Answering the Call

What is God’s call on your life? For the last couple of years, we have begun the year focusing on a particular theme to guide our year. In 2021, we looked at the true meaning of love. In 2022, we focused on 'knowing nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.’ Last year, we zeroed in on ‘walking by faith and not by sight.’ A few weeks ago, we learned from Luke 9:57-62 to ‘answer the call of Jesus.’ In this passage, we see three people who have a wrong view of following Jesus, leading to excuses for not fulfilling his call in the moment. The challenge for us now is to ensure we are open, ready, and willing to answer the call of Christ because Jesus is worth more than anything this world has to offer. 

In another place, Jesus says about those wanting to follow him, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). These calls may feel extreme for the sake of Christ and his gracious gospel, yet they are not unwarranted. In Matthew 13:44, Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then, in his joy, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” As God's full and final glorious reign enters humanity through Jesus Christ, which Jesus calls the kingdom of heaven, he compares it to a treasure that a man is willing to give up everything to obtain, clearly pointing to the infinite value of following Jesus. Answering and following the call of Jesus is the most incredible journey one can take. By joining Jesus, one experiences the kingdom of heaven as a foretaste of our eternal fellowship with God. This, then, is an incomparable treasure. Our lives are meant to be leveraged for our king, and when we serve our king, we experience eternal blessings this life has never known.

So, then, are you listening to the call of God on your life? Are you willing to answer and follow his call no matter what he calls you to? Are you willing to give up everything to gain the kingdom of heaven? May we follow Christ first and foremost in our lives because he is truly worthy of all our hearts.