Your life is not an accident. You were born when you were born, and where you were born on purpose. You look a particular way, sound a particular way, and function according to a divine design. You have gifts, abilities, and talents that have been supernaturally entrusted to you. There are open doors and opportunities right in front of you that you've been uniquely designed to walk through, seize, and embrace.
Every single thing that I just said is 100% true, but it's also true that you may not believe me. It's entirely possible that you'd believe me if I said those things about someone else, but you struggle to believe these declarative statements could possibly be true of yourself.
What if I told you that God has an artfully crafted purpose for your life and He wants to use it to make an impact in the present that reverberates into eternity. Would you believe me or would you laugh at that concept? Does it even seem possible that the very One who spoke creation into existence would care to notice you, your situation, or your strengths? Among the billions of people who have walked the face of this earth how can it be that the Lord would pay special attention to you and map out a divinely orchestrated plan for your life?
I spend a lot of time reading the Bible because I believe that collection of writings is unlike any other text that's ever been produced. I believe every single word of the Bible was divinely superintended and inspired by a loving Creator who communicates with humanity and desires to initiate a relationship with us. And just as He facilitated and oversaw the articulation of every word of that book, so too does He oversee every human life. He gave you life. He's watching you live it, and He wants to work through you to do something amazing with it.
But if you don't want to believe what I'm saying, you won't. You can easily ignore it. In fact, that's what the vast majority of the billions of people walking this planet are doing. Many don't even believe there's a Creator, and among those who are willing to acknowledge that He exists, they certainly aren't convinced that He has a calling on their life.
What about you? What do you believe? What do you dream about? What do you desire? Are you living with a strong sense of God's calling on your life?
I. What is the mission you've been given?
And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” (Acts 9:4-6)
It's impossible to read the book of Acts without being struck by the transformation that took place in the Apostle Paul's life. Before he came to know Christ and took the name of Paul, he was known as Saul. Saul hated Jesus, hated Christians, hated the church, and did everything within his power to discourage others from following Christ.
But that all changed, in an instant, when Jesus appeared to Saul and confronted his persecution. Several things stand out to me about this confrontation.
First of all, when Saul heard the voice of Jesus, he didn't know who was speaking to him. I find that very ironic, especially in light of the fact that up to that point, Saul thought he was doing God's will by imprisoning Christians or approving their execution. But when God actually spoke to Saul, Saul had to admit that the voice was unfamiliar. Up to that point, he spent his life ignoring the voice of God. Now God was speaking to him in a way that he couldn't continue to ignore.
Second, I love the fact that Jesus took the initiative to reach into Saul's life, even though Saul wasn't looking for Him. This mirrors our relationship with Christ as well. We weren't looking for Him. We were ignoring Him, but He came looking for us and He called us unto Himself.
Third, I enjoy reading about the mission Saul was given. Foreshadowing what Saul's life was going to look like from now on, Jesus said to him, "rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” Things were about to change for Saul. His mission was going to be laid out for him in very specific detail, and Saul was going to dedicate every ounce of his energy to fulfilling it.
What about you? Do you have a clear sense of your mission? Have you heard the voice of Jesus speaking to you in some way? Through your circumstances? Through the counsel of others who know Him? Through the Scriptures? And if you're finally hearing His voice, are you ready to move in the direction He's leading you?
II. Who have you been called to serve?
But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” (Acts 9:15-16)
On Friday evenings, almost without exception, Andrea and I go out to eat. There are several local restaurants that we enjoy, and we try to alternate where we eat so we don't get sick of the same thing.
Because we're such regular customers, the servers recognize us, and we recognize them. We also know which servers offer the best service. At one restaurant, we hold our breath hoping not to get one particular server because she almost never stops by our table. She's pleasant, but scatter-brained and inattentive. At another restaurant, we've discovered that one of their servers goes above and beyond to make sure we have a delightful experience. Most recently when we ate there and she told us she would be our server that evening, I said out loud, "Oh good! We were hoping you'd be our server this evening." I hope that made her feel good because her heart for service is exceptional.
