Consider Your Calling

Survival of the weakest

Photo by D Z on Unsplash

‘Brothers and sisters, consider your calling: Not many were wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, so that no one may boast in his presence.’ ( 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 CSB emphasis mine)

Chosen— ‘To take by preference out of all that are available; to select; to take as that which one prefers, or in accordance with one’s free will. (Oxford English Dictionary)

Synonyms for weak— feeble, debilitated, frail, vulnerable, weary, powerless, exhausted, tired, faint, incapacitated, drained, worn-out, broken-down, yielding, susceptible.

God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. Even those who think they are strong are ridiculously weak in comparison to Him.

1 Corinthians 1 gives an intriguing insight into the mind of God—It reveals how He chooses, who He chooses, and why.

It leaves more questions than answers…why choose what is seen as foolish in the world? Why choose what is weak in the world? Why do the strong need to be shamed? Who exactly are the weak and the strong?

On closer examination, we all fit this description. Which of us has not been considered weak by the world’s standards? Or who has been in a position of strength over others? In control? exercising power?

As the Apostle Paul recommends, I have been considering my calling lately. I am growing in wisdom (I hope), but I’m rarely (if ever) the wisest person in the room. I exert no power over the lives of others, perhaps with the exception of my children (again, this is debatable). My birth was a miracle of life like every other person born into this world (just ponder for a minute the sheer wonder of pregnancy and childbirth!) but it certainly wasn’t noble.

Regardless, I have a calling. And so do you.

We are called to share the Gospel and make disciples (Matthew 28:19). We are also called to be friends of the Lord Jesus, given the incredible gift of being able to know intimately the heart of The Father through His Son, and the plan He is working out. When someone shares the desire of their hearts with us, we know they consider us a close friend. As believers, this is the privileged position we find ourselves in:

‘I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father.You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. This is what I command you: Love one another.’ (John 15:15-17 CSB)

We are called and chosen to love God and those around us. To produce something nutritious and nourishing with our lives. This is not one special mission, or one unique calling that nobody else has. The calling on our lives is a communal one, lived out individually but flourishing in community. The fruit we are called to produce is not bitter but sweet. Just as fruit comes in unusual shapes, sizes and a variety of flavours (consider the pineapple and the kiwi), so does the fruit that we bear and the flavour of our calling.

We have a supernatural calling, empowered by the Holy Spirit. There is no way around this. We can not blindly follow the consumerist treadmill of societal expectations. We live by what our minds are set on ( Romans 8:5).

We are called to produce fruit that remains without rotting. Building on a foundation that holds up under us. Our calling is not trendy, shallow or fabricated to look impressive to others. We are called to humbly approach the throne of grace, asking our Father in Christ’s name for what is needed to heal the nations. Praying for the healing we desperately need for ourselves. Only the love of God can cover a multitude of sins.

‘For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.’ (Hebrews 4:15-16 CSB)

The truth is, I was called and chosen before I ever fully realised what was happening. He called me in my weakness before I realised how weak I was. He called me in my foolish ignorance before I realised how much I needed His wisdom.

I often wonder when I’ll begin to feel qualified enough, strong enough, wise enough to fulfil my calling. But then I remember this vulnerable admission from the Apostle Paul:

‘For if I want to boast, I wouldn’t be a fool, because I would be telling the truth. But I will spare you, so that no one can credit me with something beyond what he sees in me or hears from me, especially because of the extraordinary revelations. Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so that I would not exalt myself. Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.’ (2 Corinthians 12:6-10 CSB)

Paul had a revelation of the worth of suffering. He went from pleading with the Lord for relief to embracing the pain (whether physical or emotional). This is not to say we should never pray for relief from suffering. Paul did pray for relief. But he also looked his situation in the eyes and refused to give in to despair. He sought an answer from God, and received it with open hands. He recognised the work of Jesus in his struggle.

If I feel comfortably strong, wise and in control of my life—will I bother to pray? Will I seek the Lord’s will? Will I be able to empathise with the needs of others?

The Bible is clear about God’s abhorrence of the proud and arrogant. Those who assume their superiority, refuse to acknowledge their creator and declare no need of God. The grace of God is not sufficient for those people, His power will not be perfected in their weakness, His power will not reside in them.

If I am not willing to accept my weaknesses and my deficiency, I’ll be counted among those people myself. It’s a sobering thought.

To be called is to acknowledge my weakness, welcoming God’s sustaining power in my life. To be called is being surprised by joy in the midst of difficulty—when the difficulty leads me to Christ.I don’t fully understand this paradox and maybe never will in this life. It sounds like a foolish philosophy to believe in, maybe even more foolish to live by, but nevertheless it is true.

If I lean on Christ (and Christ in other believers) when I am weak, then I am strong.