During a pressing need to sound spiritual among other spiritually knowledgeable people, i’ve used the word “purpose”, as in praying out loud, “Lord, help us that we would be more involved with your purposes.” But, here lately, the Lord has been addressing my little ideas of what i think He means, and what He really means, thereby giving me clarity on how my perception of Him needs a course change. Sometimes, it’s only a course change in small amounts, and other times it requires i shift my weight all together.

Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” That’s according to God’s will, which includes His preferences and standards. And YES, we can know His will. In fact, there are several places where scripture says, “and this is the will of God…”

What was Paul referring to there in Romans 8:28 when he uses the phrase “the called” and then uses the word “purpose”? From God’s perspective, what does He mean?

Those who hold Jesus as Lord and Savior are “the called”. Matt22:14 says many are called, but there is a difference between “many” who are called, as those who have received an invitation and those who are labeled “the called”. Many are called but few are designated and named. Being believers makes us not only Christians but also in the sense of someone who stands in an office, invited and designated. i think of it as…. the day i accepted Christ was naming day, like the time Adam named all the animals. It was naming day, a day they were designated. To accept the call of God is also to be named, and it means we set another purpose other than our own before ourselves. The very word “purpose” literally means to set something before our heart and eyes, like the show bread was set before the tabernacle. Prothesis is the Greek for our word “purpose”, and stems from the Greek root word wherewith we get our word for “thesis”, and a thesis is a statement put forward as a premise to be maintained or proved. i believe i often think of purpose as something resolved, but in this case the word comes as not only something resolved but calls for the addition of an action verb. So not only is a purpose drawn from God’s preferences and standards, but is a conclusion to a matter for us to take-action to accomplish. Did you hear that? A “conclusion and resolution of a dilemma that we take action over.”

We are “the called” because we have a new purpose after we have received the invitation of God to join Him in His works, gladly stepping into our place in the Kingdom. We are named and designated by God and we hold His preferences and standards in front of us to accomplish with all our breathing, and thinking, all our feeling, and strength. All, not just 10% as a minimal tithe, but all. We bide our time, patiently, with full expectation, trusting and knowing the Lord will do all He says. The word “wait” in vs 25 is a “now” word as a statement of fact. Now, now, now, now and never becomes then until the end of all things, which exclusively conclude at His feet. All my days are before the Lord, and all my days will conclude at His feet, regardless of if i like it or not.

Seeing as how we are the ones named and designated by God, the called, who hold His preferences and standards in front of us to govern all we think and do, His purposes, and seeing as how we know all things conclude at His feet no matter how we cut the pie, knowing these things, how will we walk our days out, knowing every moment and every split second of our lives will rest before the great high King of Heaven? Can we really, truly, actually actually, continue to ignore the call of God? Oh sure, most of us have responded, but what of the rest of the call which is a call to action? What will we do with the rest of His calling? Just because we forget to remember the Lord, and just because we ignore until we no longer hear God calling to us doesn’t mean His calling has ceased. How arrogant of me to think just because “i” can’t hear God must mean He isn’t speaking, or just because “i” don’t believe must mean it isn’t true anymore. God did not cease to invite us, we are the ones who simply can’t hear and don’t respond. It’s like the people who say God doesn’t speak anymore. Ha! That’s such narcissistic, arrogant foolishness.

Here’s what we’re going to do. Because the Spirit makes intercession, we will stand in our designated place at the call of God and make intercession. In vs 27, the words “make intercession” is a “now” verb, and it means now, now, now, now, it does not stop being “now”. It is a word which isn’t episodic or an event, it is an action with an on-and-on motion. Because God hears the faintest cry for help, we will not only hear but will respond. Because the Lord opens His mouth and does justice and stands for right morality, we will stand in our designated place, holding His preferences and standards as the governor for all we breath and do, and we will open our mouths for justice, doggedly standing up for right morality. We will stand with Him, proud of our blood bought heritage. As the called of God, STAND! And after you’ve stood all you can stand, stand therefore.