Saul was about to learn about the concept of service in a brand new way after encountering Jesus on the road to Damascus. Saul was blinded by that encounter, and his companions led him by the hand into the city. In Damascus, there was a Christian man named Ananias, and the Lord spoke to him in a vision to prepare him for the fact that He was about to send Saul (who had a reputation for persecuting Christians) to his house. The Lord commissioned Ananias to lay his hands on Saul, and through that experience, Saul's sight would be restored.
When Ananias initially protested this plan to the Lord, he was told a little more about the Lord's plans for Saul. Jesus revealed that Saul was His chosen instrument to make His name known to the unbelieving world. Saul would experience a great deal of suffering as he gave himself to fulfilling this mission, but just the same, it was how his life would be used going forward. Ananias was obedient to the Lord's instructions. Saul's sight was restored, and he confirmed his new-found faith in Jesus by being baptized immediately afterward.
From that point on, it wasn't a mystery to Saul whom he had been called to serve. Saul was told to carry the name of Jesus before the Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. These were the specific people Saul (later called Paul) was commissioned to serve, and he had a clear understanding of this calling.
Who have you been called and equipped to serve? God gave you your personality. He even allowed you to develop certain preferences. He has gifted you with natural talents and supernatural gifts. He has given you the opportunity to live where you live, and ordained for you to be born exactly when you were born. He also assures you that you won't be dying one day early (Psalm 139:16). So you're going to be here exactly as long as He wants you to be.
I suspect He's also given you an affinity for certain people, or a burden to serve some particular group, profession, or tribe. Will you serve them, or will you offer up excuses right up until your final day? Is there something getting in the way of you listening to His calling? What voices are you hearing loudest in your head?
III. What voices do you need to start filtering?
But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” (Acts 2:13)
The devil has a playbook that he returns to often. One of his favorite plays is to use mockery to dishearten and discourage God's people. Sometimes, unfortunately, we do his job for him by mocking and berating ourselves. Other times, we give too much power to the harsh voices of our critics, and those voices dissuade us from saying "yes" to the dreams, desires, and calling God has placed on our lives.
Growing up, I had a relative that used to mock me incessantly. I'll keep his identity veiled so as not to incriminate him, but if he ever comes across these words, he'll know instantly who I'm referring to. He was several years older than me, which automatically meant that I looked up to him. I wanted to be just like him, but when I started taking my faith in Christ seriously, he tore me to shreds. He humiliated me before others whenever he had the opportunity to do so, and while that hurt, I eventually needed to come to a spot where I stopped caring about his opinions or listening to his voice. Ironically, when it became clear to him that he had lost his influence over me, he noticeably dialed back his mockery.
The early church was regularly mocked as well. In Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost, when the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, they were mocked by those who didn't have a metric through which to understand the miracle that was taking place right in front of them. When the diverse crowd that spoke different languages was able to understand the preaching of the disciples, some in the crowd mocked them and claimed they were drunk. Sadly, without fully realizing what they were doing, they were equating the power of the Holy Spirit with drunkenness. In effect, they weren't just mocking God's people. They were mocking God Himself.
I suspect that it's possible that there are many believers in this world who have an understanding of God's mission for their lives and could even articulate an accurate description of whom they're called to serve, but they're being held back from doing so because they aren't yet filtering out the mocking voices in their lives. Those voices might be from people who are jealous of them. They might be voices in their head that are rooted in harsh words they received during their childhood. They might be verbal arrows that come at them from people they don't even know. Are you filtering out the voice of mockery in your life so it doesn't keep holding you back?
IV. What's holding you back?
Your life is not an accident. As Scripture shows us, God does amazing things with lives that are submitted over to Him. His mission of redemption through Jesus will advance. His passion to reach the lost will be satisfied. His desire to rescue the perishing will be met. He's going to use someone to do this. Why not you?
Stop talking yourself out of the dreams, desires, and calling God has placed on your life.
© John Stange, 2021
