In this piece, we want to look at something that I believe is going to be helpful to us as individuals. We want to look at “Living By our Calling.” So, you can say living by my calling or living by your calling. Very short topic but I trust that God will make a lengthy impact upon our hearts by it in Jesus name. Now let's start our meditation together, looking at living by your calling, let's go to Ephesians chapter 4; We'll read verse 1 to verse 6. And from there we will spread up, and spread out.
Ephesians chapter four, from verse one to verse six, living by your calling. The Bible says; “And this is apostle Paul speaking by the help of the Holy Spirit. “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling, with which you were called.”
Let me read verse one again. “I therefore the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called, in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and is you all.” May the Lord bless the reading of His Word in our hearts in Jesus name.
If we want to start from verse five and six, the Bible says; “There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God, one father of all.” When you live by your calling, you're going to do it, under God, in the midst of God's people.
When you turn to your right and to your left, you will realize that you are surrounded by people. You are surrounded by men and women, you are surrounded by spirit contained in earthen vessels. And it is expected of you in the midst of the people that surround your life that you, particularly you, who are called, or who has being called, that’s the word; who has been called, that you live as you were called, and by the dictates of your calling.
You are called by something, you say something, you promise something and people meet according to what you said, according to the promise. It is said that is the dignity of a normal human being. It has enough value, people would consider that man, that woman is found to be a man of integrity and dignity. Now, if you say you are something, you must be that thing. If you say you want to be something, you must be something. And that even though it looks like integrity, that is where the dignity of your humanity is sourced from. So, let's say you say I am a doctor. And you put a signboard around you, this is Gboyega doctoral services or medical services, and when people come; As they come into the space, they are able to find medical services offered to them. That is the dignity, that is the honor for a human being.
So, they come like that instead of getting medical services, you begin or I begin to give them something else. So, they begin to wonder what is going on? The promise is different from what we are experiencing. And so, what is expected is that even everywhere around us, when you are called by something, you must respond to your calling. I normally use this example, when you call yourself, a plumber, and you are called, don't come and be doing something else, do the work of a plumber. We are expected to live by our callings. Sometimes people call you, sometimes you call yourself and sometimes you are called by God. However, you have been called. The necessity is upon you. The demand is upon you that as you wake up each day, you must respond to that call upon your life. Now, when we talk about responsibility, some people have defined responsibility to mean responding to your ability, there is an innate ability or a promised ability or an expected ability, then you respond to that ability. The people say that means you are being responsible.
For instance, a young girl of 10 years old, does not promise the ability to cook some delicious local Nigerian food. When you see a 10-year-old girl, you don't think she should be able to pound yam, cook Edika-ikon, can do this, can do all manner of things, set the table; she has not promised you, so if you expect her to do that, if she fails at doing that, she is not being irresponsible, you are just being irresponsible expecting something from her that she does not have the ability to respond to.
Now, the Bible says the deep calling onto the deep now look at it this way, there is a promise, there is what is available and then people expect what is available to be supplied to them. When there is no supply or a corresponding supply to that demand. You are being irresponsible. Now, if there is an expected ability, people believe you have a supply and then they come, they lay demand on you, and you are not able to meet that demand. You will be set to be unable to respond to your own ability. Now living by your calling means the call confers ability.
The call is the promised ability. By your calling, there is an assumption that you are able, that there is something you are able to do, something you have done in the past and something you can do again. And so, when men call you by that calling, what they are saying is what you can do, please do it. You know, there was a time Jesus used a phrase for Judas Iscariot, he said that which you do, what did he say you should do? Do it quickly. I begin to perceive in this moment that our generation is telling us, brother, sister, that which you do, that which you claim you love to do, that which you said, we were not there, God told you, this is why I created you be doing this, that thing that you do, your generation, my generation is asking us do it now and quickly.
If you are able to do; that means you are able to live by your calling. Your failure or my failure to do means we are living below, less than our calling. Now, when a man or a woman is living below, less than his or her calling, something is happening that the man and the woman is not aware of. When you behave, you perform below your calling, you are a disappointment to the one who called you. Let's say a father as two sons, and the sons are twins.
