truly a work of the Spirit

a certain sub-culture of people to which i belong use a word in regular intervals. calling. this word is jam packed with meaning. it has so much meaning that i think it has too much meaning. allow me to explain. or unpack. if you will.


calling has it roots in the Hebrew Testament (or Old Testament). Abraham was called by God to leave the comforts of his home and sojourn to an unknown place. what a journey! virtually everything was uncertain, except the calling on his life. he did not know where he was going, what he would eat along the way, or whom he might encounter. but he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that God called him into and eventually through all of that uncertainty. Abraham was commended as a righteous man for trusting the voice of God.


calling also has a presence elsewhere in the Bible. it is a common theme throughout. Christians are called to do a great many things. pray. love God. love everybody. eat with wisdom. take care of their animals. protect the weak. die for each other. these are blatant throughout the Scriptures.


but for some reason, the clear calls of God in the Bible have been traded for something more elusive and mystical. the calls of God that require no extra cost still remain the calls of God for all. but the more difficult calls are relegated to a select few for some reason. for the more costly calls, God is now required to jump through some extra hoops to prove himself. it's a bit like the folks who asked Jesus to prove himself by doing miracles. just like in Jesus' day, the great majority wanted to see his miracles. only a few actually followed after the magic show was over. nothing has changed. we still attempt to force God to prove himself before we follow him. if God does not prove himself in the ways we want, He gets traded in.


you will often see people communicate that certain calls in the Bible are just for a select few. such calls are caring for the poor, defending the marginalized, and caring for orphans in a face to face capacity. these are only for a select few as is evidenced. everybody is privy to the fringe benefits (or miracles in Jesus' day). but only a few are reserved for the costly calls. this is the same mindset of the great multitudes in Jesus' day who ended up indicting him to the point of death.


now i am not making an argument for all people to care for the poor, adopt a child, or become a politician to impact systemic injustice. i am not calling anybody into anything. this is a work of the Spirit in conjunction with the calls already explicated in the Bible. i am simply asking Christians to hear the calls of God that have already been given.


please stop hiding behind the mask of calling when you're really just afraid. Jesus is the greatest resource for alleviating fear. use him. use Jesus. he said to cast our cares on him. do it. he really cares for you. please stop hiding behind the mask of calling when you really just don't care. you are not totally indifferent, just indifferent to the point that it does not cost you anything. if you don't care, know that Jesus still cares for you. so much so that he is constantly pleading for you in spite of your indifference. forget what's behind and run toward what's ahead. please do not abuse the precious theme of calling. it is not yours, but God's. he has already communicated it and is waiting for us to participate for our joy.