CALLED OR DRIVEN TO YOUR JOB
Why Did You Take This Job
Understanding the calling of Jesus can be like piloting a boat through troubled waters. We tend to ask ourselves some penetrating questions. What was I created to accomplish? Am I fulfilled through my work? Is this the work Jesus wants me to do? Am I constantly pulled in other directions?
What is a calling? A calling is a personal invitation from Jesus for us to work on His agenda using the talents, gifts, and desires He has given us in ways that are eternally significant. To understand a calling to a job, we must understand the purpose of work. We are called by God to contribute to His agenda while performing our job in the marketplace. Our purpose may be to climb a corporate ladder, make big money, be the boss, obtain financial security, or to fulfill our dreams. These are good, but there has to be something bigger and more worthwhile. These are not the things that give our work purpose. Purpose has to do with why I am here, God's agenda or my agenda. The marketplace is full of extremely gifted people who have used their gifts for their agenda, and we see the results
Our job is not some arbitrary random task. God calls us to himself but also to a special task in the marketplace. Our job by itself is not the sum total of our life. We have learned that at some point we will be judged by our works. They will be tested with fire to see if there is any lasting benefit to what we have done. Our name on a building is not a lasting benefit under fire. The workplace provides an excellent opportunity to exemplify the principles of God and to draw people into His kingdom while performing a service or producing a product.
John the Baptist provides an excellent example of the characteristics of a called person to a specific job. Called people, like John, understand stewardship. The people tried to proclaim John as owner of the crowds, but John thought of his job as something to be a steward over until the real owner came. Driven people own their careers while called people mange them for a greater purpose. Driven people concentrate on lifting themselves up, and called people lift up Jesus
In the book of John, the third chapter, John signifies that he has a definite sense of purpose in verse 29. He clearly understood his purpose and was not intimidated by someone higher up the ladder. Only called people can understand that God needs laborers, support staff, and CEO's. Called people understand the meaning of contentment. Verse 30 states," He must increase, but I must decrease." Truly driven people have to keep gaining more and more attention and position. Called people stay committed to the task in all situations.
In verse 31, John displays that he knew exactly who he was and who he was not. Called people have a distinction between what they do and who they are. Some people who have great power and wealth have a difficult time giving it up because they depend on it for who they are. It is natural to want more money, a better job, or a promotion. Desiring these out of the will and plan of God, can place us in a state of discontent and eventually in the wrong job. John the Baptist knew he had special gifts. He also knew that these gifts were to be used in a job God had designed for him and as a ministry of announcing the arrival of our Saviour.
How do you know if you have been called to your job? Whatever position that God has assigned us, we must be proud that He has thought enough of us to place us in this position. The lowest of positions can make significant contributions in the marketplace and the Kingdom. While the highest position, if not under the call of God, can destroy an entire business and any possible cause for Christ. Our responsibility is to recognize the gifts God has given us and to use those gifts in the appropriate job that produces maximum benefits for the marketplace and the Kingdom. Our joy is complete for we know we are in the will of God and our desires and motives are pleasing to Him. We are content.
