Your Calling Is After His

"I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of THE CALLING with which YOU WERE CALLED, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit; just as YOU WERE CALLED in one hope of YOUR CALLING; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." (Ephesians 4:1-6)

after- in agreement or conformity with; in imitation of; following the completion of (3 of 14 definitions from Webster's dictionary)

"Therefore, I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: (so) that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him (Jesus Christ), the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of HIS (Jesus Christ's) CALLING, what are the riches of the glory of His (Jesus Christ's) inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe (this), according to the working of His mighty power, which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places...." (Ephesians 4:15-20)

The Christian's calling is in agreement with/conformity to/imitation of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection IN THE HEART. Following the completion of that process of salvation, we shall say, as Paul did, "I have been crucified with Christ: it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me".

Scripture declares that "though He (Jesus) was a Son, He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected (made complete) He (then) became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. (Hebrews 5:8,9)

We know Jesus did; Paul, likewise, speaks of following the Lord in this way. Jesus; Paul, in His name, committed himself to Him who judges righteously. Individual callings follow the completion, in us, of Jesus Christ's calling.