As every creature that walks or crawls on the earth leaves its print in some form or other, so every responsible soul in passing through life leaves an imprint on other souls. But that imprint can only fulfill God’s will when such souls are living under the guidance of His Spirit.
In many ways that would not be according to our choice, we need the ministry of our fellow creatures, and God often uses them to wound us or correct us or disappoint us to serve a purpose in our lives. And then again He will use others to encourage or comfort or instruct us, so that could we see our life mission in the clear light of faith, we would receive all things that come into our lives as designed for our good and accept all things as from God to us. It is evident that our life mission must be interwoven with those of our fellow creatures for the benefit of all parties in ways unknown to us.
In the next place, we should seek to discover what our life mission is. There are some who from childhood have a strong intuition as to what their vocation is to be, and this applies to people of the world, as well as to those who are Christians.
But I speak now with reference to the children of God, who are living mainly for life in the future world. And those who live mostly for the future life are the ones who live best in the present life and who best fulfill their vocation in this world.
It is an inspiration to any soul when he has a clear view of his special life-work and an ideal vision of what God wants to accomplish in and by his life. There is a peculiar thrill when we even suspect some special mission God has for us. But when it becomes a settled conviction as to what our work is then our heart runs out in the work, if we are willing and obedient, and everything in our lives from that time on becomes tributary to that one supreme vocation.
In order to do our life-work in the best way, we must have a clear apprehension of it, and then we must love it and put all our heart in it and watch God’s dealings with us in relation to it. The most significant things in our lives, such as our dreams, our meditations, our inspirations, the peculiar leadings of God’s providence, will come to us right along the line of our special vocation.
Oftentimes other people will be led to speak to us words of special import or encouragement along the line of our life work. For instance, when God designs a child to be a preacher of the gospel, that child will have premonitions of it, and along in his life other persons will speak to him on this matter. And as life goes on the various providences and the various incidents, both in his mind and outer life, will all seem to point in that direction.
This same truth will apply to any other vocation. People who have no definite view as to their life-work are apt to beat the air. They work at random; they run like the man in Scripture, without a message; they waste a great deal of energy in doing nothing.
You may ask, “How shall I find my special vocation?” I answer, “By a life of prayer.” Not by simply saying prayers, but by living a life of continued talking with God, by a perfect surrender to Him through Jesus, a perfect willingness to give up your own thoughts, plans, and prejudices and being willing for God to possess you and lead you in the way He chooses for you to go.
You are to believe that God loves you with an eternal love, that God has a place for you and a mission for you to fill. Then, on the basis of His Word, plead with Him to open up to your mind your special mission, whether it be in the private or public forum, and feel sure from the teachings of Scripture that it is God’s will to give you such a sufficient insight into your vocation as will satisfy you. With that insight there will come a loving ardor and a tireless zeal to accomplish the task.
Sadly, there are many Christians who miss their true mission in life. Although they may be saved in the end, yet because of lack of perseverance or the influence of other people’s opinions, they frustrate the special vocation to which they were called. They have been gifted in many ways and evidently have been called of God for various kinds of service or usefulness or holy character and have been sidetracked, or have given up their work, and thereby frustrated the plan of God.
To be faithful to our calling in life is the greatest thing in all human character. It is not so much the size of our abilities, or the conspicuousness of our life-work, but that hidden, deep, settled obedience to God, that humble faithfulness to His calling day by day, moment by moment, in the place where we are that will tell in the ages to come and mark our rank in the kingdom of God when the crowns are distributed.
George D. Watson (1848-1923) was a holiness evangelist and the author of several books, including Bridehood Saints, from which this excerpt was taken.
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.