Destiny
The word of God leaves us in no doubt that we are created through Him and for Him and His purposes alone. “All things were created through Him and for Him”(Col 1:16). We exist because of God, and we are here only for the purposes of God. There is therefore not one person who is without a purpose in God.
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph.2:10).
While no one has been saved by virtue of good works, the born-again believer is expected to perform good works. In attempting to identify our individual calling and destiny, we cannot neglect to ask ourselves: What kind of good works is Paul referring to? The `good works’ spoken of by Paul are described as the good works that God has prepared beforehand--even before we came into existence on this earth--for each one of us.
God told Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; and I ordained you a prophet to the nations” (Jer 1:5). Paul told Timothy not to be ashamed of the Gospel, through which God “has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began”(2 Tim. 1:9). Samuel, Jeremiah, Samson, Jacob, John the Baptist, Paul and Jesus Himself were all prophesied of before they came into the world. Hence we see that prior to our conversion, and even before we were born, God had already mapped out a spiritual plan for us to fulfil His highest purpose. In other words, God has a distinctive blueprint for every life “Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be”(Eccl.6:10 New Living Translation).
We are not required to devise work for our own hands or to carve a path for what we would like our spiritual careers to be. Rather, our responsibility as believers is to find His will for us and to obey it. We only need to yield ourselves to His plan “See the way God does things and fall into line”(Eccl.7:13 TLB). Recognising this truth delivers us from fretting, and ensures that our lives will be of maximum glory to Him, of most blessing to others, and of greatest reward to ourselves.
When we depart from this earth, we will stand before our Lord Jesus and be required to give an account to Him of the extent to which we have fulfilled His will for us in our lives. “So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God”(Rom 14:12). Whether His call to us is to minister to large audiences with the manifestation of God’s power through signs and wonders, to be a witness in the marketplace or simply to be a faithful housewife to nurture the kids, we need, firstly, to reckon the importance of this call, and what it means to walk in it.
How many of us have perhaps lived our lives carelessly so far, looking to our relationship with God as essentially a passport to earthly blessings? And how desperately we need a personal revelation of the call of God on our lives, for it is only upon receiving such a revelation that Paul and many other great men and women of God were strengthened to sacrifice earthly comfort and satisfaction for the heavenly reward ahead. Recognising that God is in the know concerning every detail of our lives gives us the strength and comfort to endure the hardship and pains in this present life, since “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose”(Rom.8:28). It is only when we believe in and look forward to the prize at the finishing line that the race and the struggles along the journey take on meaning. Peter clearly instructs us to “be diligent in making our calling and election sure, for if we do these things, we will never stumble” (2 Pet 1:10). The key to a consistent and conscientious Christian walk is therefore to know and be certain of our call in the Lord. Without this knowledge, there is no vision to guide us progressively onwards our journey to God.
Our Primary Call – Christ-likeness
There are a few aspects to God’s call that we should now pause to consider. While we are aware of the general call for Christians to reconcile man unto our Lord, many of us tend to neglect the primary call upon our lives; which is to grow into the fullness of Christ. Paul, in his letter to the church in Rome, pointed out that it is God’s will that we be conformed to the image of His son, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom 8:29).
It is not uncommon to hear Christians asking how to know God’s calling as to their area of ministry in the Body of Christ; whether it be teaching, prophecy, intercession and so on. Nevertheless, what many Christians tend to neglect is that part of their Christian walk which is most crucial--cultivating and maintaining an intimate relationship with the Lord.
Our Devotion To Our Primary Calling Determines Our Progress In Our Secondary Calling
One evening, I was desperately asking the Lord how to teach His people to walk in their secondary or ministry calling. Early the next morning at about 2.30 am, I was awoken with a strong impression from the Spirit, that if I could find a person whose heart was undivided towards Him, this would be a person to whom the Holy Spirit will not hesitate to reveal His will. Indeed, such a person will be guided clearly and surely into God’s ministry upon his life. When we grow in Christ, we will automatically know our ministry calling of God upon our lives. We should therefore focus on growing and maturing in the Lord rather than in our calling to service and ministry.
This necessarily leads us to re-evaluate the amount of time we spend with the Lord. Just like Martha, who was constantly distracted with ministry rather than her relationship with the Lord, have we too been focusing on the work of ministering rather than on our private walk with Him? It is not a question—I say again—of having one to the exclusion of the other: there is a clear order of precedence we must observe. First live the love. Then live out the labour of love.
The quality of our relationship with God also determines the extent to which we enter and walk in the fullness of our calling in Him. To this end, the condition of our inner man is much like a wellspring which can only be filled by the Spirit. When empty, it can yield only fleshly efforts, which profits nothing. Conversely, when full and overflowing, it becomes a fountain of life, capable of transforming the lives of whomsoever we come into contact with.
