Called to Follow, Called to Serve

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24

The term “calling” is one we use frequently at Malone. We are intentionally counter-cultural by talking with students about more than just job placement; we emphasize the cultivation of lives of purpose and meaning. We are committed to the idea that our students are uniquely gifted by God with a combination of talents, dreams, and abilities, and it’s our goal to equip them for a lifetime of flourishing.

For many of us, it’s rare that our paths to our God-given callings are clear and direct. Most of the time, God leads us on a long and winding road before we can settle into the role He has chosen for us. And along the way, we stumble into other opportunities to learn and grow—maybe as a door-to-door salesperson or call center debt collector, someone who prunes Christmas trees or works on assembly lines for car seats or jars of pickles, or even dresses in Chuck-E-Cheese or Captain Vitamin costumes to perform job duties (these were all pre-Malone job opportunities for our current faculty, by the way). 

This circuitous path creates conflict in our minds as American culture preaches that our identity is found in how we spend our working hours. That’s why we must remember, first and foremost, that our primary call is to follow Christ. To do so, we need to put Him first in everything we do and choose to find our identity in Him rather than in the world.

To follow Christ, we must deny ourselves.  

We often think of “taking up our cross” as enduring difficulty and suffering. Indeed, that can be the case. But the emphasis Gospel-writer Matthew makes in Matthew 16, and the Apostle Paul makes in his letters, contrasts a life lived “Christ’s Kingdom First” with a life lived “self first.”

Theologian John Stott says, “There cannot be any following of Christ without a previous forsaking of self.” For the first disciples, this often meant leaving their homes and abandoning their jobs to follow Jesus. That call is for us, too. Global revolutions have begun on the smallest of scales, sometimes including only a few people. Imagine what God could do if our whole church congregations were completely given over to doing God’s will?

To follow Christ, we must find our identity in Him.

If your identity is based on your achievements, talents, and abilities, when these falter or are inadequate, you’ll be tempted to fake it or project yourself to be someone other than who you are. While this isn’t an excuse for laziness or lack of preparation, it’s meant to recognize that, in ourselves, we are not enough. 

But, in Christ, we are more than enough! This is a critical part of grounding our identity. It’s not in who others say we are, but in who God says we are. You are worthy to be loved and appreciated. Not for your potential or your accomplishments, or for who you pretend to be or for who you once were, but for who you are authentically right now.

Maybe you think that if others really knew who you are, they would never accept you. Know that it’s no accident that you are exactly where God has placed you today. You are loved as a child of God more than you could ever imagine!

One thing our culture often gets wrong, though, is that love does not equal unconditional acceptance. 

God loves you more than any human parent could and He wants your best. And that means He does not simply love you and leave you as you are. That’s why all believers are given the Holy Spirit to work in us and bring us to be more like Jesus. This is sanctification.

Society tells us that if we don’t accept a person just the way they are, we don’t really love them. But the Gospel says that God loves people so much He doesn’t want them to stay just the way they are. What kind of coach would tell an athlete, “I really love you and I’m not going to try at all to make you any better?” If your coach is not helping you to get better, that’s not love. It’s the opposite of love and probably means you won’t get much playing time.

The difficult process of sanctification is worth it. Zephaniah 3:17 tells us, “The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” What an amazing word picture that is!

If you are in Christ, you are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), so go live out that new life in the power of the Holy Spirit. From our call to follow Christ comes the freedom to serve. Not to try to earn points with God or others, but out of sheer gratitude for everything He has given you.

One might think that to follow Christ is to take us out of the world. But instead, it throws us back into messy daily life. As Christ served, so we, too, are called to serve.

In Christ, all work is service to others. Every calling is equally important. There are no “big people” or “little people” in the kingdom of heaven. Just faithful people. As you fulfill your primary calling to follow Christ, you’ll also serve in a variety of secondary callings. In your families, in your workplaces, in your churches, remember:  you do it in service to Christ. 

Work and play in God’s name and let the world stand back in wonder.

Additional reading: Matthew 16:24-27, Zephaniah 3:14-17