1 Corinthians 7:20-22

OUR CALLING

‘Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.’

1 Corinthians 7:20

This is an exhortation much needed in the present day. Men and women often think that if only their circumstances were different they could serve God better. But the true service of God is not a question of environment.

I. Make sure you are in the right place.—In all Christian service it is of the first importance to be sure that we are in the place that God has chosen for us, and that we are doing that which He would have us do. If we are assured of that, then let nothing induce us to change. The words of the Church Catechism ‘to do my duty in that state of life unto which it shall please God to call me’ applies quite as forcibly to spiritual as to material things.

II. In that place remain.—If God is using you in the place where He has put you, there remain until He makes known to you that His will is otherwise. Much of the ineffectiveness of Christian work to-day is due to a feeling of unrest, almost of discontent. Men and women think they have large gifts, and they are anxious to obtain a wider sphere. But our whole purpose should be not to seek any other sphere than that which the Lord Himself shall choose for us. It may be a small sphere, and we may think our talents are wasted there, but depend upon it the sphere, however small it may be, is large enough when we remember that we shall have to give an account of our stewardship there. Young men with speaking gifts sometimes think that they can serve God best as lay preachers, and they disdain the more humble charge of a Sunday-school class. Yet how great is the responsibility for the souls of the children! and no one need desire a higher form of service.

III. Seek to do God’s will, not your own.—The true remedy for all unrest and discontent is to bend to the will of God. The man who can say from the heart ‘Teach me to do the thing that pleaseth Thee’ will be ready to ‘abide in the same calling wherein he was called,’ knowing that there he can live and work to God’s glory.