CALLED OR DRIVEN TO YOUR JOB

Where Faith Meets The Marketplace

God has authority over all things for He has created all things for one purpose. He has total and absolute presence and preeminence in everything that He created. These are powerful statements, and to apply these to the marketplace, requires total surrender by Spirit led followers of Christ. Otherwise, to separate our faith and our business is to separate God from a major part of our life.

The apostle Paul was at one time a very passionate person in pursuing the persecution of Christians. It is very evident that he possessed many gifts that brought him much success in his life. It is easy to say, also, that he was a much driven individual. But now after his conversion, he is using those same gifts and passion for a different  calling. Chapter three of 1 Corinthians gives us a lesson on recognizing our gifts and pursuing them with passion. In the first four verses, Paul is addressing the crowd as babes in Christ, explaining to them that they cannot understand the more deeper spiritual things because they are still worldly. 

Now with eloquence, Paul lays out ten principles that we can draw from this passage and apply to our faith in the marketplace. In verse five, Paul symbolizes a principle whereby we all are working for the same cause even though we can be used in different ways. He states - "as the Lord has assigned to each his task." Both Paul and Apollos  have been called to a particular task. After Paul's conversion, his desires changed, but his gifts and passion remained the same. Now, Paul is using those gifts and passions to fulfill God's ultimate calling in his life. Paul has been given specific gifts, for a specific job, in a specific place. 

In verses six and seven, Paul gives us thought for two more principles,"So neither he who plants or he who waters is anything,". Paul and Apollos have exercised their individual gifts and calling, but the results is left up to God. God gives each of us a vision that will match our gifts and desires. It is our responsibility to act on these gifts and vision in the calling God has given each of us. We are to do the work and leave the results to God. Too many times, we see people who are using their gifts chasing desires that are not their calling, usually resulting in concentrating on the results we think are from our efforts. A good friend relayed this principle to me one day by stating that if we do the job right, the success will come. Any success that comes our way is a gift from Him and He should be the one to be lifted up.

A fourth principle is given in verse eight; "and each will be rewarded according to his own labor."  We are all one body employed by one Master with different gifts and desires and God chooses to reward who He chooses and how He chooses. God embodies the principle of those who work hard fare best. We can exemplify this principle in our business with our approach to excellence in product quality, customer service, marketing our product, and counting the cost. "The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied." Proverbs 13:4 

"For we are God's fellow workers;". This passage in verse nine brings all this together at this point. We are in partnership with one another to accomplish God's purpose in the marketplace. But we are also in partnership with God himself. Our job is just not a means to meet our needs. This is an amazing principle when grasp it. When we recognize our calling and pursue it with passion, we can rest with complete contentment knowing we are in partnership with God in his business, and He is in partnership with us in our business. 

I am truly a blessed man. Over the last several years, I have had the privilege of getting to know some great men who have been able to grasp and implement these principles in their life and business. They are men who are truly in partnership with God and readily give Him the praise and glory for all they have. They are real, they have their doubts and struggles at times. They have been an amazing encouragement as we continue to walk this journey together.