We know that following Jesus isn’t a cause; it’s a calling. But sometimes we can overemphasize our part of that calling. We sometimes think or behave like our faith is based on what we do for God instead of what God did for us. And that’s where it gets twisted.
There’s this tension between grace and discipline that is sometimes really hard to navigate. We know that we are saved by grace and through faith in Christ alone. But does that mean it’s a Christian excuse to be lazy? Of course not! We do have a role to play in following Jesus. But we often think that it’s our part that makes the difference.
We know that if we want to be close to God, we have to invest in the relationship. Praying, reading the Bible, serving others, worshiping, going to church—we often refer to those things as spiritual disciplines. And all of those things are so important for helping us get to know God and become more like Him.
But we sometimes think those things are a gift to God. We think that doing those things earns us points for good behavior. In reality, those things are God’s grace to us.
He allows us to get to know His character through reading His Word. He gives us the divine privilege to get to talk with Him regularly—whenever we want—through prayer. He allows us the opportunity to praise Him, knowing that He could make the rocks praise Him. He doesn’t need us.
And that’s what makes it all the more beautiful. The God of the universe doesn’t need us. But He wants us. He made us. He pursues us. He gives us gifts and talents. He calls us His masterpiece. He allows us to do good works. And He loves us completely and uniquely.
Doing things for God is useless without spending time with God. And when we spend time with God, we can’t help but become more like God, which involves loving others the way God loves them.
So yes, we have a calling. Jesus invites us into it in Matthew 28:18-20 NLT:
Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
We absolutely want to carry out this incredible calling God has for us, but we do so knowing that we can’t earn God’s approval. Nothing we do makes Him love us more or less. But He allows us to get to know Him and to be a part of inviting more people to Him. And that’s a gift from God to us.
Study Further:
“He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone.”
Acts 17:24-29 NLT
“Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20 NLT
“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT
“Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all. However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.” Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself. Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”
Ephesians 4:1-16 NLT
“But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!” He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”
Luke 19:39-40 NLT
