I’m starting a series on “calling,” and today is the first post.
Isaiah 43:1b, 7 (NKJV):
“I have called you by your name; You are Mine….
Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”
The first thought that comes to mind when I think of “calling” is “identity.” I like the verses above from Isaiah 43 where the LORD tells Israel that He called them by their name, and they are His. In the passage, we see that He created them, redeemed them, and formed them for His glory. He called them by His name, and they are His. This is their identity.
Ephesians 1 tells us that God does the same thing for us who are in Christ. In Christ, He has blessed us (v.3), chosen us (v.4), predestined us (v.5, v.11), adopted us (v.5), accepted us (v.6), redeemed us (v.7), forgiven us (v.7), made the riches of His grace abound toward us (v.8, 2:7), given us an inheritance (v.11), sealed us with the Holy Spirit (v.13), called us (v.18), loved us (2:4), created us for good works (2:10), and brought us near by the blood of Christ (2:13). And this is not even the full list!
The calling that God has for me and all those in Him will stem from our identity in Christ – the One who made us, saved us, and has given us life; we are His.
We must know our identity before we know our calling.
Praise Proclaimer 