After Abraham received his call to leave Haran and go to the Promised Land (Genesis 12:1-4), he believed God and responded to the call. Each of us should do the same.
Yes, we must test the call by searching the scriptures, praying, and consulting with the elders of the church, but we can’t just spin our wheels forever. At some point, we must act.
Each person is called to ministry. Some are called to be pastors and teachers, others to administrative and support duties, others to various ministries that are a blessing to others.
Any vocation can be at least part of a calling. The word “vocation” comes from the same root word as “vocal” and “voice.” In other words, a vocation is a calling. My dad’s vocation was to be the owner and manager of a clothing store. He was in the ministry of dry goods. He was serving society by meeting the need of people for quality clothing at a fair price. His vocation also provided the means to meet his other vocation of providing for our family and raising me and my brothers.
I am very grateful that he fulfilled his calling. He was also in ministry to a blind man whom he occasionally employed to make bows for gift wrapping. Not all the bows were perfect, but he helped Tom with a little bit of income and a sense of value as a human being.
He was in ministry to Rayford, who was not the sharpest needle in the pin cushion, but with a good deal of supervision he could clean the store and mow the grass.
Dad was also in ministry to his customers. Before the days of credit cards, he sold lots of goods on layaway and on credit to those who could not pay up front for what they needed.
I could go on and on about my dad’s ministry and the people he helped, but I think you get the idea. Happy Father’s Day, Pop.
When Abram received his calling, God said, “Go from your country and your kindred, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). Notice the word “go.” If you receive a call, you must respond, you must go. There will always be risks, but some risks must be taken. In The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Bilbo Baggins says, “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
While we may rightly judge the risk as being too great for an endeavor, if we are to fulfill a call from God, we must be willing to step into the road. Mark Twain said, “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
To fulfill a call, there may be some things we must leave behind. It may be the approval of people important to us. It may be a hidden sin or a bad habit. It may be letting go of ease and comfort. It could be pre-occupation with self. Abram had to leave his father’s house where he was comfortable and venture into a world unknown to him.
In answering your call, remember that you are called to be a blessing to others. You are asked to minister to their needs and help them along the way. There are many who are lost and in the wrong place in life, but you can help them. You can help them with their material needs. You can encourage their spirits and build them up.
There are lots of folks who tear down, but you can build up. You are called to help those who are in the wrong place with God. You may be able to help them find their way back to God’s house and God’s people. They may have been spiritually marginalized, but you can draw a circle that will include them.
Your calling is to go into your corner of the world and, in your own way, preach the Good News of salvation (cf. Matthew 28:19). You can respond to the call. You can make a difference.
You can serve the Lord.
Dr. Dan Darby is a retired United Methodist pastor.