In Acts 9:20-31, we see that Paul, who upon his conversion, apparently caused more harm than good. In his zeal, he immediately began to speak boldly in the name of the Lord without first waiting on God for direction. We read that because of the trouble he raised, and the brethren sent Him away. Verse 31 is important to take a note of: “Then the Churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied”. When we do not minister according to God’s direction and timing, we can cause more damage than good to His kingdom. It was some 10 or 11 years after his departure from Jerusalem that we see Paul in public ministry again. He had an encounter with the Lord upon the road to Damascus at about A.D.35. Only around A.D. 44 did Paul respond to Barnabas’s call for help in the ministry in Antioch, while he was still in Tarsus.
During this period of apparent silence, Paul spent the time to build himself up in the Lord. Paul, the apostle who fervently evangelised to almost the entire known world at that time, expressed his burden for the church in his epistles, strangely not for evangelism or outreach, but rather for Christ to be formed in the congregation. If we study Paul’s prayer for the Churches in Ephesus, Colossus, etc. we will observe that his main concern was for the believers to mature in Christ. In Gal.4:19, he says, “My little children, for whom I labour in birth again until Christ is formed in you.” Paul was well aware that only branches which abide in the vine bear fruit. An apple seed will surely grow up to be an apple tree. If only we grow in our maturity in Christ, we will walk into our ministry calling.
It is possible even with the appearance of spiritual success in church work that we have been doing what the Lord had not called us to do, or have even been achieving results through our human efforts and means. In such instances, the fruit that has apparently been born is worthless and not in the least pleasing to the Lord. According to Jeremiah, God had chosen Israel to be a “noble vine, a seed of highest quality”. Yet they had become “a degenerate plant of an alien vine”(Jer.2:21). And Isaiah says, “so He expected it to bring forth good grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes”(Isa.5:2). Like Israel, we “are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood…His own special people”(1Pet 2:9) called to glorify God. Nevertheless, this can only come about when we abide and grow in Him. Otherwise, we may also end up bearing wild grapes instead of good grapes for the Lord.
Beloved, let us remember that it is possible for us, though powerfully anointed and used by the Lord, to yet fail in our character and live lives which bring reproach to His name. In fact, the more authority or anointing we have in our lives, the more we can help or hurt others. Great spiritual leaders have great potential to nurture and build individuals for the kingdom of God. Unfortunately, they have the same potential to destroy and wound others. Hence we see that the greater the anointing on our lives, the greater the impact on the lives of the people around us--whether it be to build them up or to tear them down. Thus, God-image should be the goal of our faith, for only if we rightly reflect the nature of God in our ministry can we truly help others to conform to His image, for it is a general trait in people to conform to whatever the mind and eyes behold.
Growing In Christ vs. Growing In Our Call
As explained earlier, we should endeavour always to grow in Christ rather than to grow in our ministry call. While it is important to nurture the gifts and talents the Lord has given to us, let us not neglect our personal growth in the Lord for this is the foundation upon which our ministries must be built. We have a spiritual responsibility to impart life to others. We should hence strive for real progress in the spiritual life before we are in a position to supply life through work and service to others. In attending only to ministry and service at the expense of our own spiritual growth, we have in truth departed from the original aim of serving God.
There is a difference between growing in the Lord for our own sake and doing so for the sake of ministry to others. Many study the Bible and read books primarily for the purpose of ministry, desiring to be recognized for their depth and knowledge as teachers or preachers without spending time to develop the nature of Christ through meditation of Scripture and prayer. Do we not realise that just as in the natural realm, where we can be very successful professionals or businesspersons without bringing pleasure to our parents, spouses and children, in the spiritual realm we can fail in the same way. We can be known among many as the mighty men or women of God, yet never impress or bring delight to our heavenly Father at all.
Anointing and gifts without the life and fruit of the Spirit can impress and even achieve results. Nonetheless, such a ministry is not able to impact those who are closest to us simply because our lives speak for themselves and in fact pose a potential stumbling block to other Christians.
Although our Lord Jesus ministered many times before large crowds, He did not neglect His call to equip the disciples who were closest to Him and to impart life to them. How many of us can truly say that out private lives offer as good a testimony as our public ministry? Are we diligent to practice the very things we preach? Jesus warns us in Matt.5:19 that “Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven.” Truly, we can be great in the sight of men, but least in the kingdom of God. Particularly in a discipleship relationship, the extent of impact we have on those in our charge is almost entirely dependent on the degree of the presence of God that comes from within us rather than that which comes upon us. Gifts and anointing can bring healing and great blessing to others, yet only those who possess the fruit of the Spirit in themselves can truly help to transform lives. The testimony of our lives often carries the potential for greater impact on the lives of others than our teaching.
Secondary/Ministry Call – Our Destiny
Once we have established that our relationship with the Lord takes precedence over all things, we are on firm ground to work towards fulfilling our secondary call, which is what we know as our destiny on earth. Let us use a timeline to illustrate this.
