But now, this is what the Lord says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.Isaiah 43:1
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,
Philippians 1:1-5
Do you know your calling? Or is it more like a dream right now? Could it be possible that it’s not up to us to figure out our grand calling, but instead to position ourselves into God’s hand and wait for Him to reveal it to us and, by faith, lead us there? We believe the answer is yes. Thankfully, our first calling is to a person – Jesus – not to a role or talent (career, motherhood, etc.) or to a place (workplace, inner city, etc.). Although those are great and often God-given, what freedom we have knowing that we are called to our Father through Christ and given the power of the Holy Spirit to first and foremost know Him and bring Him glory!
Any other calling is secondary, marked by the truth that we all have specific gifts, desires, and unique ways in which our primary calling is lived out. Every other role is secondary to pursuing Jesus, and is the overflow of our relationship with Him.
Know this: you are called! In fact, you have been called by name! First, into relationship with Jesus, then to a purpose and a vocation. True, they are deeply intertwined, but our calling to know and follow Jesus must be the more prominent pursuit.
What an amazing truth to know you have been called by name, by God! As you consider the promises this imparts over your life, look for the ways you see your life currently aligning with your first calling: to know and love Jesus with your whole life. Do you see anything that needs realigning?
