To Be Made Worthy of God's Calling
“With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thess. 1:11-12
To be made worthy of God’s calling. That’s what I want. I know that’s what many of you want. If you have that desire, please know that it’s not there by accident. It’s there by grace and the work of the cross.
First, know this: if you are in Christ you are worthy of God’s calling. The moment you place your trust in Jesus, by his blood, you are counted worthy. You are also still in the process of being made worthy. The part of you that’s flesh (the part that doesn’t know you’re saved, yet) is still a work in progress. That’s the part that we need prayer for. We can’t do it on our own. Just as we needed grace to come to repentance and know Christ, we need his grace and power right now, as we continue to be made worthy of God’s calling.
What is God’s calling?
Big picture: God’s calling for all Christians is that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified. But the big picture, upon closer inspection, breaks down into countless tiny pixels- our individual desires and abilities. The works of faith we are uniquely equipped to carry out, by his power, are varied. Their purposes may not always be clear in this life, but if we could step farther away, a clearer picture would begin to emerge. God sees the big picture. We simply need to trust that it’s beautiful and rejoice that we are a part of it. It’s a picture of Jesus glorified.
By grace, day by day, as we walk in our callings, we can call out in prayer to God, and he will hear and he will answer us. His Spirit will work in our lives and give us power to fulfill his purpose. (Philippians 1:6)
“It is the power of God that not only begins, but that carries on and perfects the work of faith.”