Learning period ------- Earning period --------Yielding Period ----------Eternity
In our natural life, we begin our human experience with a period of learning from infancy to adulthood, during which we are primarily made aware of new and different things and constantly being educated. This is what we term the learning period. This is followed by a period of earning in which we strive for our livelihood and success, and then finally a period of yielding whereby we enjoy the fruits of our labour in retirement. Our hard work in the initial phase often determines the quality and success of the subsequent phases. Those who are diligent and invest well in their learning period are generally more successful and reap greater financial reward during their earning period. In the same token, it is often due to insufficient planning during the learning and earning period that many today are unable to enjoy the fruits of their labour in the yielding period.
The same timeline can, in general, be applied to our Christian walk with one exception, which is that the success of all the three seasons mentioned above decides the rewards we bring with us into the next phase of being in eternity. Surely, it is far more important that we enter into eternal life with great reward than with hands empty resulting from the lack of foresight and diligence through a life lived flippantly. For this reason, let us remind you of Peter’s exhortation again: “be even more diligent to make your calling and election sure…for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Pet.1:10-11). Yes, we can be saved. Nevertheless, depending on the diligence with which we live our spiritual lives on earth, we may enter into the everlasting kingdom with either abundance or impoverishment.
We cannot stress more strongly how crucial the sense of destiny in our lives is in order to make our life on earth count for the kingdom of God. Paul reminded us in 1 Cor 9:24-27, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and thus bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” The Christian life is not unlike a race. Just as in athletics, where self-discipline and strenuous effort are pre-requisites, the Christian walk demands hard work and definiteness of purpose. While many run in a race, not all receive the prize. This does not suggest that there is only one winner in the Christian race. It simply teaches that we should all run with the mindset of a winner. Here, of course, the prize is not salvation, but reward for faithful service. With this imperishable crown in view, Paul was determined to run not with uncertainty and fight not as one who beats the air. His service was neither purposeless nor ineffectual. He had a clear and specific aim before him, and his intention was that his every action on this earth should count towards that goal. There must therefore be no wasted time or energy. The apostle was certainly not interested in wild misses.
Be Faithful To Remain In Your Call (Eph 4:16)
The test of our faithfulness to the call of God is possibly greatest in situations where our ministry unto the Lord is either hidden from man or when it occupies a less prominent position in church ministry. Our lives on this earth can be compared to a drama. There are those who are called to be the lead actors or actresses, and also others who are called to play smaller parts and supporting roles. Notwithstanding, no matter how talented or gifted the main actor is, his role can never be expressed to its desired fullness should the help of supporting staff such as the director, technical crew, etc. be absent. The same applies to spiritual ministry.
Miriam was an obedient daughter, a protective big sister, a prophetess, and a worship leader. In fact, her faithfulness helped preserve the life of Moses and shape his future. However, pride and jealousy got in her way. She felt jealous that Moses was a more exalted prophet than she was and so she led her brother Aaron into the same negative thinking: “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses ? Has He not spoken through us also?” (Num.12:2). As a result, she suffered the consequences of leprosy and experienced public disgrace and isolation from the camp. Miriam and Aaron had important ministries of their own, but they were not the ones God had chosen to fulfil the task assigned to Moses.
Should we be called to play a more minor role in God’s kingdom, it is important not to allow discouragement or discontentment to set in, as they surely would if we are careless in guarding our hearts. Satan walked and lived in discontentment and thus, even after his fall, continues to influence us in this very same area. If we walk in discontentment, we are but walking in Satan’s familiar path of darkness. “Godliness with contentment is great gain”(1 Tim.6:6), Conversely, godliness without contentment can be great pain! The temptation to compare the value of our ministry with others constantly beckons. We therefore need to come before the Lord daily to allow Him to “wash our feet,” cleansing us of the negative thoughts we have allowed to prey on us through the day, reaffirming our call, and keeping us focused. We need to be watchful, for the greatest temptation can sometimes come from our brothers and sisters in Christ, some of whom do not understand the unique call upon our lives. It is not uncommon that they may inadvertently influence us to be busy with things we have not been called to do and end up being distracted from what the Lord has asked us to do. The failure of Adam was in his not doing what God had ordered; the victory of Christ Jesus is in not doing that which God had not ordered.
The word of God leaves us in no doubt that we are created through Him and for Him and His purposes alone. “All things were created through Him and for Him”(Col 1:16). We exist because of God, and we are here only for the purposes of God. There is therefore not one person who is without a purpose in God.
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph.2:10).
While no one has been saved by virtue of good works, the born-again believer is expected to perform good works. In attempting to identify our individual calling and destiny, we cannot neglect to ask ourselves: What kind of good works is Paul referring to? The `good works’ spoken of by Paul are described as the good works that God has prepared beforehand--even before we came into existence on this earth--for each one of us.
