God’s Calling–Gideon part 4

God’s Calling–Gideon part 4

Posted on by Matthew Laker

Series: Gideon

To grow into who God created us to be we need to see ourselves as he see us.

As we continue to journey with Gideon today in part 4 we come to Judges 6:11-24.  It is here we see the calling of Gideon.   In all of our lives, we all have two types of callings.  The first calling has to do with a general call for us all to follow God and trust him. Then there is often a second calling to do specific tasks or play specific roles for a season.  We see this second calling take place here in Gideon’s life.

As you read the passage take note of how God views  Gideon and how Gideon views himself. It amazes me how in my own life my view of myself is simply not lining up with God’s.  There was a time I was trying to prove my worth as a pastor.  After much pain, God gently reminded me that I have nothing to prove.  I was called not based on who I am, but according to his plans.  Like Gideon, in one way or another, God shared with me, “I will be with you and you will do this.”

 

As God talks to Gideon, he talks about how he see Gideon.  Gideon comes up with  reasons why he can not do the work God has sent him to do.  God responds with how he see Gideon.

 

God sees Gideon as able to accomplish anything because God is with him (Judges 6:12).  God sees Gideon as a mighty warrior (Judges 6:12).  God sees Gideon full of skill and strength (Judges 6:14).  God sees Gideon as able to accomplish what he asks of him because God is sending him (Judges 6:14). God sees Gideon able to accomplish the task because he is with Gideon and said this will take place (judges 6:16).

 

Gideon comes to understand the reality and weight of his situation with God and the impact that his meeting with God has. Because of this, he begins to feel fearful..  God’s answer is “peace, you do not fear.”  Why does he not live in fear? Because God is with him!

 

What if we saw ourselves as God does? What if we listened to the fear and then looked at it in light of who God is.  When we understand who God is and what he has done, we can understand who we are and what we are to do.

 

For followers of Jesus, we are all called to be ambassadors of Jesus.  How this works out for us all will vary slightly.  We do not need some special moment or experience like Gideon had here.

 

For some, they will also experience a second calling that will mesh with the first.  It is usually in connection with their spiritual gifts and skills and passions.  How do we discover this second calling? First, seek to know Jesus and follow his instructions.  Second, listen for the Spirit’s calling.  The second calling is not greater  than first, but will flow out of the first.

 

To grow in who God created us to be, we need to see ourselves as he see us.  Gideon could not take a step into his calling until he started to understand who he was in God.

Your First Calling

Your First Calling

Posted on by Matthew Laker

falls 640x427Series: Walking with Peter and Jesus

What is your calling in life?

 

Followers of Jesus sometimes spend so much time trying to figure out our calling.  Some followers of Jesus never ask the question of how best do I serve God’s Kingdom.  Both of these positions have the potential of being self-centered.

 

Notice that Peter was first called to Jesus before he was called to the work he was given.  Here in Luke 6:12-15, Jesus is calling them to a new level of work (to be apostles), but it comes after the call to follow him.

 

As followers of Jesus, we can get so hung up on “what am I to do” or we covet the roles others have. In both situations, we forget about Jesus.  Thus, we fail to fully enter, engage and experience the life we were created for.

 

Sometimes we think that if we figure out what God has called us to do, then we have found wholeness.  At times from our work or ministry, we form our identity and think we are secure.  We wrongly come to believe that it is then that we feel we have reached the life Jesus calls us to.

 

However, Jesus first called Peter and you to himself.  He did not call you to do this or that.   He called you to himself.

 

In our lives, there is a general calling and this needs to be our first priority.  This calling is about knowing, experiencing, and surrendering to Jesus.  This calling is about letting  Jesus change us and when we do that we experience wholeness.

 

Today we have let ourselves be defined by our titles and things we do.  Yes, to an extent what we do is an extension of who we are.  However, as followers of Jesus, our starting point of identity is Jesus.

 

First, we are called to Jesus, second to our work. Too often we only know Jesus based on the identity we find in our work.  Remove our work and we are no one.

 

Peter would not have got this right away.  I still struggle with it in my own life and I bet it is a struggle in your life.

 

Instead of spending so much time trying to figure out your calling or the special focus you should or should not have, consider just getting to know Jesus and let him transform you right where you are at.

