By Rick Warren
"I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Ephesians 4:1 (NIV)
You have a calling. We all do.
But God doesn’t just call those of us who are pastors. The overwhelming message of Scripture is that God calls every person to a specific purpose and mission.
When we don’t know what God is calling us to do, it causes stress.
In these devotionals, we’ve been sharing with you seven principles of stress-free living from the life of Jesus.
The first two were:
1. Identification: Know who you are.
2. Motivation: Know whose approval you are living for.
The third principle of stress-free living from the life of Jesus is this: the Principle of Vocation.
Pastor, you have to know your calling.
Vocation comes from the Latin word for voice and means “what God has called us to do.”
And you must settle your vocation if you want to cut down on your stress.
Jesus knew his calling. He said in John 8:14, “I know where I came from and where I am going” (NIV).
Jesus understood his unique purpose—and he lived for it.
Your life is driven by something. All of our lives are driven by something. Sometimes they’re driven by regret or anger. Sometimes they’re driven by shame. Sometimes they’re driven by money or sex.
God wants your calling to drive your life. You may think you settled your calling years ago, but you still wrestle with it, causing you immense stress today.
So how do you know what you’ve been called to do? For years, Pastor Rick has shared an acronym that has helped many, many people discover God’s calling for their lives. As you think about and pray through your specific calling, consider your SHAPE:
- Spiritual gifts
- Heart (what you love to do)
- Abilities
- Personality
- Experiences
God doesn’t give you a calling you’ll find miserable. If he has called you to serve as a pastor, you’ll enjoy it and be good at it.
Paul writes in Ephesians 4:1, “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (NIV).
We encourage you to ask yourself every day: Am I doing what I’m called to do?
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