Upside Down: How Encountering God in His Word Change the Calling on Your Life

My Calling: God's Calling on My Life

What would it take to turn your life upside down? In Isaiah 6, the prophet gets a peak behind the curtain of the terrifying throne room of God. We don’t know much about Isaiah before this moment; who his parents were, where he worked, or even what he thought about God and life. One thing we do know is that when Isaiah was confronted by and brought face to face with the reality of God, his life was never the same. All of his scars and all of his weaknesses were thrust before his eyes in light of a holy God. The story doesn’t end there though. God atones for his sin and purifies him right then and there. It was at this place that Isaiah knew what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He wanted to tell the world about this God.

I never had a throne room experience like Isaiah, but my calling is in a strange way similar though. At the age of 16 I stumbled into the book of John and the person of Jesus blew me away. He was strong and powerful, but also gentle and compassionate. He was full of conviction, but was accompanied by grace. He knew so much, but was humble and meek. As I realized that this individual was God as man I knew my life could never be the same. After coming to a full realization of the grandeur of God's character and his loving descent to save sinners, how could I be the same?

After all, if I actually knew and believed that God is who he says he is and does what he has said he's done, I couldn't be the same. The unfortunate implication though is that if my life doesn’t match, then one of two things is true. I either don't know who God is as I ought to know him, or, the far more likely reality is the far more likely reality is that this knowledge hasn't bridged the gap into conviction. If I wanted to change my life I would have to make my life about bridging this gap.

As I progressed in my Christian life I learned two things. First, transformation was an exciting adventure. I began to pour into the Scriptures and as I did I treasured each and every piece of what I found. The book began to change me and reshape all of my previously held values and convictions. I began to treasure Christ more and my sin less. Furthermore, I realized that there were men and women around me who taught me and drove these treasured truths deep into my heart. These pastors and teachers were gifts sent from God to grow me in Christ and cause me to learn better. In fact, they dedicated their whole lives to the study and teaching of God's Word.

The more God worked in my life, the more that I began to realize that this same calling dwelled in me. I was able to comfort friends who were hurting with God's word. I was able to tell God's redemptive story. I even began to lead Bible studies on my own. God gifted me with an ability to teach and I began to exercise my gifts in preaching at chapels and even some youth groups. The same people I respected so much began to confirm my own calling; God had called me to teach his Word.

I would be lying if I said this wasn’t scary at times. Teachers are held to a higher standard for their teaching and their lives. However, even at the most uncertain of moments, I still get too excited about God and his word to do something else. God has called me to bridge the gap between knowledge and conviction and I will obey that call.

So, I'll ask again, what would it take to turn your life around? For Isaiah it was a real encounter with the living God. For me it was meeting the person of Jesus. Without meeting God there is no real change. If you are reading this I say to you that God is waiting to meet you just as he met me. Open his word. Read it. Study it. I have dedicated my entire life to teaching this book because I think without it life is totally and utterly incomplete. I can promise you that if you engage faithfully with it you, like Isaiah and like me, will never be the same.

Tags: calling, vocation, preach, teaching, teacher, bible, God's Word, theology, passion