The Highest High Calling

^{2 Corinthians 3:16-18} 

 ^"16Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face to face! ¹⁷They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! ¹⁸All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him."

(The Message Bible)

I have thought so much over the years about this "high calling" mentioned in Philippians 3:12-14. The New King James Version calls it the "upward call". KJV calls it the "high calling". Which ever word you prefer there is a great revelation behind it. I have come to the conclusion that it is not the "calling" or "vocation" that many people believe it to mean. It is so much more. And the fact is- that it is the same for every Christian- whether you have just come to the Lord or whether you have been serving Him for decades; whether you have been "called" into the ministry as pastor, missionary, Sunday School teacher or lay leader, or housewife, nurse, teacher and any of the innumerable examples. This "high calling" is the same for every Christian- young or old, seasoned or novice - and it is this: our highest calling, for one and all, is to be transformed into the image of Christ. The KJV states it as :"changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." The NKJV renders it: "being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Corinthians 3:18.

We are all familiar with the word "transformed". It means "changed", "transfigured". We are taken from one state into another state. This comes about by the Spirit of the Lord. We must allow the Spirit dwelling within to change us. It isn't so much what we do, but what we become. As we spend time- and this is the crucial thing here- we MUST spend time with the Spirit of the Lord. This comes through prayer, meditating on His Word and waiting in His Presence. It also comes about through obedience to what He tells us during these times of communion. If we are not going to obey His voice when He does speak, we will not change. When we are presented with a truth- and we do not respond- we run the risk of slipping back into our old carnal habits. As we spend time with the Lord, listening and obeying His voice, doing His will- we progressively change into His image. It isn't some magical or mystical thing- just a real change takes place. We begin to display His character in our lives.  I really like how the Message Bible puts it-- "our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him".

When I first came to the Lord, He "called" me into nursing. He spoke to my heart and I knew that was the vocation I was to follow. As I grew in the Lord, He led me into other ministries such as teaching and  intercessory prayer. Later, when I met my husband, I knew that I would be part of his ministry. I was being called as a Pastor's wife. Whatever these "callings" are- the most important thing is the "high calling" of God to be transformed into His image. When we grow in this calling, the other callings will fall into place. This "high calling" has to be first place in any of our lives. Without maturing in being transformed into His image, the rest of our lives are vain and useless. They are like wells without water, clouds without rain.

Our highest priority must be spending time with the Lord in prayer and meditation and allowing "Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face" so that we will be transformed into His image. None of us have mastered this. We are all on this journey to being transformed into His image. But we must realize that it has to be the highest priority of our day and of our lives. Everything else that we "do" for Christ will stem out of our relationship "with" Him-- for He is that living and breathing Spirit and not a dead religion full of works.

Dear Lord, help us to truly seek Your Presence and allow Your Spirit to change us from the inside out. We realize that this is our highest calling and if all else should fail in our lives and this one thing remain- it will be worth it just to know we have been changed into Your image.



In Christ's Lovely Name,

Amen.