Calling

Key Verse
“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men”
Colossians 3:23

How can I serve God in my work?

Our primary calling is always to Christ. Os Guinness in The Call says, “First and foremost we are called to Someone (God), not to something…or to somewhere.” But he adds that God also calls us vocationally. His plan for us includes our work.

As a young believer I thought that to fully serve God I had to go into some type of “full-time” Christian work. Yet my interests and background pointed toward engineering and business. When I asked the Lord for guidance, I sensed Him saying, “John, I’ve called you to business. Do it with all your heart.”

Many Christians struggle to know their calling. Our culture incorrectly differentiates between “sacred” and “secular,” asserting that sacred activities are nobler. Neither Jesus nor His followers held this view. A. W. Tozer, in The Pursuit of God, says, “The sacred-secular antithesis has no foundation in the New Testament.”

God calls people to many honorable endeavors—from education to engineering, from farming to factory work, from raising children to running a company. The challenge is to keep our activities in harmony with God’s design, rather than in opposition to that design.

To gain vocational clarity, consider: What are my talents? What do I enjoy? How have my education and experiences equipped me? Where do I sense God’s pleasure? Work goes beyond the paycheck. Find where God has called you, and do it to the best of your ability.