Caller Over The Calling

The Lord your God is a devouring fire, a jealous God. Deuteronomy 4:24

Os Guinness, in his book The Call, says, “We are not primarily called to do something [such as motherhood, politics, or teaching] or go somewhere [such as the inner city or Outer Mongolia]; we are called to Someone [God].”^a Further, he says, “There is no calling unless there is a Caller.”^b

Romans 1:6-7 clearly supports our call to the person of God: “You are among those who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ, dear friends in Rome. God loves you dearly, and he has called you to be his very own people.” You are called!

In seeking to live out our calling, we can forget that the best way to do so is to stay connected to the Caller—God. How can you know if your perspective is shifting from Caller to calling?

Quiet-time priority: Your personal alone time with God will begin to suffer if your calling takes priority over the Caller. The task will become more important than the relationship.

Revolving-door relationships: If the call is getting top billing, you will begin to be irritated by those calling you back to the Caller, Jesus Christ. You will begin avoiding your most spiritual friends, perhaps replacing people who might point out your pattern of drifting from faith or God. You might spend less time at home, less time with long-time friends, and more time with newer or shallower people.

God is the lover of your soul. He wants time with you. He should be more important than what he called you to do.