And the father calls one a shepherd. And the father calls another one a hunter. And the hunter has gone out in the morning to look for a game. And he did not return for three days, after which he comes back home without anything to show. And the shepherd is able to have something to show without going out. Who has responded to their ability? Who has lived by the call? In whom will the father be proud? Some of us are looking at how the example I am giving is so close to the story of Esau and Jacob do we remember? Who got blessed by the Father? We can say Jacob, you know, many people have issues with Jacob, I'm not part of those people. I don't know why. Because I just like to listen to the Word of God, the Word of God is able to tell us, of course, if we want to use our head and use our conscience, you know, we can begin to judge, but what is the word of God? Imagine the Word of God saying God Himself, the word of God says this one despised, what you despise, you cannot have and you can’t retain. So, let's just look that example of Jacob and Esau and see a life that ended up with blessing. And another life that did not get the blessing. If you have a call on your life, the expectation is that your living must be by that calling.
As long as you live by your calling, you get blessed by the father, the father will wake you up in the morning, the father will wake you up in the night, and the only purpose is to bless you. Why? You are a son that is well pleased. Imagine Jesus sent by the Father, it came to the earth and the moment He was going to places doing the things that the Father sent Him to do. What did we hear? This is my beloved Son, in whom I Am well pleased. In one place He said hear Him. What is happening is that the father is blessing him. This my son has an innate ability, his reality is matching up with his ability. What I told him to do, he is doing; what he knows he can do, he is doing. So, hear him.
So, the father blesses him and I'm perceiving in my heart, the Holy Spirit is telling somebody here, and he could be telling me also in addition to the person that have you sought for blessing, so long? Have you yearned for increase so long? Have you wanted God to enlarge your territory? Have you sought that the hand of God will be so strong upon you, that people from everywhere will hear your name and they will come to you, they will come to the glory of the Lord in your life? Have you been in that state? The question is, have you been responding to your calling lately? Look at it. As the son makes the father proud in quotes, the father releases a blessing. The father tells a generation hear Him, the father goes to another place, hear Him. And the Bible says the fame of Jesus was everywhere. The question is who was announcing him, you think it was the people? No! the father. Because what the father sent him to do, that is exactly what he was doing. So, the father didn't see any need to prevent or to reduce the spread of his influence.
So, we are yearning in our heart, Lord, I want you to enlarge my territory, but what God has deposited inside of you remains in you, it doesn't get out. So, if God enlarge your territory, how do you think it will work out? An enlarged territory that has little or no impact on others, that is why I started that we are a people that live among other people of God. So, God is committed to his people. And because of His people, God can bless any life, any person who is able to bless His people. God can bless any person who is able to respond to the ability inside of him, among the people. So, there is a resource deposited in you, you draw out of it, you give to the people, you draw out of it, you minister to the people, you draw out of it, you help the people, you draw of it, you serve the people. What does God do? God replenishes you, He will not restock you to go back to the former state, it will restock you with an increase.
Let's say you have 10 things and you use four to serve the purpose of God. When the father comes to examine your life as it were in the evening of the day at the cool of the day, and he finds you doing it haven used four out of 10, the father will not return four back to you, he will give you more than four. That is it. When we respond to our ability, it is like we force God to supply more resources to us. Oh, let's say they call me, or I am called, I call myself a father; that connotes that I have children. The only expectation my children have for me is that I must be their father. And the painful part of it is it doesn't matter how I'm feeling, I must remain a father. As they come to me, they come calling father. And in Nigeria, people will say daddy, the local ones could say baba, or say different things in different languages. What are they saying? They are calling, they are laying demand on what they believe is supplied. You are a man you are our father. There is something we need from you, there are things we want from you, supply to us.
Now, each time as a father, a man respondsds to the demands, that is laid upon his life from his children, what happens is that the requirements, the resources that man require God being a good father, God keeps supplying, not the children. But when God comes to examine you, and you tell your children can you allow me to rest, day one. Can you allow me to rest, day two and day three three, as you continue to do like that, the resources that you need to be a good father, you will continually be depleted of them. Because you have not proven to God that you are capable of managing what is supplying.
