WHAT IS GOD CALLING US TO DO: PART 3

A couple of weeks ago when we began this series called What is God calling us to do. We are having this series because this question gnaws at us. Is there something I should be doing with my life? Is there something I am missing from my life? Or is life something I just make up as I go? In our first sermon we answered the question, Is God calling me to do something with my life? We answered that with a yes. However, we also said that this calling is unique to you and your situation. I can’t tell you what it is because that calling is between you and God. However we also said that there are 5 things that God wants us to do with our lives. Last week we said that the first thing God is calling you to do is to be loved. God’s first calling for you is not to do something, not to offer something, and not to sacrifice something. The first thing God is calling on you to do is simply receive something … His love … and we spoke about how God’s love for you can transform your life. 

We looked at the second of the callings in life which is you’re called to belong.  You weren’t made to go through life all on your own.  You weren’t made to go through life lonely. God made you to belong to his family which is the church.  It’s the family of God. 

When you receive God’s love and when you belong, then you can move to the third calling which is You’re Called to Become.  To become. 

These actually are building blocks that build on top of each other. 

You cannot become the woman God wants you to be, you cannot become the man God wants you to be unless you experience God’s love and then belong to His family.  It is only being loved and belonging that we’re able to do the becoming in life.

The Bible says that God created you not just to be loved and not just to belong but the third calling in life is you are called to become.

Romans 8:28 says this “We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God… and are called (there that word called again) according to his purpose  for them.  [Your calling in life is your purpose in life.] For God knew his people in advance and he chose them to become like his Son…    so that his Son [Jesus] would be the firstborn with many brothers and sisters.”

The third calling in life is to become like Christ.

What does that mean?  Does that mean He wants us to walk on water and be able to heal the blind by spitting on the ground? NO. God wants you to become Godly. It says in 1 Peter 1 ¹⁵ The one who chose you is holy. So you should be holy in all that you do. ¹⁶ It is written, “Be holy, because I am holy.” In other words, he wants you to take on the characteristics of his family.  Like Father, like Son.  The Bible says that God is loving and God is joyful and God is peaceful and God is patient and God is kind.  The Bible tells us that God is self-controlled.  God is merciful.  These are called the fruit of the Spirit.  They’re a perfect picture of Jesus.

If you’re going to become like Jesus it means to be filled with love.  To be filled with joy.  To be filled with peace.  To be filled with patience.  All of those other qualities.

The Bible compares becoming like Jesus to running a race.  It is the race of life.  Life is not a fifty-yard dash.  It’s a marathon.  And you’re running this race right now.  And your goal is to become the man God wants you to be.  The goal is to become the woman God wants you to be.  This is your third calling in life – to become what God made you to become.

So what I want to do today is take some of the passages of the Bible that compare life to a race and draw out some principles.  This is how you get to where God wants you to be in life.  God doesn’t want you to stay the same.  He wants you to grow up.

The first step in making it to the end of life and finishing the course God has for you is…

1. Simplify my life.

If you’re really going to become the man God wants you to be or the woman God wants you to be, the first thing you’ve got to do is you’ve got to let go of some stuff.  You’ve got to eliminate the diversions, the distractions, the detours, the dead ends, the time wasters.

Hebrews chapter 12 is one of the chapters of the Bible that deals with this metaphor of life as a race.  So we’re going to spend a whole lot of time in Hebrews 12.

Verse 1 says this, “Let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back  especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up…  [We’ve all had that.]  let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us.” 

Notice the phrase “the particular race.”  God has a particular race for your life and only you can run it. In all the universe there is only one you.  Your mom can’t run it.  Your dad can’t run it.  Your boyfriend can’t run it.  Somebody else can’t run your race.  And by the way you can’t run anybody else’s.  You have a particular race that God wants you to run in life.  And everybody else has a race that God wants them to run.

Here’s the problem: Everybody wants you to run their race.  Everybody has a plan for your life.  Your parents wanted you to run the race they wanted you to run.  You may be married to a husband or wife who wants you to run the race they want you to run.  You may have a boss who wants you to run a race he or she wants you to run. When it became known that I was going to stop being a lawyer and join the ministry, I received calls from as far away as California telling me I was ruining my life. Heck I even got calls from United Church ministers telling me I was ruining my life.   

But you’ve got to decide this: Who’s race am I going to run in life?  I can run my own race.  I can run the race somebody else wants me to run.  Or I can run the race that God created me to run.  You can’t run all three. 

Which means you’re going to have to let go of some expectations too.  Because you can’t please everybody else and please God.  You’ve got to decide did God put me on this earth to please my parents?  To please my girlfriend?  To please my teacher?  To please my clique, my club, my fans, my peers, partner?  Or did God put me on this earth to live for the plan that he made me for? You have to say I’m willing to let go of what everybody else expects me to do in my life.

When you’re doing that, you’re saying God, I’m ready to become the woman you made me to be.  I’m ready to become the man you made me to be.  That’s the first step – simplify my life.

Step two is in the next verse.  The next part of that verse:

2. Spend time focusing on Jesus every day.

Here’s what the Bible says.  Hebrews 12:2, “We do this [in other words run the race of life] by keeping our eyes on Jesus, [That’s focusing on him every day] on whom our faith depends from start [that’s the beginning of your race in life] to finish [the end of your race in life.]  You cannot become like Jesus unless you spend time with Jesus.

