For people who take God and His Word seriously, life becomes far more than eating, sleeping, working and playing. Life is considered a calling, so that whatever one ends up doing (including the eating, sleeping, working, and playing along the way), he or she does so for God, who calls us to live in Him and for Him -- and as we see in today's verse -- belong to Him. I call on you to think to immerse yourself into a reflective conversation with God about your individual and collective “calling” from Him.

Romans 1:6

You are called to… belong to Jesus Christ.

To live life without God is not ‘life’ at all (John 17:3) – not in the sense God intended; to live without belonging to Jesus is to miss what God created you for in the first place. God calls us to belong to Jesus; the more centered we are on Him, the more are where we belong.

Lord, help me to end up where I belong – centered on you – day in and day out. Amen.

We step into this week singing alleluia to You, Father, who calls us to belong to You;

We sing alleluia to You, Jesus, who calls us to follow You;

We sing alleluia to You, Spirit, who calls and gathers the entire people of God through the Gospel;

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

John 15:9-17

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last...

How does this Gospel reading speak to you about your calling to live out your life in relation to God (Jesus)?

Galatians 5:13

You are called to... be free.

We are called to be free from the burden of trying to earn God’s favor (see Galatians. 5). Instead of worrying about whether God is upset with us (over sin), Paul reminds us that we are under God’s favor through Jesus’ name. Are you still trying to earn God’s pleasure and favor in life? You have been called to simply accept that God looks kindly upon you solely because Jesus opened that door through sacrifice.

Lord God, help me to accept this calling that I am free through Jesus – and to live appropriately.

Amen.

1 Corinthians 1:2

You are called to…be holy.

Prayer only today:

Lord God, humble me; I want to be struck with awe over your holiness, the kind that makes angels bow down and avert their eyes. Make me wholly aware of the unholy nature of my sin. Build in me a strong distaste for the sinfulness that I have too easily grown accustomed to in my life; repeat for me afresh the call by You to be holy. In Jesus’ name,

Amen

Romans 1:7

You are called to…be saints.

Saints of God are often mis-understood as opposites of sinners. The truth is that a Christian is both a sinner and a saint at the same time. We are sinners by our own right (or ‘wrong’) and saints by God’s right to call us such – through faith in Jesus. While we might struggle in that we remain sinners, we are not called to be sinners; rather we are called to live like the saints God has made us to be in Jesus Christ His Son our Lord.

Oh Lord, you say that in baptism I have died to sin. Let that truth be evident in me through and through so that I can live for you!

Amen

Colossians 3:15

You are called to…peace.

God sent Jesus to sacrifice himself in order to bring peace between God and mankind, and encourages his followers to do everything possible to be at peace with others in our lives (Hebrews 12:14). Christians are called to be at peace with Him and with others. As you move into a time of prayer, ponder whom you are currently not at peace with and then share with your Heavenly Father:

Lord, how can I better share this hope with others around me?

Amen

Ephesians 4:4

You are called to…one hope.

With all the varied hopes in the world, can there really be ‘one hope’ that we are all called to? Don’t you see? We hope for so many different things in life (health, contentment, prosperity, etc), but God’s hope is that we live with him now – and for all eternity. So we are all called into this one hope that God makes for us through Jesus.

Lord, how can I better share this hope with others around me?

Amen.