work

In keeping with the theme of human beings created in the image of God to display His character for His glory and our good, will you give me the grace to share another pondering in my heart of late?

The celebration of a life surrendered to Christ has an eternal, unfading glory. The awakening of that life into a deepening experience of what it means to be a child of God, is a continuation of that celebration. In this awakening, there is often a realization of a profound passion for spiritual things.

Things like discipleship, evangelism, prayer, service. Things that all those in Christ are empowered and called to walk in more and more fully, by grace through faith.

Just as I see women in all contexts and seasons of life thriving as they nurture life in those around them, I see children of God awakening and walking in greater passion for spiritual things in all contexts and seasons of life.

Let me be more bold and blunt, and hear this for what I am saying and not what I’m not saying, but just because you awaken in a profound way to the need for spiritual things (such as discipleship) does not mean you are called to work in full time vocational ministry. You very well may be! But one does not mean the other.

If all children of God are on a beautiful walk with Him to know Him more fully and make Him more and more known in their world, then none are exempt. And people live and work and move in spaces that are quite diverse. So God places His light in us and places us in those diverse places. Therefore, your awakening to a deeper level of passion for the things of God, can be used in many different contexts.

Surrendering your own selfish ambition as it regards your career, is a beautiful thing! But it does not then automatically mean that you are called into a career in ministry. It means you have surrendered. Let go. Said “yes,” and “amen,” and “let it be” to His will. His good and pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2).

Each semester I teach my Biblical Worldview class, I shamelessly trick my students. I ask them to list out for me things that are secular and then things that are Christian. They begin confidently. But then inevitably as they go along, someone mentions something as being secular to which another student points out that it could be Christian. This is my goal. That they would begin to think and engage the world around them from the perspective that there is no area of life “over which Christ...does not cry, ‘Mine!’” (Abraham Kuyper). Francis Schaeffer points out that “the basic problem of the Christians...is that they have seen things in bits and pieces instead of totals.”

So Christian, awaken! Wake up to a profound passion for spiritual things. Walk in them in the spaces God has already placed you. And only move on when He calls you. And Him calling you into full time vocational ministry is not the same thing as awakening you to a deeper passion for spiritual things.

His calling and His passion and His gifting in you are sure. His plan for fulfilling them will only be revealed in His timing. Hold onto Him. Not your plan for how you think He should fulfill.

He is the giver of every good gift (James 1:17; Psalm 84:11). He is the Good. He truly does satisfy our years with good things (Psalm 103:5). Very good things.

[For more on a biblical theology of work, consider watching this teaching by one of my pastors Ritchie Johnson.]