Called or driven?

Yesterday we looked at the lessons to learn from John the Baptist as we continued our journey through the gospel of John and the people Jesus met.

As I prepared for Sunday I remembered that Gordon MacDonald had written about John in his book Ordering your Private World. I remembered the distinction he made between a called life and a driven life. Rereading that part of the book was very helpful as I looked to structure what I wanted to say on Sunday.

We talked about how called people understand their true identity, their purpose, and the nature of commitment. A quote from MacDonald's book that I didn't use seems to sum things up nicely.

To order my life according the expectations of myself and others; and to value myself according to the opinions of others; these can play havoc with my inner world. But to operate on the basis of God's call is to enjoy a great deal of order within.

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