In this series, I’ve repeatedly used the words “calling and purpose” rather than just one of those by itself. As you might have guessed, there is a distinction between the two terms and if you do not know what it is, it is very likely you will totally miss fulfilling either of them. Recently, someone asked me about that in an email conversation and I knew that was my cue to finally put it here in writing. In this episode, I am going to simply explain the difference between the two and show you examples from those in the Bible who either did or did not fulfill what God put them here for. In the end, I want you to seriously look at your life and answer the question: why did God put you here, are you doing it, and what will it accomplish for many others?

What follows is a substantially edited and elaborated upon version of the exact answer I wrote in a recent email conversation. Sometimes, the questions people ask me by email turn out to be very good blog topics. Usually, if one person has a question, many others are wanting to know the same thing, even if they never ask. I learned 10 years ago that blogs are great ways to answer a question one time and never have to repeat yourself. Here goes…

Biblical Distinctions Are Very Important

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

1 John 3:8 (KJV)

A calling is less than, and more general than, a purpose. A purpose is much more specific and unique than a calling. An example of a calling is, “to business” or “to prophetic ministry”, “to be a musician” or “to be a pastor”, etc. Those are very generic and are not very unique, since many people worldwide fit into those types of vocations or careers.  

A purpose however, is very specific. Biblically, Jesus had a calling to preach and teach, heal the sick, raise the dead, and train the disciples to become Apostles that would lead the movement to change the world. Those were various types of “job descriptions”.  But none of those things were the singular purpose for which God sent His only son here to earth.

On the contrary, Jesus’ specific, singular purpose was to die on the cross to bring salvation, which accomplished many things including: to remove satan as the “god of the world”, to take back ownership of earth and restore us to God the Father, to make us kings in His kingdom, to give us power over the works of the devil, to execute kingdom authority here on earth (among many other things).

The list of things Jesus accomplished by that singular act is very long but, it all comes down to Him dying on the cross to be our savior. Everything begins with that single point of salvation but from that, it then expands to many other things. So, the cross was a singular accomplishment and the results were many. 

But, if all Jesus did was to stay stuck in his calling of healing the sick, or teaching via parables, that would never have accomplished us getting saved from our sins, or making us kings in His kingdom or bringing us back to relationship with God the Father, etc.. A calling can NEVER accomplish what a purpose will!

Biblical Examples – Not All Fulfilled Their Purpose!

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

Romans 1:1 (KJV)

Look at the example of the Apostle Paul. He was called to be an apostle but, nowhere in there does it say what his purpose was. There were several other apostles at that time (the original 11) and each had a separate unique purpose. Just being an apostle in no way carries the weight of a singular specific purpose. So, let’s look at a few prominent men in the Bible and see what their calling was and whether or not they fulfilled their real purpose…

Moses is a great example: he was a deliverer who was called to do many things… he was a face to face prophet who brought the Israelites out of Egypt and gave them a chance to meet with God (which they refused). He led them to the promised land (which he himself did not get into), he received the 10 commandments and the law which governed the Jewish people for the next 2,000 years. 

Primarily, his purpose was to be a deliverer and in that case, he did not totally fulfill that.  Most of it yes, but there were some points he missed since he did not make it into the promised land.  Joshua picked up where he left off but, it was not the original plan. I say this to show that many people in the Bible did NOT fulfill their true purpose – they fell short. That is where the warning comes in for each of us.  

So let’s look at another great example… Joseph had a calling to interpret dreams (as I do) but, that was not his purpose (neither is it mine). His purpose was to save Egypt and the surrounding region from a famine that would have killed millions. The result of that singular accomplishment was to set the stage for the next 400 years where the Israelites lived in Egypt. That resulted in the knowledge of God being given to that nation until the time of Moses when they would leave.  

A Personal Mission Statement

For many are called, but few are chosen.

Matthew 22:14 (KJV)

Perhaps this makes more sense if I put it in terms that I am most familiar with… In military terms, a purpose is like a mission statement or a strategy. A calling should support that strategy in its accomplishment but, a calling by itself is too general and is far less than a purpose. A purpose can have many results once it is fulfilled.  But, a calling can never do what a purpose will because it is not specific enough.

Does this make sense? Using the above Biblical examples, without going into too much detail about either, you can now go looking for all the other prominent men and women. Try doing that – pick some at random and read their stories. Can you identify their calling their purpose? Once you do, can you find whether or not they fulfilled their purpose? How many of them fell short (and for what reasons?) Look at Deborah, Elijah, Elisha, David, Solomon, Peter, Paul, Mary, and all the rest.

The reason I make such a big deal about this is because, most people in our times do NOT know what their purpose is and because of that, they do not come anywhere near fulfilling it. If you get to know me well enough, you will find that I am VERY adamant about how serious this problem is.

Where Are You In This??

God has a very specific and unique purpose for every single person on earth. Not just a calling, but a PURPOSE. The reason I write all these episodes is to show you what it takes to find and fulfill your purpose – not just your calling. I want you to know that this is not easy. You must work hard at it and make severe sacrifices. If you do not, you will never fulfill the real reason (purpose) for why God put you here. You cannot be lazy and casual about this. God will not even respond to you if that’s how you are.

There is a reason why Jesus warned that “many are called but few are chosen”. Everyone has a calling and a purpose but, right there, He says most people will never find out what that is and they will never accomplish anything they were put here for. I cannot understate the severity of this.

All you have to do is look at everything I’ve written here to see the proof of what I’m saying. You can see that I have been operating in my calling to interpret dreams, to do supernatural mentoring, and to be a teacher of the supernatural. You can also see that a big part of my purpose is the energy tech invention that God has given me, starting 10 years ago in my dreams at night. I am in the same spiritual lineage as Joseph and I was put here to do very much the same thing he was.

To be continued…

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