service and sacrifice – a paradigm shift indeed after knowing Christ!

The point I like to make this morning however is that this new calling that we find as we know Christ may or may not be as dramatic and life changing – but I believe it is not a one off only thing at conversion. I believe God may still have a new calling for us after years of serving Him in what we would have thought was our calling in Christ. We are all work in progress and as we grow maturity and faith in Christ, Christ may have a new calling for us.

Just last week my boss discussed with me a new role that I could play in our department at work, doing more strategic stuff which is in phase 2 of our transformation road map but hastened due to the current developments in the chips industry. As what we do at work continues to evolve to the ever changing business and global environment, our calling in Christ may also evolve as situations change and we change in maturity, anointing, experience, skillsets and character.

In church, I have always been involved in music. Started as a guitarist, then went on to play a bit of bass and then worship led. I have been doing this for more than 35 years now. But over the past 5 to 10 years I see my role in Christ evolving to be a shepherd taking care of a group of young people in a cell to perhaps shaping the spiritual mindset of a congregation through the pulpit. I believe that God has more for me in future and that should be the same for all of us.

Are we content in doing the same thing in church day in day out for the past 20 years? There is virtue in consistency and yet the world and the spiritual realm is ever evolving. As believers and as a church, we all need to evolve and do more. For example, if we are retired and have all the time in the world, we could form teams to visit members of our congregation or open up our homes for fellowship, rather than leave that to a few people. In the process, we will touch the family members of those we visit or those who visit us. More could be done among us and others if we believe that we ourselves can do more, instead of doing nothing much staying at home. Spiritual life cannot surely be a life of self enrichment. Faith without good works is dead and so is spiritual growth without service – it is meaningless.

In summing up, I think we may have a new calling in Christ even as we advance in age. Respond with action and I’m sure we will all see the glory of God manifested through us as we embrace our new calling!