 

Peter, in our passage today, would discover a deeper secondary calling.  It is in this moment Jesus calls Peter to a deeper commitment.  This secondary calling is strongly interconnected to the first and so you cannot have the second without the first.

 

It is as we understand who Jesus is and what he has done that we understand who we are and what we are to do.  Peter’s calling to leadership is built off of the first calling to know Jesus.

Os Guinnes in his book “The Call”  shares:

osguinness

“Do you want to know the secret of the mystery of your very being and rise to become what you were born to be? Listen to Jesus of Nazareth.”

 

We are not Peter but the principle still applies.  First, get to know Jesus, second, let him do the calling.

A Frist Step in Developing a Life Plan

Posted on by Matthew Laker

bike 2In developing a life plan you need to identify the areas of your life that are important.

David Fiedler, a bicycling Expert, writes about the role of Bike spokes at about.com:

Bike spokes are “a key role in the transferring of the power from your legs to the rim to make the bike go. Enormous force gets applied to the hub of a rear wheel by the chain and gearing when you pedal down hard, and together the spokes carry the power that has gone from your legs to the chain then out to the wheel. That force driving the bike forward gets distributed among many spokes in a properly aligned wheel, which people usually describe as being “in true.” When you look at weight distribution, too, even under a very heavy load many spokes help spread out the weight so that it is more evenly carried and doesn’t put too much stress on any single spoke.”

In looking at a bike wheel, what if the spokes could be an illustration for your life? What if each spoke could represent an area of your life.  As each area is working in the wheel, the wheel is able to properly roll and move you forward.  You may not have as many spokes as a bike has,   but if the spoke is not aligned right the wheel will not function correctly.

Picture your life like the wheel and the different areas of your life like the spokes. If you do not have direction in your life-spokes (the spoke is not aligned right), the wheel will not function to the best of its ability to get you moving forward.

What life-spokes do you need to get aligned in order for the wheel of your life to move forward?  Such areas to look at could include: family, physical health, career, money, education, etc.

What do you want to accomplish in those life-spokes of life?  As you understand your vision for each life-spoke, it is like aligning the wheel of your life so it can roll under the pressures, taking you from where you are to where you want to go.

For some, the wheel is falling under the pressure of life.  You need to build up the spokes and get them aligned in order to get rolling.  

The first step in building the spokes of the wheel is identifying them, just as the first step in building a life plan is identifying the important areas of your life.

Are you looking for help? Click here for an exercise.

How a Life Plan Can Help

How a Life Plan Can Help

Posted on by Matthew Laker

DSCN4359A good life plan will help you reflect on where you are and where you want to go. Years ago, as I sat in a coffee shop and was listening to a seminar, I first started thinking about life plans. The seminar took you through a process of reflecting on the past year and the year before you. The speaker did not speak about a life plan, but the questions he asked were very similar to a life plan. His questions made me start to ask, where do I want to go?

Here are three ways a life plan can help you:

 

a. If you do not take control of your life something or someone else will.

 

A life plan helps you move from the back seat of your life and take the driver seat. Your plan needs to be flexible enough to deal with changes in life, but also structured enough to keep you alive.

 

b. A life plan helps you reach your potential, your dreams, and your calling.

If you are going to build your house, you are going to need some plans. A life plan can work as a road map to help you reach the dreams you have. It is a strategic road map to move ahead.

 

c. It can be a spiritual discipline to realign your life to be what you were created for.

For followers of Jesus, a life plan can help us reflect. Are we staying connected to the vine? Susie Larson shares, “Days will fly by, and sacred moments will continue to elude us until we decide to hit the brakes and take inventory on what’s driving us.”

Creating a plan lets you hit the pause button and center yourself so you can fly.

 

Try this exercise:

Take a moment to reflect on your own life. Write down on a piece of paper different areas of your life such as career, relationships, health. On a scale of 1-10, how are you doing in these areas? Now go back and ask these two questions:

a. Where on the scale do I want to be in these areas?

b. If there is a gap between where you are and where you want to be, what needs to happen to move?

Here is a free resource to help you reflect on where you are at and where you want to go – Life Graph