1CO 12:12-14 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.
How can a solider in the middle of a war be effective if he or she doesn't know what their assignment is? Are they supposed to lie back and defend or should they attack? They'll end up not doing anything, the wrong thing or even end up hurting soldiers on their side.
When it comes to the Christian walk, which God refers to as a spiritual battle (Eph. 6:10-20), many Christians have no idea what their assignment is. This reduces the Christian to an ineffective life. This Christian ends up walking aimlessly around the battlefield in the wrong place and maybe shooting Christians along the way (which happens way to often). If there are enough Christians who are like this, the entire army is reduced to ineffectiveness.
So how does one determine what one's calling is? First we have to discuss that there are general callings and specific callings. General callings are for all Christians such as to worship God, be a good witness, and transform culture. But God has given everyone specific callings - callings personalized just for you.
God has given you three main things to figure out what your calling is.
#1. Gifts
#2. Talents
#3. Resources
It can be put this way: Gifts + Talents + Resources = One of Your Callings.
Gifts are spiritual areas of life that God has given you (Rom. 12:3-8, 1 Cor 12). Some gifts are: teaching, service, preaching, encouragement, generosity, music, hospitality, etc.
Talents are physical areas of life that God has given you that you are good at. Public speaking, singing, mathematics, debate, accounting, writing, cooking, interior design, child care, etc.
Resources are physical objects God has blessed you with that enhance your gifts and talents. Money, car, house, friends, schooling, degree, church, family, etc.
For example God has called me to be a teacher of doctrine. When I was in high school I was learning that I was getting pretty good at teaching and logic. This was an inkling that I might have a gift in this area, but I wasn't sure yet. Later in college my public speaking (a talent) increased. I started to learn more about Christianity in college and continued in Seminary - these are resources. The gifts, talents and resources put together point me to my calling of teaching doctrine.
God is telling you what your calling is by these three things. You can't wait for God to tell you what your calling is, because he's already telling you what it is through your gifts, talents and resources. That would be like waiting for God to tell you the answer when it's already right in front of you. You ask, its there, you wait, its still there, you question why you haven't received any direction from God - it's been there the whole time. To 'hear' God, you must determine your God given gifts, talents and resources.
Part II – Multiple Callings
You will have more than one calling at a time. For example some pastor will have a couple callings he needs to juggle: Pastor, father, husband and let’s assume he’s a mechanic for his day job. You have to be able to identify your different callings so that you can manage them correctly. If you haven’t identified your callings, then it would be easy to focus on the one that you know and cause the other callings to wither and die.
Along with this concept of multiple callings there is something else to consider…
Part III - Callings change
Let’s say God wants you to be a pastor when you’re 35, but assume that you’re 15 now. For God to get you there, your calling is to be in high school, then college, then seminary, etc. You have to know when a calling drops off and a new one replaces it. Just because God has called you to work at Starbucks for a semester doesn’t mean you’re called to do that for the rest of your life. Watch for signs that a calling is winding down.
Part IV – Group Callings
A group calling is when you and other people have one of the same callings and you combine do to one thing. For example, you are a singer, and your friend is a guitarist, you both have a passion for worship music and you both go to the same church. It would be quite possible that you would have intersecting callings, so you would work together. A good example of group callings are ministries or bands.
Conclusion:
God has callings for everyone. Sometimes you are at a point in your life that you do not know your callings will be for when you are an adult, but you still have callings right now. For most kids their callings are a little more general and becomes more specific as life goes on. God has called most everyone to be a student early on. So for those of you in school right now, that is one of your callings - so do it well. God is preparing you for a more specific calling that will have wide ranging effects.
So to live the life God designed for you…
1. Figure out your callings (Gifts, talents, resources)
2. Manage your callings
3. Find out where you have group callings
1 Peter 4:[10] Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. [11] If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