God told Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; and I ordained you a prophet to the nations” (Jer 1:5). Paul told Timothy not to be ashamed of the Gospel, through which God “has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began”(2 Tim. 1:9). Samuel, Jeremiah, Samson, Jacob, John the Baptist, Paul and Jesus Himself were all prophesied of before they came into the world. Hence we see that prior to our conversion, and even before we were born, God had already mapped out a spiritual plan for us to fulfil His highest purpose. In other words, God has a distinctive blueprint for every life “Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be”(Eccl.6:10 New Living Translation).
We are not required to devise work for our own hands or to carve a path for what we would like our spiritual careers to be. Rather, our responsibility as believers is to find His will for us and to obey it. We only need to yield ourselves to His plan “See the way God does things and fall into line”(Eccl.7:13 TLB). Recognising this truth delivers us from fretting, and ensures that our lives will be of maximum glory to Him, of most blessing to others, and of greatest reward to ourselves.
When we depart from this earth, we will stand before our Lord Jesus and be required to give an account to Him of the extent to which we have fulfilled His will for us in our lives. “So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God”(Rom 14:12). Whether His call to us is to minister to large audiences with the manifestation of God’s power through signs and wonders, to be a witness in the marketplace or simply to be a faithful housewife to nurture the kids, we need, firstly, to reckon the importance of this call, and what it means to walk in it.
How many of us have perhaps lived our lives carelessly so far, looking to our relationship with God as essentially a passport to earthly blessings? And how desperately we need a personal revelation of the call of God on our lives, for it is only upon receiving such a revelation that Paul and many other great men and women of God were strengthened to sacrifice earthly comfort and satisfaction for the heavenly reward ahead. Recognising that God is in the know concerning every detail of our lives gives us the strength and comfort to endure the hardship and pains in this present life, since “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose”(Rom.8:28). It is only when we believe in and look forward to the prize at the finishing line that the race and the struggles along the journey take on meaning. Peter clearly instructs us to “be diligent in making our calling and election sure, for if we do these things, we will never stumble” (2 Pet 1:10). The key to a consistent and conscientious Christian walk is therefore to know and be certain of our call in the Lord. Without this knowledge, there is no vision to guide us progressively onwards our journey to God.
Our Primary Call – Christ-likeness
There are a few aspects to God’s call that we should now pause to consider. While we are aware of the general call for Christians to reconcile man unto our Lord, many of us tend to neglect the primary call upon our lives; which is to grow into the fullness of Christ. Paul, in his letter to the church in Rome, pointed out that it is God’s will that we be conformed to the image of His son, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom 8:29).
It is not uncommon to hear Christians asking how to know God’s calling as to their area of ministry in the Body of Christ; whether it be teaching, prophecy, intercession and so on. Nevertheless, what many Christians tend to neglect is that part of their Christian walk which is most crucial--cultivating and maintaining an intimate relationship with the Lord.
Our Devotion To Our Primary Calling Determines Our Progress In Our Secondary Calling
One evening, I was desperately asking the Lord how to teach His people to walk in their secondary or ministry calling. Early the next morning at about 2.30 am, I was awoken with a strong impression from the Spirit, that if I could find a person whose heart was undivided towards Him, this would be a person to whom the Holy Spirit will not hesitate to reveal His will. Indeed, such a person will be guided clearly and surely into God’s ministry upon his life. When we grow in Christ, we will automatically know our ministry calling of God upon our lives. We should therefore focus on growing and maturing in the Lord rather than in our calling to service and ministry.
This necessarily leads us to re-evaluate the amount of time we spend with the Lord. Just like Martha, who was constantly distracted with ministry rather than her relationship with the Lord, have we too been focusing on the work of ministering rather than on our private walk with Him? It is not a question—I say again—of having one to the exclusion of the other: there is a clear order of precedence we must observe. First live the love. Then live out the labour of love.
The quality of our relationship with God also determines the extent to which we enter and walk in the fullness of our calling in Him. To this end, the condition of our inner man is much like a wellspring which can only be filled by the Spirit. When empty, it can yield only fleshly efforts, which profits nothing. Conversely, when full and overflowing, it becomes a fountain of life, capable of transforming the lives of whomsoever we come into contact with.
In Acts 9:20-31, we see that Paul, who upon his conversion, apparently caused more harm than good. In his zeal, he immediately began to speak boldly in the name of the Lord without first waiting on God for direction. We read that because of the trouble he raised, and the brethren sent Him away. Verse 31 is important to take a note of: “Then the Churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied”. When we do not minister according to God’s direction and timing, we can cause more damage than good to His kingdom. It was some 10 or 11 years after his departure from Jerusalem that we see Paul in public ministry again. He had an encounter with the Lord upon the road to Damascus at about A.D.35. Only around A.D. 44 did Paul respond to Barnabas’s call for help in the ministry in Antioch, while he was still in Tarsus.
