WHAT IS A “CALL” OF GOD?

TO READ: Luke 5:1-11

As soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.

Luke 5:11

What is a “call” of God? Jesus calls in different ways in different situations.

There is a call to discipleship. Whether we serve Christ at home, in the marketplace, or in a faraway country, all of us are to put him and his call as our first priority.

There is also a call to special service that might lead us in another direction in life. When Jesus called these four fishermen to full-time service, they were already his disciples but were still involved in their business. Jesus came where they were washing their nets and called them to lay down their life’s work to do his. So Peter, Andrew, James, and John “left everything and followed Jesus” (Luke 5:11). This kind of call may mean leaving our home or job.

A third type of call is illustrated in the life of Peter. This is the call to recommitment after failure. After Jesus’ resurrection, he met Peter on a sandy beach and said, “Follow me” (John 21:19), letting Peter know that he was forgiven and still needed for the work of the kingdom. We, too, can still be used by God, even after we have failed him.

Wherever we are in our spiritual journey, we need to listen to and obey God’s voice. He may be calling us to put the interests and plans of God before our own whatever the cost or to come back to God even after we’ve failed him. Be listening so that when God calls, in whatever way God calls, you’ll be ready to answer.