Called of God

Recently, I have been making my way through K.P. Yohannan's book entitled Against the Wind. Brother K.P. is one of my favorite non-fiction writers. I always get convicted, challenged, and fired up about serving the Lord wholeheartedly in the light of eternity as a result of reading K.P.'s books. This volume is no exception.

I have barely made it past chapter three, and yet, my heart and life has already been touched and stirred as a result of what I have read. God does that all the time. He directs me to books according to the seasons of life I go through, knowing that what I read will be exactly what I need for that season.

The current season I find myself in is serious decision-making regarding future missionary work. I feel the weight of responsibility to correctly know and understand God's plan and follow His pathway. As I am in the midst of seeking his will and praying for direction, K.P.'s book has contained a timely message that I read right on the heels of a powerful quiet time with the Lord. God is continually placing quotes, sermons, and circumstantial confirmations into my life that are providing more and more clarity in my understanding of how He is directing my future. While there are yet many unknowns, I am walking by faith and not by sight as He continues to reveal one step at a time.

Some of these passages from Against the Wind were so profound in my life, I cannot keep them to myself but feel urged to share them here in this blog.

From Chapter Two: "Called By God"

There is a definite difference between a profession and a call:

~ A job, a profession, is one you choose;
a ministry is one Christ chooses for you.

~ A job depends on your abilities;
a ministry depends on your availability to God.

~ In a job, you expect to receive something - a salary;
in a ministry you expect to give.

~ A job well done brings you self-esteem;
a ministry well done brings honor to Jesus Christ.

~ In a job you give something to get something;
in a ministry you return something that has already been given to you.

~ A job well done has temporal rewards;
a ministry well done has eternal rewards.


Are you called? Have you heard the Lord Jesus call you, saying, "Come follow Me, be with Me, and I will send you out for ministry?" The person you become, the decisions you make, the manner in which you behave, and your attitude toward the Lord's work all depend on the deep conviction that you have been called by God.

Are you called? Take courage in the truth of that call, and let it be your assurance. Despite the weaknesses you see in yourself or the difficulty that may come in the work, you can fulfill the purposes of God. For "God, who has called you...is faithful." (1 Cor. 1:9)

What then is a call? It is a burden that never leaves you. Nothing can shake that burden from your hear or mind. It affects every part of your life, and by it you see all else. It inspires you to joyfully forsake all to pursue it, just like the man who found the pearl of great price and sold everything he had just to buy it (see Matthew 13:45-46).

When we have received a call from the Lord, our lives will bear the fruit of it - the fruit of assurance, ownership, pure motivation, and seeking only the Lord's approval.

The one who is called says, "It is my Jesus' kingdom. It is my burden. If I receive some kind of financial help, that's great. If I do not, no problem. I don't care. I will do it anyway." It is the call that gives you the motivation to journey on. Salary and benefits do not compel you; difficulties do not sway you. The knowledge that God is faithful that He has called you is enough.

Is pleasing God the compelling motivation of your life?
Is Jesus your sole passion?
Do you know you have been called by Him for the work of the ministry?
Does your life show the reality of that calling and burden?

May we all seek to please Him alone, that all of our decisions, emotions, and daily steps would be controlled by this one factor: "I am called by the Lord, He has chosen me. I am not my own, but His. I will follow Him all the days of my life."

~ K.P. Yohannan