During this period of apparent silence, Paul spent the time to build himself up in the Lord. Paul, the apostle who fervently evangelised to almost the entire known world at that time, expressed his burden for the church in his epistles, strangely not for evangelism or outreach, but rather for Christ to be formed in the congregation. If we study Paul’s prayer for the Churches in Ephesus, Colossus, etc. we will observe that his main concern was for the believers to mature in Christ. In Gal.4:19, he says, “My little children, for whom I labour in birth again until Christ is formed in you.” Paul was well aware that only branches which abide in the vine bear fruit. An apple seed will surely grow up to be an apple tree. If only we grow in our maturity in Christ, we will walk into our ministry calling.
It is possible even with the appearance of spiritual success in church work that we have been doing what the Lord had not called us to do, or have even been achieving results through our human efforts and means. In such instances, the fruit that has apparently been born is worthless and not in the least pleasing to the Lord. According to Jeremiah, God had chosen Israel to be a “noble vine, a seed of highest quality”. Yet they had become “a degenerate plant of an alien vine”(Jer.2:21). And Isaiah says, “so He expected it to bring forth good grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes”(Isa.5:2). Like Israel, we “are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood…His own special people”(1Pet 2:9) called to glorify God. Nevertheless, this can only come about when we abide and grow in Him. Otherwise, we may also end up bearing wild grapes instead of good grapes for the Lord.
Beloved, let us remember that it is possible for us, though powerfully anointed and used by the Lord, to yet fail in our character and live lives which bring reproach to His name. In fact, the more authority or anointing we have in our lives, the more we can help or hurt others. Great spiritual leaders have great potential to nurture and build individuals for the kingdom of God. Unfortunately, they have the same potential to destroy and wound others. Hence we see that the greater the anointing on our lives, the greater the impact on the lives of the people around us--whether it be to build them up or to tear them down. Thus, God-image should be the goal of our faith, for only if we rightly reflect the nature of God in our ministry can we truly help others to conform to His image, for it is a general trait in people to conform to whatever the mind and eyes behold.
Growing In Christ vs. Growing In Our Call
As explained earlier, we should endeavour always to grow in Christ rather than to grow in our ministry call. While it is important to nurture the gifts and talents the Lord has given to us, let us not neglect our personal growth in the Lord for this is the foundation upon which our ministries must be built. We have a spiritual responsibility to impart life to others. We should hence strive for real progress in the spiritual life before we are in a position to supply life through work and service to others. In attending only to ministry and service at the expense of our own spiritual growth, we have in truth departed from the original aim of serving God.
There is a difference between growing in the Lord for our own sake and doing so for the sake of ministry to others. Many study the Bible and read books primarily for the purpose of ministry, desiring to be recognized for their depth and knowledge as teachers or preachers without spending time to develop the nature of Christ through meditation of Scripture and prayer. Do we not realise that just as in the natural realm, where we can be very successful professionals or businesspersons without bringing pleasure to our parents, spouses and children, in the spiritual realm we can fail in the same way. We can be known among many as the mighty men or women of God, yet never impress or bring delight to our heavenly Father at all.
Anointing and gifts without the life and fruit of the Spirit can impress and even achieve results. Nonetheless, such a ministry is not able to impact those who are closest to us simply because our lives speak for themselves and in fact pose a potential stumbling block to other Christians.
Although our Lord Jesus ministered many times before large crowds, He did not neglect His call to equip the disciples who were closest to Him and to impart life to them. How many of us can truly say that out private lives offer as good a testimony as our public ministry? Are we diligent to practice the very things we preach? Jesus warns us in Matt.5:19 that “Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven.” Truly, we can be great in the sight of men, but least in the kingdom of God. Particularly in a discipleship relationship, the extent of impact we have on those in our charge is almost entirely dependent on the degree of the presence of God that comes from within us rather than that which comes upon us. Gifts and anointing can bring healing and great blessing to others, yet only those who possess the fruit of the Spirit in themselves can truly help to transform lives. The testimony of our lives often carries the potential for greater impact on the lives of others than our teaching.
Secondary/Ministry Call – Our Destiny
Once we have established that our relationship with the Lord takes precedence over all things, we are on firm ground to work towards fulfilling our secondary call, which is what we know as our destiny on earth. Let us use a timeline to illustrate this.
Learning period ------- Earning period --------Yielding Period ----------Eternity
In our natural life, we begin our human experience with a period of learning from infancy to adulthood, during which we are primarily made aware of new and different things and constantly being educated. This is what we term the learning period. This is followed by a period of earning in which we strive for our livelihood and success, and then finally a period of yielding whereby we enjoy the fruits of our labour in retirement. Our hard work in the initial phase often determines the quality and success of the subsequent phases. Those who are diligent and invest well in their learning period are generally more successful and reap greater financial reward during their earning period. In the same token, it is often due to insufficient planning during the learning and earning period that many today are unable to enjoy the fruits of their labour in the yielding period.
The same timeline can, in general, be applied to our Christian walk with one exception, which is that the success of all the three seasons mentioned above decides the rewards we bring with us into the next phase of being in eternity. Surely, it is far more important that we enter into eternal life with great reward than with hands empty resulting from the lack of foresight and diligence through a life lived flippantly. For this reason, let us remind you of Peter’s exhortation again: “be even more diligent to make your calling and election sure…for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Pet.1:10-11). Yes, we can be saved. Nevertheless, depending on the diligence with which we live our spiritual lives on earth, we may enter into the everlasting kingdom with either abundance or impoverishment.
