Your life, your ‘call’ and the next 10 years! [Mike Writes]
I (Mike Betts) find it deeply moving when I hear stories of individuals overcoming almost impossible odds to achieve their goals and dreams.
At the turn of a year, New Year’s resolutions come into view again! Dreams of doing things we have never quite got around to surface again. There is something energising about the new start linked to each new year.
For the Christ follower, drawing solely from within our own aspirations and longings is not enough - however inspiring - to bring an answer to the question that has echoed throughout all generations of humanity, namely: ‘why are we on this earth?’
However much we have accomplished, the stinging question remains: ‘What on earth is the point?’
For the Christ follower, the answer is settled, as a much grander narrative now fills our horizon than simply achieving temporary things for ourselves and then dying.
How does a Christ follower approach the future?
Firstly, someone else, Jesus Christ, is in charge of our lives now - ‘you are not your own, you were bought at a price’ (1 Corinthians 6:20). The concept of living for someone else is totally foreign to our western individualism with its aspirations to ‘live our best life.’ We live for someone else. We handed over the keys to everything we thought was ours, including how we spend our lives, the day we received Christ as our Saviour. Not all of us realised that at the time! It is still a shock to many!
Secondly, someone else, Jesus Christ, has a calling and purpose for us - God has dreams, purposes, and callings in His heart for us to do. Joseph, Abraham, and Paul each received a ‘call’ or ‘dream’ which was from God; it did not originate within their own aspirations but within the heart and mind of God himself. Christ lived out the obedient life we did not and died to remove the judgement we faced. Having done this He crowns His work by calling us ‘friends,’ inviting us to labour alongside Him in His global purposes. What wonderful reasons to live! Paul reflects in 1 Timothy 1:12 ‘I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.’
Thirdly, someone else, Jesus Christ, has ‘better’ things in mind for us than we can dream up! His purposes go way beyond this life and into the next. To serve what God has in mind, we have to trust him in a very big way. It’s quite simple but far from easy! Often this requires a surrender and letting go of dreams that we might feel deeply precious to us. Jesus said ‘follow me’. C.T. Studd gave up test cricket at 23 to give his life pursuing God’s call to share the gospel in China, then India, and finally Africa. This was laying down a personal dream at great cost. Sometimes we ‘let it go’ in full surrender only to find God then gives it back with interest as with Abraham when called to sacrifice Isaac. God looks at what our heart motivations are and where our trust resides at such times.
Fourthly, someone else, Jesus Christ, equips us for all He asks of us. No one called by God is capable. A divine enabling is needed and given. The word and concept of ‘anointing’ are key. An ‘anointing’ from God means the Holy Spirit rests upon us in a particular way as we give ourselves to whatever God ‘calls’ us to do. It is this ‘anointing’ that then produces fruitfulness. It does not flow from our natural abilities alone. Serving in this way requires childlike trust, dependency and developing lifelong reliance on him. Moses said in response to God’s call to lead ‘I can’t speak. I can’t go’. He had to learn to trust God to enable him. So do we. We will be surprised what God does with our lives when surrendered in this way.
Lastly, someone else, Jesus Christ, knows us better than we know ourselves and he sees the end from the beginning. He knows how he has made us. Jesus said his expressed mission was ‘I have come that they may have life and have it to the full’ John 10:10. That doesn’t sound like we are going to be worse off following his dreams and purposes for us. After all he is the ‘good’ Shepherd, he knows which path leads to the best pasture, his goal is the health of his sheep!
What about you, dear friend? Do you think God has a call on your life to do something for him? Are you willing to risk it and trust his promises even when it looks completely impossible? Do you think God might know better than you what is the best plan of action for your life? Will you let him take the keys to your life and be in charge?
I have never met anyone who genuinely followed Christ by saying ‘yes’ to all the above questions who said at life’s end, ‘Christ let me down, my life was wasted following him!’
Now in my early 60s, I think a lot about ‘the next 10 years’. I want my life to have counted for Him, whenever it is over. I desire the same for us across the Relational Mission family of churches; 1000s of believers who live surrendered to the call of God upon their lives! I desire to see the Church living in the fullness of her inheritance and making Christ known across the globe as God assigns to us. I am sure that Relational Mission will prove to be massively fruitful if we will but join in with God’s call upon our lives both individually and collectively.
Have a look at www.thecall.world and sign up for regular updates on all God is doing amongst us.
Dear friend, don’t waste your life! Ask the Lord to lead you into the call he has upon your life. Make your prayer as the old song says:
‘I want to serve the purpose of God in my generation. I want to serve the purpose of God while I am alive. I want to give my life for something that will last forever…’
What is on your heart? Show me what to do? Let me know your will and I will follow you…’
About ‘Mike Writes’
Mike Writes is a series of short posts by Mike Betts, one of the apostles serving our family of churches. They cover a mix of vision, biblical and prophetic themes, often reflecting on current issues that are relevant to the Church.