John 10:2-4 English Standard Version

2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

The first excuse for not serving God yesterday was “I am not called.” There have been so many conversations over the years with fellow Christians about the issues of the calling. That leads me to believe that failure to find a calling leads to doubt and frustration.

The simple answer is found in John chapter ten. Has the good shepherd entered through the door to your heart? If He has, then you have a personal relationship with God in which He Himself talks to you and leads you.

We have been given spiritual ears and eyes which are developed with the aid of the Holy Spirit. The life we now have in Christ is one led by faith and without it, we flounder. Hearing and seeing by faith cannot be accomplished by using the reasoning skills we used when we were students in the world. We are Kingdom dwellers now and the old rules no longer apply.

As children we are taught how to read and what the words mean. Now we are in the Kingdom and the Word is Christ and to read Him is to know Him. Knowledge is no longer about reason, it is about relationship because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word. Apart from faith we are making our own choices and have failed to hear Him calling us.

Philippians 3:8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

Who is teaching you the Word of Christ, a man or the Holy Spirit?

Acts 13:13

Paul and Barnabas at Antioch in Pisidia

Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem,

Acts 15:37

Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark.

Acts 15:38

But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work.

Acts 15:39

And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus,

Searching the scriptures did not reveal any reason why John Mark left Paul and Barnabas and returned to Jerusalem. Speculation will only expose those things we might consider ourselves if we were in John Mark’s place. It says more about ourselves than John Mark.

Assumptions can be made about Paul’s thoughts also. Once again we place ourselves in a position to reason things as if we were Paul. The same can be said of Barnabas and his desire to take John Mark with him. Note that Colossians 4:10 identifies John Mark and Barnabas as cousins. A familia connection might have been enough to create a difference in opinion. Maybe, and that too is a supposition. 

So let us do just exactly that, let us look within ourselves and ask ourselves what it is that keeps us from serving with others within the ministry. The list may be longer than this list..

I am not called.

I am not worthy.

I am not talented.

I am not trained.

I am not wanted.

I am not needed.

I am not included.

Add your own thoughts.

Now ask yourselves what can be done in your own circumstances to remove the word not so that you too can be of service to God?