Examining Your Vocation

I recently led a Community on Ministry retreat on the care of clergy. During that time I led the following bible study on vocation.

Bible Study on Vocation

Read Mattthew 3:13-17

Jesus baptism could be described as his call to ministry. Briefly describe your own sense of call the ministry. If doing this with others, then share the story of your call.

Read Matthew 4:1-11
Once Jesus was called by God, he began to face the temptation to distort his response to that call. Note he was led (Mark says he was driven) by the Spirit to face these temptation. Luke notes that this was not the end of the temptations. “When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time. (4:13)

Make a brief list of some of the major temptations and pressures that you and other clergy experience to distort God’s call.

Resistance: Note that the angels did not come to care for Jesus until after he had resisted the temptations. He had to draw upon his own resources, in his case primarily Scripture, to strengthen his resources of resistance.
Note some resources or practices that help in resisting such temptations.

Prayer:
Pray for strength to resist temptation and forgiveness when we fail in some way to be as faithful as we desire.