Never DisAPPOINTED

“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” — Romans 11:29 (ESV)

In a sermon at church recently, our pastor read from the book of Romans, and one verse jumped out at me as if I were hearing it for the first time. Though I have been part of several studies on the book of Romans and have read it myself numerous times, this verse had never resonated with me like it did on that recent Sunday morning.

I read it several times slowly to help grasp what the scripture seemed to want to say to me.

The gifts and the calling of God… are irrevocable. Irrevocable. I breathed in deep to let this settle into my soul. Why did I need this reminder now? Truth be told, I admit to sometimes having the mindset that if I didn’t do a good enough job in pursuing the things God had for me, He would be disappointed and find someone else to do the work instead. But this verse absolutely slays that notion.

The word irrevocable means “not able to be changed, reversed, or taken back.” Irrevocable means irrevocable! That’s not poetic fluff—it’s ironclad. God doesn’t revoke His gifts. He doesn’t cancel your calling when you fall short. He doesn’t regret choosing you. He doesn’t withhold His plans when you feel unworthy.

We change. We hesitate. We fall. But He remains faithful. Why? Because our individual callings are never based on our performance—they are based on His purpose and His grace (2 Timothy 1:9).

Most of us live in the right understanding that our salvation is never based on works, but do we sometimes feel that our efforts must come into play at some point in our Christian duty, as if we have to earn the right to be called? While we might be inclined to believe that, based upon verses that direct us to service, that’s not a correct understanding of scripture. As Christians, we don’t walk in grace only in certain conditions. There’s no such thing as circumstantial grace. As 1 Peter 5:10 tells us, He is the God of all grace, not just saving grace.  And despite circumstances that may drag us down, through His all-encompassing grace, we will be restored and made strong, firm, and steadfast in anything that we do…not because of anything we’ve done or failed to do, but only through Christ alone.

And it’s such great relief and reassurance to me that we were never meant to earn it.

When God gives gifts—whether it’s the ability to lead, to create, to teach, to serve, to encourage, or to carry His presence into broken spaces—He gives them knowing everything about us. He knows our highs and our lowest moments. And still, He says, “Mine.”

Because we are His, we never have to do enough. We can’t earn a calling. And we can’t disqualify ourselves from one God has already sealed over our lives. The enemy may whisper that we’re too broken. People may doubt our comeback. But God doesn’t tear up blueprints when His children stumble. He builds redemption right into the design.

When God gives us an individual calling, it’s something He’s appointing us to, an irrevocable appointment that He’s decreeing. So in that, there’s never a DIS-appointment because He’s already deemed it irrevocable!

And the truth is, we can’t disappoint Someone who’s never surprised.

Disappointment implies unmet expectations. But God is never surprised by our failures. He knew each of our entire stories when He individually called us. And He factored in every detour, delay, and disaster.

Disappointment is a human emotion, rooted in limited foresight. God isn’t looking at our lives from the outside, wondering if we’ll measure up. He sees the end from the beginning. He’s not pacing heaven, anxious about our mistakes. He’s still the One who sings over us (Zephaniah 3:17), the One who rejoices to do us good (Jeremiah 32:41), the One who says, “I will finish the good work I started in you” (Philippians 1:6).

So what should we do with this all-encompassing grace?

Run to Him. Don’t let shame talk us out of our destiny. If we’ve dropped the ball, we should pick it back up. If we’ve lost our way, He’s still the Way. If we’re breathing, it’s not too late.

Let this truth sink deep into your heart:

You are still called. Still chosen. Still equipped. Still loved.

And God has not changed His mind about you. Nor will He ever. You are ardently loved wherever you are, and just as His gifts and callings are irrevocable, so is this love that never disappoints and is never disappointed.  

Ardently His,

Leah

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