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On this page: What is Vocation? How can I find out what God is calling me to? What is discipleship? |
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What is Vocation?
Put very simply, vocation is what God is calling you to do with the gifts, skills and experience that he has placed into your hands today. One of the best explanations of vocation comes in a book written by Richard Nelson Bolles: ‘What color is your parachute?’. He observes that vocation has three parts:
Firstly, You are called to love God and to accept his love for you
“Your first Mission here on Earth is one that you share with the rest of the human race, but it is no less your individual Mission for the fact that it is shared: and it is, to seek to stand hour by hour in the conscious presence of God, the One from whom your Mission is derived. The Missioner before the Mission, is the rule. In religious language, your Mission here is: to know God, and enjoy Him forever, and to see His hand in all His works.”
Secondly, You are called to love your neighbour and to accept their love for you
“Second, once you have begun [loving God] in an earnest way, your second Mission here on Earth is also one that you share with the rest of the human race, but it is no less your individual Mission for the fact that it is shared: and it is, to do what you can, moment by moment, day by day, step by step, to make this world a better place, following the leading and guidance of God’s Spirit within you and around you.
Thirdly, You are called to be You
“Third, once you have begun [loving God and loving your neighbour] in a serious way, your third Mission here on Earth is one that is uniquely yours, and that is: to exercise that Talent that you particularly came to Earth to use – your greatest gift, which you most delight to use,
in the place(s) or setting(s) that God has caused to appeal to you most and for those purposes that God most needs to have done in the world.
If this is the definition of vocation, then what are the BIG questions you need to ask yourself now?
How earnest am I in loving God? Have I accepted his love for me?
How seriously do I take loving my neighbour? Do I allow others to love and to serve me?
What are the skills and gifts I most delight in?
Where am I, physically, emotionally, relationally?
What does God need doing here and now that I would be good at doing?
How can I find out what God is calling me to?
We have developed our ‘Hearing God’s Call’ programme to help people to find out what God might be calling them to. There are a number of people who are available to help but the most important thing to remember is that this is God’s call on your life and it is up to you how you respond. There are no easy answers.
1: God-given gifts and personal discipline but no opportunity to express them = Frustration
2: God-given gifts and opportunity to express them but no personal discipline = Wastefulness
3: Personal discipline and opportunity but no God-given gifts in a particular area = Misdirected effort
4: God-given gifts and personal discipline and opportunity = a life well-lived, a race well run
The first step to working out what God is calling you to is to become a better disciple of Jesus.
What is discipleship?
The first step in responding to God’s call on our lives is to become a better disciple, or follower, of Jesus. Whatever God is calling you to do, this is the place to start.
There are four important ways of growing closer to Jesus:
Deepening Spirituality
Engaging in Mission
Growing in Understanding
Building Commitment to the Church
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For more information on Vocation and Discipleship:
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0117 906 0100