If you look closely in the Bible at the people in Jesus’ intimate circle of followers, each and every one had a job to do. They each had a calling from God. They each had their own responsibilities. They each were known and are known through the Bible to this very day for the role they were individually called to play. Their roles and responsibilities, their jobs in life so to speak, their life’s work. Their life’s calling, this was ordained by God. The Bible makes clear God’s followers are called the Body of Christ and that each of us is a part of His Body meant to work together as one whole Body. Jesus’ Body. This implies we should only do the job assigned to us by God and not someone else’s, doesn’t it?
Can you imagine if your feet started to work as hands instead? And if your arms tried to take on the job of eyes? And your ankles of wrists instead? What a disaster this would be! Sometimes in our pride, in our worry, in our overexuberance, in our impatience, in our sin, we disregard the calling and will of God and try to take on other people’s jobs they have been assigned by God. Not only do we get in the way of other people’s callings and assignments and jobs from God. But we are unable to faithfully fulfill our own.
I am the first to admit I have struggled with this for a variety of reasons including I have since I was young had an extreme sense of responsibility for helping a hurting world so I have tended to scurry around trying to help people and situations even when it was not the will of God. Whatever our reasons for neglecting to fulfill God’s will for us and instead taking on other people’s callings and assignments from God, this is wrong. The right thing to do – always – is to pray, seek God, hear God, obey, and fully follow God. Where do you stand with this? Encouragement for all of us. Let’s do our own jobs God gives us. For the glory of God, oh yes!
“For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” 1 Corinthians 12:13-27 KJV
Lord, help us seek you, and hear you, and DISCERN YOUR WILL FOR US, and please God give us the strength and power and all that we need, dear God, to fulfill our calling you give unto us day by day and forevermore, AMEN!