Experience Joy: Fulfill Your Purpose, Pursue Your Calling
William Barclay, Scottish author and minister, wrote something very profound, “There are two great days in a person’s life-the day they were born and the day when they discover why.” We are ready now, after considering your personal mission, vision, core values, culture, gifting, and passion, to discuss purpose and calling.
Earlier we referred to the verse, “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable [for He does not withdraw what He has given, nor does He change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call]” (Romans 11:29). This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible because we know that since God never changes, His will never changes as well. We can rest in the stability and finality of His purposes in our lives.
Let’s look at the difference between purpose and calling. As a child in the Presbyterian Church I memorized this belief, “The chief end of man is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever” based on Psalm 145. Pause and think of that for a moment. We are offered the privilege of not only loving and obeying God but enjoying Him. Jesus said, “But now I am coming to You; and I say these things [while I am still] in the world so that they may experience My joy made full and complete and perfect within them [filling their hearts with My delight]” (John 17:13 Amp).
When we consider the difference between purpose and calling, our purpose is to glorify God and make Him know to the world around us. The means to accomplish this purpose is our calling. The purpose is most important but you can’t achieve it without your calling.
We each have a purpose and it is to love, worship, and glorify God, fulfilling our role in His greatest epic story of time and eternity. John Eldridge in his book, “Epic” writes,
“Something has been calling to you all the days of your life. You’ve heard it on the wind and in the music you love, in laughter and in tears, and most importantly in the stories that have ever captured your heart. There is a secret written on your heart. A valiant Hero-Lover and his Beloved. An Evil One and a great battle to fight. A journey and a Quest, more dangerous and more thrilling than you could imagine. A little Fellowship to see you through.
This is the gospel of Christianity.
Now-what is your part? What is your role in the Story?
In truth, the only one who can tell you that is the Author. To find our lives, we must turn to Jesus. We must yield our all to him and ask him to restore us as his own. We ask for forgiveness for our betrayal of him. We ask him to make us all he intended us to be-to tell us who we are and what we are now to do. We ask him to remove the veil from our eyes and from our hearts.
We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish…”
One author writes, “Calling is the road you take to get to purpose. Purpose is the destination. In Christ, we all have the same destination but we have uniquely different road to get to this destination.”
That is your calling, the uniquely different road that you have been exploring for weeks now. What is your calling? Ask the Author and Creator of your life. He is revealing it to you daily, and if you stay close to Him, He will direct you through His Word, prayer, and the circumstances in your life. Stay close to Jesus and I can promise you will not miss it.
This is His promise to Jeremiah, to you, and to me, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). And this is His design and calling, “For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us]” (Ephesians 2:10).
He is guiding you into that calling as you pursue your purpose to love, glorify, and enjoy Him forever. Spend time with Him in His Word daily and you will find the purpose, calling and fulfillment you so desire. It is Jesus’ promise, “The person who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him [I will make Myself real to him]” (John 14:21 Amp).
Join me, won’t you? Knowing and following Jesus is the greatest adventure of life. Don’t miss it!