We cannot stress more strongly how crucial the sense of destiny in our lives is in order to make our life on earth count for the kingdom of God. Paul reminded us in 1 Cor 9:24-27, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and thus bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” The Christian life is not unlike a race. Just as in athletics, where self-discipline and strenuous effort are pre-requisites, the Christian walk demands hard work and definiteness of purpose. While many run in a race, not all receive the prize. This does not suggest that there is only one winner in the Christian race. It simply teaches that we should all run with the mindset of a winner. Here, of course, the prize is not salvation, but reward for faithful service. With this imperishable crown in view, Paul was determined to run not with uncertainty and fight not as one who beats the air. His service was neither purposeless nor ineffectual. He had a clear and specific aim before him, and his intention was that his every action on this earth should count towards that goal. There must therefore be no wasted time or energy. The apostle was certainly not interested in wild misses.
Be Faithful To Remain In Your Call (Eph 4:16)
The test of our faithfulness to the call of God is possibly greatest in situations where our ministry unto the Lord is either hidden from man or when it occupies a less prominent position in church ministry. Our lives on this earth can be compared to a drama. There are those who are called to be the lead actors or actresses, and also others who are called to play smaller parts and supporting roles. Notwithstanding, no matter how talented or gifted the main actor is, his role can never be expressed to its desired fullness should the help of supporting staff such as the director, technical crew, etc. be absent. The same applies to spiritual ministry.
Miriam was an obedient daughter, a protective big sister, a prophetess, and a worship leader. In fact, her faithfulness helped preserve the life of Moses and shape his future. However, pride and jealousy got in her way. She felt jealous that Moses was a more exalted prophet than she was and so she led her brother Aaron into the same negative thinking: “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses ? Has He not spoken through us also?” (Num.12:2). As a result, she suffered the consequences of leprosy and experienced public disgrace and isolation from the camp. Miriam and Aaron had important ministries of their own, but they were not the ones God had chosen to fulfil the task assigned to Moses.
Should we be called to play a more minor role in God’s kingdom, it is important not to allow discouragement or discontentment to set in, as they surely would if we are careless in guarding our hearts. Satan walked and lived in discontentment and thus, even after his fall, continues to influence us in this very same area. If we walk in discontentment, we are but walking in Satan’s familiar path of darkness. “Godliness with contentment is great gain”(1 Tim.6:6), Conversely, godliness without contentment can be great pain! The temptation to compare the value of our ministry with others constantly beckons. We therefore need to come before the Lord daily to allow Him to “wash our feet,” cleansing us of the negative thoughts we have allowed to prey on us through the day, reaffirming our call, and keeping us focused. We need to be watchful, for the greatest temptation can sometimes come from our brothers and sisters in Christ, some of whom do not understand the unique call upon our lives. It is not uncommon that they may inadvertently influence us to be busy with things we have not been called to do and end up being distracted from what the Lord has asked us to do. The failure of Adam was in his not doing what God had ordered; the victory of Christ Jesus is in not doing that which God had not ordered.
If We Do Not Fulfill Our Call, We Will Be Replaced (Esther 4:14)
God knew ahead of time that Haman, because of his hatred for Mordecai, would plan to annihilate all the Jews in the kingdom. As such, He prepared Esther as His instrument of grace to the Jews by making her so beautiful and charming that she wins the hearts of King Ahasuerus. Mordecai, recognising the position of favour the Lord had placed on Queen Esther, sent a message to her to use her office to intercede for her people. However, Esther was hesitant to do according to what Mordecai commanded because she was well aware of the consequences that might befall her should the King receive her unfavourably. She was fearful for her own life. Mordecai’s reply to her, however, was that if she refused to act, then “relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place…yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”(Esther 4:14). This verse should challenge every one of us. Though few will ever be in a position such as Esther’s, each believer has an essential role to play in the ongoing plan of God. And, as Mordecai had pointed out rightly, should we fail to respond to our call, we can eventually be replaced by another person who God will raise up to fulfill His purpose. As an immediate example, because of her disobedience, Queen Vashti was replaced by Esther. Similarly, Israel’s call to evangelise the world was replaced by the Church when Israel hardened her heart towards God. Thus, like David, it is important that we cultivate a heart that is after God’s heart. Though he fell into sin because of his weaknesses, he nevertheless had the testimony that “after he had served his own generation by the will of God, [he] fell asleep…”(Acts 13:36). How wonderful to know that we have served our own generation in the will of God, fulfilling our mission, plan and purpose in life before we depart from this earth.
