God’s Personal Invitation

As human beings, we live in a society where we are subject to various authorities, such as our parents, police officers, and city or state authorities, who can limit our freedom. Respecting and honoring all authorities is essential, as the Bible teaches us. However, only one authority has the power to bind our conscience. God Himself, with His holy voice, has the intrinsic right to impose an absolute obligation upon us. This is not a mere suggestion or request but a divine imperative that we are duty-bound to obey.

God’s call is not just a distant decree but a personal invitation that is both compelling and powerful, a force that can shape our lives. He has called the world into existence by divine imperative. He has called the dead and rotting Lazarus to life again, demonstrating His power over life and death. He has called people who were held ransom. He has called us out of darkness and into the light. He has called us to redemption.

Martin Luther stressed the importance of a theology of vocation. Although we can choose our vocation and even decide to disobey it, the divine calling hovers with absolute power over it. Luther referred to our vocations as the masks of God. He writes about the milkmaid, baker, and cobbler we encounter. Behind these vocations is a gracious God who faithfully provides for his creatures. Our work (whether a paid position or volunteer) is to be done with dignity because it is God’s chosen means. Our work has value. Luther also made the connection between vocation and justification by faith to clarify that although vocation has value, it alone cannot save us.

The divine calling is not a mere suggestion but a command that carries the weight of our destiny. Vocation, driven by divine authority, compelled Jonah on his flight to Tarshish, causing his terrified shipmates to dump him in the sea to still the vengeful tempest. A holy calling elicited Paul’s anguished cry (1 Corinthians 9:16).

The call of God is not always to a glamorous vocation, and its fruit in this world is often bittersweet. Yet God calls us according to our gifts and talents, directing us to paths of the most helpful service to His kingdom. Imagine the world without the contributions of Jonah, Paul, or Jeremiah. Your vocation, your divine calling, is not just a job; it is significant, impactful, and crucial to God’s plan for your life. God uses vocation to care for his world.

We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, ¹⁶so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another’s area of influence.^⁠1

Call to action: I encourage you to reflect on your life’s divine calling and discern the path that God has set before you. Remember that your vocation is significant and impactful and that God desires your active participation in His divine plan. Embrace your calling, even if it may seem daunting or challenging. Trust in God’s wisdom and guidance to allow Him to lead you to paths of the most helpful service to His kingdom.