THE CALLING # 5
Another thought concerning The Calling is the term, “I know the Lord called me… to do such and such.” To be a mechanic, accountant, preacher, school teacher, truck driver, meteorologist, horse trainer, manage a Wienerschnitzel, a building contractor, night nurse or a hair stylist or whatever. The problem with this reasoning is church history has produced some kind of a different definition of, “The Lord called me.” In our culture this usually means to be a professional priest, pastor or some type of clergy. It also means, historically and traditionally, that a ‘called person’ is a preaching pastor, reverend, father or someone that leads a local church. Being ‘called’ does not usually refer to ‘the untitled’ who are disciples of Jesus… like the guy at the tire shop, a person at a dairy or a Dairy Queen or at Chicken Wings to Go. This is man-made religious nonsense and not according to scripture. It also produces a temple model of the church with a professional clergy and everyone else is laity (which means not clergy). So, bring yourself and your sacrifice to the temple and the priest/clergy will take care of it. This is more nonsense and man-made religion.
However, I don’t think it is unusual to hear the Lord call us to a specific task or function. I would be in that category. From a list of 1-50 on what a person thinks and assumes they will do in life or are ‘called to do’… I would be at close to 50 (that being the far end of the scale) on being a proclaimer, leader and writer of things Biblical and spiritual. When I was young this would have been talk from Mars or the Funny Farm. I have never felt like the Lord made a right decision in ‘calling me’ to do what I do. I have said to the Lord ten thousand times (in the last month) “Surely, you are not right on this one… not I, wrong one, Lord.” However, it has been several years now… and I know the Lord has “called me” to do what I do… or I would/could not be doing it to this day. This is not some form of false and goofy humility… this is a fact. But, that’s just my story. I just wanted/want to be cowboy.
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” Jesus