I must spend a little bit of time – I’m not talking about an hour, two hours, three hours, ten hours.  Start with five minutes.  Ten minutes.  Fifteen minutes.  Spend some time focusing on Jesus every day.  That’s what the next verse says talking about this race in life. 

Why do I need to spend some time focusing my thoughts, my mind on Jesus? 

Because we take on the habits and characteristics of the people we are in relationship with. If you hang out with people who have no ambition, you’re going to have no ambition.  If you hang out with people who are critical, you’re going to become critical.  Whoever you spend the most time with is who you’re going to become like. If you spend time with Jesus – five, ten, fifteen minutes a day – then you will become more and more like him. You can’t soar with the eagles if you’re running with the turkeys. 

How do you do that? Have a quiet time. I don’t care when you do it. The best time for me is in the morning. You get up, find your favorite chair and you sit down in it and you spend some time.  You read the Bible for five minutes, then you talk to God about stuff that’s on your heart – God, here’s the stuff that I’m worried about.  Lord, here’s the stuff I’m concerned about.  Here’s my schedule today.  I’m really stressed; I need your help.  And then be quiet and you let God talk to you.  Just say “Lord, is there anything you want to say to me?”  And you be quiet.

Let me give you a little tip.  Find a special place to meet with God every day.  That when you go there you are going to go spend fifteen minutes with God just being quiet.  Thinking.  Meditating.  Looking into God’s Word.  Praying.  It might be a Lazy Boy chair in your living room and you get a cup of coffee.  Sit down.  Sit back and get comfortable.  Or you go out in the backyard if you’re an outdoor person and you look outside.  Hear the birds and you sit under a tree.  You just need to go where you can be alone and where you can pray aloud. 

I had one guy tell me, “My favorite place for a quiet time is sitting on the toilet.  The bathroom is the only place that’s quiet in my house.”  Whatever works right?

Here’s the thing.  The more time you spend with God the more you’re going to become like him.  The more time you spend reading the Bible and studying about Jesus, the more you’re going to learn his love, his patience, his peace, his character in your life. 

All of us, what we want is a quick fix in our life.  We want one thing that will take away all of our problems and all of our hang-ups and all of our fears instantly.  So we go around looking for that one book to read that will change my life.  That one message to listen to on a Cd that will change my life.  We want to take a pill.  Find a magic bullet.  Have an experience and boom!  It’s going to instantly transform me and all of a sudden I’m like Jesus.

It isn’t going to happen.  It doesn’t happen that way.  There is instant mashed potatoes.  There is instant coffee.  There is no instant spiritual maturity.  It just doesn’t happen.  It takes time.  One step at a time.  And as I said, God is never in a hurry. So as I spend time focusing on Jesus every day it says we become “more and more like him.”  And when you are more like Him you are going to start reflecting the qualities of God – his love, his joy, his peace, his patience.  You tend to see things the way he sees it.  And you become more and more like him.

The third thing on the steps of finishing the race of life is this:

3. When it gets hard, remember the reward!

When life gets hard you need to remember the reward.  God is calling us to become like Christ, but the only way to become like Christ is to go through the things that He went through. The ups, the downs, the tests and the trials, the problems and the pressures. God is going to use it all to make you more like Jesus.

Were there times when Jesus was lonely?  Yes.  Were there times when Jesus was criticized?  Yes.  Were there times when Jesus was betrayed?  Yes.  Were there times when Jesus was worn out with fatigue and yet had to keep going?  Yes.  Were there times when he was misunderstood?  Yes.  If God did not spare his own Son from those things why do you think he would spare you?  He won’t. 

Hebrews 12:2-3 says this “Jesus did not give up when he was running his race because of the cross!  On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for him, [in heaven] he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, [Because he knew the reward on the other side.]  and he is now seated at the right side of God’s throne.  So think of what he went through; how he put up with so much – so much hatred from sinners! So don’t let yourselves become discouraged and give up.”  The problems are part of the plan.

God does not promise an easy life here on earth.  The fact is life can be very hard. Why? Because this is Heaven, this is Earth. Are there pleasures here on earth?  Of course.  Are there happy times on earth?  Of course there are.  Are there moments of joy on earth?  Yes.  Are there times when things are going great?  Yes.  But not all the time. So when life gets hard you need to remember the rewards. 

Here’s a great promise.  1 Peter 5, “After you suffer [for a while] for a short time, God, who gives all grace, will make everything right.  [That’s a great promise.]  He will make you strong.  He will support you.  He will keep you from falling.  [That’s good news when you’re in the middle of a problem.]  He called you to share in his glory in Christ, a glory that will continue forever.”

So we have short-term problems on earth for long-term glory in heaven.

In this race of life, you may have stumbled.  We’ve all been there.

In this race you may have been sidelined.  We’ve all been there.

But your race is not over.  It’s not.  Your heart’s still beating.  Your race isn’t over.  It’s never too late to get back up and get in the race again. Always remember, you are part of the family of God. In this family you are loved.  You belong.  And you can become what God meant for you to become.  This church is a place where you can continue this race or start all over again.  It’s never too late.  You’re never too old.  It’s time to get back up and get in the race.