Do you know what God has called you to do in this life? Many wrestle with attempting to discern God’s will, but it’s not as hidden or mysterious as many presume. One thing we know for certain is nowhere in God’s Word does He call you to be successful. That should take a load of pressure off you. Let the rest of the world pursue fame, wealth, and notoriety, but that is not what God has called you to.
His calling is to a different mindset that has nothing to do with the things the culture tells you that you need (1 John 2:15–17). In the same way that our struggle is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12), neither is our race against flesh and blood (1 Corinthians 9:24–25). Our calling is to surrender, not to compete (Matthew 16:24–25).
We are not called to be successful; we are called to be faithful (1 Corinthians 4:1-2). Jesus didn’t call having money sinful, but He did say it was very hard for the wealthy to enter Heaven (Matthew 19:23–24). Why do we waste so much effort on accumulating more of what we cannot take with us? No amount of money can buy your salvation or keep you out of Hell. Our bank balance will not factor into the equation when we stand before Jesus to give an account of our lives. Money does not matter in the economy of God. He already owns everything! (Psalm 50:9–12).
God does not call you to be the life of the party but to be holy (1 Peter 1:15–16). Everyone likes to be liked, but that must never be the goal of our lives. Jesus was clear when He said the world would hate us (John 15:18–19). To seek to be loved is to seek to live a life at odds with what it means to follow Christ. The gospel is foolishness to the world (1 Corinthians 1:18) and a stumbling block to all who refuse to believe (1 Corinthians 1:23). We will never be popular with the culture as long as we are proclaiming the truth of God’s Word.
What God has called you to is to be different, separated from the world (Romans 12:2). Rather than seeking to assimilate with the culture, we should strive to be outliers and even outcasts. It should be obvious to everyone by the way we conduct our lives that there is something strange about us. Our lives shouldn’t make sense to anyone who doesn’t have Jesus as their Lord. It’s okay to be weird in this way. We should far prefer to be a fool in the eyes of man rather than a fool in the eyes of God.
As you journey through your life, forget what the world tells you that you need. What God has called you to is a life of faithfulness, holiness, and being different. When your life is over, your only desire should be to leave a legacy of faithfulness. None of this other stuff matters. The call of your life is to be faithful to God, to live a life worthy of your calling (Ephesians 4:1-3). It’s as simple as that. You have a grand and divine purpose, but God does not hide that purpose or keep it a secret. It is to be faithful to God in every area of your life. May that be the legacy of us all.