WORK AS A CALLING
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.
Ephesians 4:1 (NLT)
When I was a teen, I remember a young man coming up to the front of the church and telling the pastor he had been called into the ministry. Whew—I sure was glad that God was not calling me. Being a pastor or missionary was the last thing I was interested in.
But I noticed in the first chapter of this letter to the Ephesians the Apostle Paul was speaking to the entire church, the faithful followers of Christ Jesus (vs. 1) and that all faithful followers are chosen or called to become holy and without fault in His eyes. (vs. 4) We are called to be like Christ. What? I thought I was off the hook, but now I find out that all of us have been called by God. But what if I’m not called to be a pastor or missionary? What if I’m in a regular job or career? Paul goes on to tell the church, And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus… (Colossians 3:17 NLT).
For centuries, the church thought like I did as a teen. There were priests or pastors who did holy work, and the rest of us did lesser, second-class work. But Martin Luther famously said God milks the cows through the hands of the milkmaid. Luther told us that whatever honest job we have, however average it may seem, is a sacred or holy calling.
A woman once asked me to pray for her to find a job with a godly Christian company because she was tired of all the ungodly, secular people at work. I told her that maybe God had her there to be a representative of the Lord Jesus. I asked her, why would I pray for God to take you out of the mission field? It is hard to be salt and light in a dark world if all the salt runs back into the saltshaker. Whether your job is changing diapers, being a student or working in an office, you have a sacred calling.
APPLICATION:
Ask the Lord for ways you can be a representative of Christ at work or school.
PRAYER:
Lord, please open my eyes to see my work as You see it. Help me be a faithful, positive, joy-filled employee or student who honors You.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?