Now this message does not even look like message, its looking like motivation right? But this is important for us to understand. We must not be a people who live less than our calling, when we do like that the Father is not pleased with us, we don't get blessed. There is a Scripture where Jesus said like in paraphrasing, don't be discouraged little flock, it is your Father's desire to what? To give you the kingdom, alright? Indirectly, to say to make you bigger, to make you large. But look at a little flock that is discouraged by the littleness of his state. Now, because you are discouraged, your inability to become a kingdom, to receive the kingdom, to be big is not due to your littleness, it is due to your discouragement.
Oh, who has despised the days of little beginnings? “Although”; your beginning may be small. The word is like it may or may not happen. It is normal for your beginning to be small, your letter end shall be greatly increased. However, if the latter end will greatly increase, there are things that you must do. There is a way you must live towards the increase. The increase will not suddenly fall on us. You can't be somebody that is lazing up and down. You can't be somebody that is complaining. Every time I come, somebody jumps into the water before I get there, I don't know where my situation will change. I don't even know if my situation will change at all. You must not be like that. Is there any ability you, then serve the people with that ability.
There was a song we were singing at the beginning before the message started. And it was talking about how God has been good to me. Some of us were saying good to us, me I was particularly selfish indeed, I will say good to me, good to me. And because God has been good to me; I continue to worship him, I continue to serve him. Is it possible that God can use a man or a woman seated here or listening or watching online and God uses the person to show His goodness to other people. Now, we started with Ephesians chapter four. It says, “I beseech you.” This is not by force. This is just a plea. “Please walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.” Now let's go to another place. Matthew chapter 5, from verse 14 to verse 16. Living by your calling. The Bible says; “You are the light of the world.” What is your calling Sir and Ma? Light! not just light but light of the world.
So that we don't just be light on the ground for the ground for the world. You are the light of the world. In case you want to know yourself again it says ‘a city’. You are “a city that is set on a hill that cannot be hidden”. It says; “Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand and it gives light to all who are in the house.” There's a difference between the light and the house. And between all who are in the house. Those are three different things. There is light, there is the house and there are people in the house. But who are you out of the three? So, let's go over it again. I said from what we read there is light, there is a house and there are people in the house. I said who are we? We are the light of the world because you are bigger than the house.
The Scripture says; There is the house, there is the people, but you are the light. The challenge is we want to be the light, we want to be the House, we want to be the World. We want to benefit ourselves for ourselves for the glory of ourselves. And that sometimes discourages us from being of relevance or impact to the place and space that God has called us for. You are the lights and you are being set, and your role is to give light to the people of the house. You are not the house, you are not the people, you are the light. Your influence is on the people of the house. And it is by being in light. Each time you provide lights, you are living by your calling, God is glorified; which we will soon find out, and you are blessed.
Look at it. Verse 16 says “Let your light”. It didn't say let their light; it is your own. “Let your light so shine before men.” One of the things that I meditated on in this verse is; Don't be shy before men. Shine and shy sound close. The Word of God is; ‘shine before men’ don't be shy. That's why the instruction that God often gives to people is don't fear their faces. Apostle Paul talking to Timothy, let no man despise your youth. That you are a young light doesn't mean that you are not a light.
It doesn't matter the age. I have a bulb before me now, I'm perceiving the bulb is old because its misbehaving. There are many lights here connected to the same supply of wire, but it keeps blinking. So, it needs to be replaced. Should I replace it? Or should we replace it tomorrow? The fact that it is going to be a new light doesn't make it less light than the older lights? Your age is not what defines your lights or your brightness. It is your responsibility, your sense of responsibility. Even though I am just plugged here, even though I'm just put here, even though I am just appointed here, even though I have just been chosen here, What is the reason why I have been choosen? Oh they say it is to lighten the place. Now, each time you lighten the place in spite of your age, in spite of the date you were born, in spite of the circumstances that surrounds your replacing the old one, as long as you shine. You are being responsible. Now, it is completely impossible of me, or of any one of us to see the new bulb that is shining, and then we keep hitting it, its shiny and we are beating it and we are breaking it to the point that it breaks; is it normal?
So, what do you do to a light that is shining in your own house or anywhere you are. Don't you guard it? Don’t you make sure it continues to shine? That is what God has already prepared for us. Even if we don't pray for it. If you can only keep shining, God will be committed to keeping you, if you can only continue to shine, the hand of God will remain upon you. You will not have a reason to say am I alone? am I struggling? Am I this? I'm i discouraged? I'm confused. No. The one who puts you <span style
