008. How Do I Discern God’s Will? Part VII: How Do I Manage My Callings?

27 Sep, 2013

The last time I went over how to figure out your callings, I realized that one of my callings was to eat a pound of cheese, which I did as unto the Lord.

The thing about callings is that you have to realize that you have more than one calling at a time. For example God has called me to a web designer, a husband, a writer, a board member in a ministry, and a supermodel.

Just because I have the calling of being a good husband doesn’t mean that I leave everything else behind and do that one thing.  Just because I have the gift of music doesn’t mean I leave everything else behind to go on tour year round.

To do God’s Will you have to manage all the callings you have.

You have to make sure you complete your project at work, while making sure your kids don’t die, while remembering to help your spouse out with dinner. Your life is like a taco.  You can’t just focus on making one ingredient really good but leaving other ingredients out on the counter getting all soggy and mushy.  Cause when you finally put your taco together, you’ll pretty much have something from Taco Bell.

Your life is the same way.  You can’t just leave some callings alone getting all gross… you have to take care of all of them, or else you become a disgusting taco.

So what do we do now?

First you have to take stock of the callings you currently have. The obvious ones are your spouse, your kids or parents, your vocation. The other ones you may have are responsibilities to your church, school, things you’ve volunteered for, your extended family, organized ministries, etc. Once you have that sorted out you need to know how to manage them because it’s not necessarily a matter of priority.  

If your job is 9-5, then even if you think your priority is your kids, you going to work will give you money to take care of your kids. So it’s a matter of wisdom on how to balance the callings.  Sometimes you may have to turn down involvement with some callings on a particular night because something came up with a different calling. Do you call back a client at your kid’s soccer game?  Do you leave Thanksgiving meal because one of your patients is in dire need?  Do you drop out of the worship team to help your extended family take care of grandma?

You’ll also need wisdom when certain callings come to an end or when a new one begins. Such as graduating college, changing jobs or moving. On top of all this, you’ll need to exercise discipline (self-control) to devote the right amount of time to each calling to be successful in each one.  Because on top of this you still have to take care of yourself (sleep, exercise, and devotional time). So…

  1. Take stock of your callings
  2. Ask for wisdom to manage them
  3. Seek discipline to devote the right amount of time to each one

You have to properly manage your callings to be obedient. Only then, can you can be that taco you’ve always wanted to be.


Ephesians 5:15-17

15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Today’s Fruit of the Spirit: Self-control, to have the discipline to devote enough time to each calling. Take time to pray: Ask for wisdom and self-control to manage all your callings.


Today’s Quiz: Ephesians 5:15-17 tells us to make best of our time because the ____________ ? A. Days are evil B. Days of Thunder C. Days of Our Lives