God is Calling: Answering God’s Call on Your Life

Imagine you are going about your day-to-day when you hear your phone ring, look at your caller ID, and see that “God is calling.” Would you answer the call and say, “Hello God, here I am,” or would you ignore it and send it straight to voicemail, assuming that if it’s urgent, He will leave a message, and you can call Him back at your convenience?

You might think that you’d answer the call without hesitation, but the truth is that both unbelievers and believers often ignore the call of God.

God’s call to unbelievers is to salvation.

God’s call to believers is to live a life worthy of His calling.

Some may answer God’s call to salvation but neglect to answer His call to live a worthy life.

Others may reject God’s calls altogether.

Understanding what it means to be called by God and what can stop us from answering that call helps us be sure we don’t ignore God’s call on our lives.

GOD’S CALL TO SALVATION

God invites every person on Earth to salvation. He desires everyone to be “saved and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:3-4). However, many people choose to ignore this call. Jesus, in His parable of the wedding feast, illustrates the reasons people reject God’s calling and teaches us kingdom truths along the way.

The Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:1-14)

In this parable, Jesus describes a King who arranged a marriage for his son. He sent out his servants to call those he had invited to the wedding feast, but they all refused to come. The guests’ refusal was a snub to the King and his son. But instead of giving up, the King sent other servants to invite them again. This time, they described the wonderful banquet the King had prepared for them, hoping they would change their minds and come. But even the promise of good things wasn’t enough for them. They ignored the King’s call a second time.

But, they did more than just ignore it; they made light of it and went their separate ways, back to their day-to-day, one to his farm and another to his business (v. 5).

At this point, the King said to his servants, “The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy (v. 8). He then told his servants to go to the street corners and invite to the feast ANYONE they could find. The servants did what the King commanded and gathered all they found, bad and good. The wedding hall was filled with guests.

The parable continues with the King entering the wedding hall to meet the guests. While there, he spotted a guest not dressed in wedding clothes. He asked the guest how he got in without the wedding clothes. The guest was speechless and without excuse. Not satisfied with the response, the King kicked him out into the darkness.

You might think, good story, but what does it all mean?

The King represents God, the King’s son, Jesus. The wedding feast represents salvation. The first guests the King invited represent the Jewish people. Those invited after the first guests refused to attend the wedding represent everyone else. Confusing? Well, let’s break it down as these are important kingdom concepts.

God first called the Jews to salvation through faith in His Son, Jesus. When they refused to answer His call, He extended His call to ALL. Yes, EVERYONE. Although everyone is invited to attend the wedding feast, they must wear the proper wedding clothes to be admitted. These wedding clothes are the “garments of salvation” you receive when you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

This parable demonstrates that God has invited everyone to salvation and explains why people reject God’s call. So, why do they?

Hanging Up on God

God has instructed his servants, Christ-followers, to go to the street corners and invite EVERYONE to salvation. Many reject God’s call even after being told about the “good things” waiting for them. Like the invited guests in the parable, they don’t take the invitation seriously and continue focusing on their self-interests, placing them before God’s call. They concern themselves with physical realities like jobs, money, and hobbies and reject the spiritual reality that we all need a Savior.

The truth is that Jesus is our Savior, and we need to accept him to enter into the heavenly feast.

Although many reject God’s call of salvation, some accept it and answer God’s call to follow Jesus.

Accepting the Call to Follow Jesus

Unlike the first guests in the parable of the wedding feast, some accept God’s call and follow Jesus. Matthew’s Gospel discusses how Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James, and John to follow Him. Peter and Andrew were fishing when Jesus called them. They immediately left their nets to follow Him. When Jesus called James and John, they were in their boat with their father mending their nets. They immediately left their boat and their father and followed Jesus. These men’s obedience was instant. They didn’t ignore the call or put it off until later. They dropped what they were doing and immediately responded to God’s call! (Matthew 4:18-22)

These men not only answered the call, but they were also willing to leave behind their families, jobs, and possessions.

When Jesus calls us, we must be ready to leave behind anything that comes between us and Him.

The Samaritan woman left her water jar. Matthew left his tax collector’s booth.

Blind Bartimaeus left his cloak.

There are some, however, that won’t be willing to leave behind those things that stand between Jesus and their freedom. Take the rich young ruler, for example. When Jesus called him, Jesus asked him to sell his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor before following Him. Unfortunately, the rich young ruler loved his wealth too much to do as Jesus asked. The ruler’s riches weren’t in themselves wrong, but they became a problem when the rich young ruler desired them more than he did Jesus. (Matthew 19:16-22)

When God calls us, we must be willing to give up whatever stands in the way of our obedience to Him. He might call us to give up a relationship, a sinful habit, or something else we hold dear. Some people refuse to answer the call because they’re unwilling to let go of what they have. But for those who respond with faith and obedience, great blessings await.

Following Jesus is not a one-time event; it is a lifetime commitment. As Christ-followers, God also calls us to live in a way that honors God and reflects our calling.

WALKING WORTHY

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians, urging them to lead a life worthy of their calling. He asked them to do so with humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another in love, and striving to maintain the unity of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:1-3).

Jesus gave up His life so we could be clothed with His robe of salvation and attend His wedding feast. Therefore, it is only fitting that we strive to live in a manner worthy of His calling.

Although walking in love may be difficult, the Apostle Peter reminds us that we have everything we need to live a godly life through God’s power.

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,^[ 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (2 Peter 1:3-4).

That is good news, yes! God does not call us to walk worthy but not equip us for that calling.

GOD’S CALL ON YOUR LIFE

You’ve probably heard folks say, God has called me to this or that and then panicked or began to feel unworthy because you don’t know what God has called you to do. I’ve been there and done that. If you are still asking yourself that question after reading this, let me remind you of your calling.

SALVATION

WALK WORTHY

So, the next time God calls, what will you do? Will you ignore His call like the guests in the wedding feast parable or like the rich young ruler did? Or will you follow the example of the Apostles, blind Bartimeus, and the woman at the well and leave behind your day-to-day and answer His call with a “Hello, God, Here I am”?