In Romans 15 Paul says: “But now…there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to see you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain.” (Romans 15:23-24). Paul had been “longing” to visit the Church in Romans. This is something he desired to do, but he put it off because God had other plans for him. Paul’s calling was to “preach the gospel where Christ was not known,” (Romans 15:20), and he loved God so much, and desired to do as God commanded more than anything else, that he himself said it became his “ambition” (verse 20). Paul did not do what he desired until after he accomplished what God desired. However, his own desires actually became the desires of God. In this, he models how Christians should live: God first, above all else.
Well then, what does this mean to me? to us? The question that arises is: What is God calling you to do right now, above all else? I think I know what it is, at least in the long run. That’s the first thing to do though, find out exactly what it is that we are being called to do, and then we have to make that a priority above everything else. EVERYTHING! Even our own deepest desires. But! there is more to it. It is not enough to know God’s plan for us and to follow it. God’s plan for us must become our ambition. That means that our love for God, and our desire to please Him and do as He commands, must be so great that what He wants for us has to become our ambition; our absolute greatest desire and passion. Now that is something much more challenging than just knowing what God desires for us.
Years ago I wanted to know what God wants from me in life. What is His grand plan for me? What does He want me to do for Him? At that point, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I did know that I was not interested in the medical field. What I did know was that I had a passion for helping people, especially the helpless. So, I asked God. And what did he tell me? He told me to go into the medical field. Wow. But guess what! Since I have come to know and love God with all my heart, and since I have decided to offer my body as a living sacrifice and willfully and gladly do as God commands me to, I actually want to go into the medical field. It has become my desire, my ambition. I cannot wait until I finish college and am out on the field. And the best part? It actually fits into my passion: helping others. Since then, exactly what I am called to do in the medical field has taken shape. I have come to realize that I absolutely adore children and working with youth, and so I plan to go into pediatrics. I am currently studying to become a nurse, and hopefully double major in early childhood and family studies. But I also have a longing to go into the missionary field; and so I hope that later in life I can get a job with a, preferably Christian, organization and provide medical help and train locals in third world countries, mostly focusing on children. This is what I believe God wants me to do in life, and this has become my ambition.
That’s what God wants me to do in the long run. But what about right now? What does God want me to do at this moment in life? That is where I struggle a little bit I guess. Also, what am I supposed to be doing in this moment to get to where God wants me to be? It seems obvious that I probably should be focusing on school and gaining experience in hospitals or with other jobs, but am I really doing all that I should? What is getting in the way, and what do I need to be putting aside so that I can focus on what God needs me to do first? One thing I can think of is to stop watching so much TV! I should also probably start going to class more. After all, just because I know what God wants me to do, that doesn’t mean that I am just going to end up there. I have to make it happen, with the help of God. And I can trust that if I do all that I can while also relying on God, I will get there, because it is what He wants for me.
