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Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches (1 Corinthians 7:17, ESV).
The Greek word for “calling” means God saying, “I made you for this, it’s what I want you to do, and where you will find fulfillment.” The problem is that only a few followers of Jesus can specify their calling.
Young, old, or middle-aged, ask them this question: “What’s your calling?” Most will respond with the blank stare of unknowing. Lacking knowledge of their calling increases the chance of purposeless work and decreases opportunities for answered prayer (as God syncs His abundance to His will).
Let’s discuss a simple way to help focus our calling. Three focal points can be aligned to find His calling: what we must do, what we want to do, and what we should do. Consider this diagram — perfect alignment!
The Red Section = What we must do!
All of us must do certain things. We must work to pay bills. But we can add value to our work by, as Paul says, “working unto the Lord” (Colossians 3:23).
The Yellow Section = What we want to do!
What do we really want to do? Let’s discern our passions. God has made us for a purpose, and the Psalmist writes that He wants to give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4).
The Blue Section = What we should do!
We should be led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14) and keep in step with His Spirit (Galatians 5:25), as this aligns our yellow section (what we want to do) and our red section (what we must do) into blue, where both “must” and “want” become our “should.”
Red, Yellow, and Blue together = God’s alignment of “must,” “want,” and “should.”
Further Explanation: Many do what they must, not knowing their God-given desires, and having no concept of what they should be doing with their lives. Some will spend years doing what they must, without a deep passion for it, but knowing that it allows the resources to do what they should be doing (e.g., the Apostle Paul making tents for money in Acts 18:3).
A focused life aligns red, yellow, and blue with what we must do, with what we want to do, allowing what we should be doing to fulfill His calling. My career as a pastor enabled me to do what I needed, wanted, and should be doing each week, while preaching, writing, evangelizing, and working with church members.
The discovery of our calling is an adventure.
Note: Having said the above, let me clarify that we all live out of balance (we’re not perfect), doing and desiring things we shouldn’t. Only in heaven will our alignment be entirely in focus.
Until then, relax, enjoy life, be generous, live in grace, and find His peace, no matter what your situation.
Red, Yellow, Blue!