God knew ahead of time that Haman, because of his hatred for Mordecai, would plan to annihilate all the Jews in the kingdom. As such, He prepared Esther as His instrument of grace to the Jews by making her so beautiful and charming that she wins the hearts of King Ahasuerus. Mordecai, recognising the position of favour the Lord had placed on Queen Esther, sent a message to her to use her office to intercede for her people. However, Esther was hesitant to do according to what Mordecai commanded because she was well aware of the consequences that might befall her should the King receive her unfavourably. She was fearful for her own life. Mordecai’s reply to her, however, was that if she refused to act, then “relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place…yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”(Esther 4:14). This verse should challenge every one of us. Though few will ever be in a position such as Esther’s, each believer has an essential role to play in the ongoing plan of God. And, as Mordecai had pointed out rightly, should we fail to respond to our call, we can eventually be replaced by another person who God will raise up to fulfill His purpose. As an immediate example, because of her disobedience, Queen Vashti was replaced by Esther. Similarly, Israel’s call to evangelise the world was replaced by the Church when Israel hardened her heart towards God. Thus, like David, it is important that we cultivate a heart that is after God’s heart. Though he fell into sin because of his weaknesses, he nevertheless had the testimony that “after he had served his own generation by the will of God, [he] fell asleep…”(Acts 13:36). How wonderful to know that we have served our own generation in the will of God, fulfilling our mission, plan and purpose in life before we depart from this earth.
Laying Hold Of What Christ Has Laid Hold Of Us
Paul laid hold of whatever Christ had first laid hold of in him: “I press on that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me”(Phil.3:12). Many times, God reveals His will and call for us in part and not in its entirety at a particular point in time. Nevertheless, not seeing the whole picture is not an excuse not to take the first step of faith. Recall that Abraham was asked to leave his homeland without the Lord even revealing where He was sending him. What Abraham held close to His heart was only the promise given by the Lord to bless Him abundantly in the land He was calling him to enter. In the same way, the Lord requires us to be faithful to only that which He has revealed and to maintain an attitude of trust in what we do not yet know. When we have been obedient to all that He has first impressed in our spirits, He will proceed to show us more.
Without a sense of destiny and significance, we can be deceived easily by Satan to seek other forms of satisfaction on earth: “as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ”(2 Cor 11:3). In John 4:13-14, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.” Jesus, in his encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, invited her to come to Him to drink from the living water so that she will never thirst again. Only Jesus is able to satisfy the deepest desires of our hearts, and He alone knows what we truly need to be satisfied. “This water” (referring to the water in the well) [that does not permanently quench thirst] speaks of things of the world. It is easy for one, even a Christian, to be drawn to seek satisfaction from anywhere except Christ. After all, the whole world, Christians included, is under the sway of the wicked one, who attempts, as he first did with Eve, to lure us towards devising our own means to meet our needs. This includes such things as deriving a sense of security in a job, an emotional attachment to a loved one or even one’s own spouse, and a desire to fulfill personal ambition in order to beget an assurance of self worth.
Perhaps we may be feeling that our life just does not hold the kind of deep satisfaction and contentment we thought a life as a Christian would normally bring. If we recognize this thirst within us, we should reflect if we have been drinking from the wrong source all this while and not from Christ. Though we may obtain temporal relief from a source other than the Lord, we will continue to thirst simply because these things were never meant to replace our Lord as the one and only life-giver. Let us learn to drink of Him and be satisfied so we will not thirst again. When we do so, the water in us “will become in Him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
The Need
In fulfilling our destiny, it is crucial that we allow only God’s plan and purposes to be served and not our own fleshly noble efforts. In Phil.2:15, we are exhorted to be “blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” The darker the night, the brighter the light appears. To be a true light to shine for our Lord, we therefore need to be authentic Christians who truly reflect the nature and wisdom of Christ. Sadly, there are many who do not pursue to reflect His wisdom but choose to blindly imitate others in the ministry. This will accomplish nothing other than to deter the call of God upon our lives. God is not bound by methods or formulae. In creating each one of us different and unique to do His work, He has given us the opportunity to reflect different aspects of His character and nature to the world. Let us consider a few Scriptures:
“So Solomon overlaid the inside of the temple with pure gold. He stretched gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary; and he overlaid it with gold. The whole temple he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the temple; also he overlaid with gold the entire altar that was by the inner sanctuary.” (1 Kings.6:20-23)
“Solomon had all the furnishings made for the house of the Lord: the altar of gold, and the table of gold on which was the showbread; the lamp stands of pure gold, five on the right side and five on the left in front on the inner sanctuary, with the flowers and the lamps and the wick-trimmers of gold.” (1 Kgs.7:48-49)
“So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house; he took everything. He also carried away the gold shields, which Solomon had made. In their place King Rehoboam made bronze shields and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the entrance of the king’s house.” (2 Chron. 12:9-10)
We read in the above scriptures that during Solomon’s time, everything that was built was of gold. However, when the land was invaded by the Egyptians, all the gold was taken away. When King Rehoboam ascended the throne, he made an attempt to restore the glory of the temple by replacing what was gold with bronze.
While bronze looks very much like gold, we all know it is not gold. As a parallel with many ministries today, many have substituted the divine, perfect plan and will of God with human initiatives and efforts. Gold speaks of the divine and original (things that are of God) while bronze speaks of imitation (copying method and formula without the unction from God or, worse, mere human effort). Let us not be mistaken, for bronze has indeed the appearance of gold and it is therefore not unusual that the work of man often is incorrectly judged to be from the Lord Himself. Again, we emphasize that if we do not make sure our call or election in this life, our service unto the Lord will be no more than bronze. We need to be authentic and true to what the Lord has called us to in order to fulfill our call.
Paul laid hold of whatever Christ had first laid hold of in him: “I press on that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me”(Phil.3:12). Many times, God reveals His will and call for us in part and not in its entirety at a particular point in time. Nevertheless, not seeing the whole picture is not an excuse not to take the first step of faith. Recall that Abraham was asked to leave his homeland without the Lord even revealing where He was sending him. What Abraham held close to His heart was only the promise given by the Lord to bless Him abundantly in the land He was calling him to enter. In the same way, the Lord requires us to be faithful to only that which He has revealed and to maintain an attitude of trust in what we do not yet know. When we have been obedient to all that He has first impressed in our spirits, He will proceed to show us more.
Without a sense of destiny and significance, we can be deceived easily by Satan to seek other forms of satisfaction on earth: “as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ”(2 Cor 11:3). In John 4:13-14, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.” Jesus, in his encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, invited her to come to Him to drink from the living water so that she will never thirst again. Only Jesus is able to satisfy the deepest desires of our hearts, and He alone knows what we truly need to be satisfied. “This water” (referring to the water in the well) [that does not permanently quench thirst] speaks of things of the world. It is easy for one, even a Christian, to be drawn to seek satisfaction from anywhere except Christ. After all, the whole world, Christians included, is under the sway of the wicked one, who attempts, as he first did with Eve, to lure us towards devising our own means to meet our needs. This includes such things as deriving a sense of security in a job, an emotional attachment to a loved one or even one’s own spouse, and a desire to fulfill personal ambition in order to beget an assurance of self worth.
Perhaps we may be feeling that our life just does not hold the kind of deep satisfaction and contentment we thought a life as a Christian would normally bring. If we recognize this thirst within us, we should reflect if we have been drinking from the wrong source all this while and not from Christ. Though we may obtain temporal relief from a source other than the Lord, we will continue to thirst simply because these things were never meant to replace our Lord as the one and only life-giver. Let us learn to drink of Him and be satisfied so we will not thirst again. When we do so, the water in us “will become in Him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
The Need
In fulfilling our destiny, it is crucial that we allow only God’s plan and purposes to be served and not our own fleshly noble efforts. In Phil.2:15, we are exhorted to be “blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” The darker the night, the brighter the light appears. To be a true light to shine for our Lord, we therefore need to be authentic Christians who truly reflect the nature and wisdom of Christ. Sadly, there are many who do not pursue to reflect His wisdom but choose to blindly imitate others in the ministry. This will accomplish nothing other than to deter the call of God upon our lives. God is not bound by methods or formulae. In creating each one of us different and unique to do His work, He has given us the opportunity to reflect different aspects of His character and nature to the world. Let us consider a few Scriptures:
“So Solomon overlaid the inside of the temple with pure gold. He stretched gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary; and he overlaid it with gold. The whole temple he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the temple; also he overlaid with gold the entire altar that was by the inner sanctuary.” (1 Kings.6:20-23)
“Solomon had all the furnishings made for the house of the Lord: the altar of gold, and the table of gold on which was the showbread; the lamp stands of pure gold, five on the right side and five on the left in front on the inner sanctuary, with the flowers and the lamps and the wick-trimmers of gold.” (1 Kgs.7:48-49)
“So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house; he took everything. He also carried away the gold shields, which Solomon had made. In their place King Rehoboam made bronze shields and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the entrance of the king’s house.” (2 Chron. 12:9-10)
We read in the above scriptures that during Solomon’s time, everything that was built was of gold. However, when the land was invaded by the Egyptians, all the gold was taken away. When King Rehoboam ascended the throne, he made an attempt to restore the glory of the temple by replacing what was gold with bronze.
While bronze looks very much like gold, we all know it is not gold. As a parallel with many ministries today, many have substituted the divine, perfect plan and will of God with human initiatives and efforts. Gold speaks of the divine and original (things that are of God) while bronze speaks of imitation (copying method and formula without the unction from God or, worse, mere human effort). Let us not be mistaken, for bronze has indeed the appearance of gold and it is therefore not unusual that the work of man often is incorrectly judged to be from the Lord Himself. Again, we emphasize that if we do not make sure our call or election in this life, our service unto the Lord will be no more than bronze. We need to be authentic and true to what the Lord has called us to in order to fulfill our call.
