(Colossians 3:23, 24)
One of the biggest misconceptions is that only
ministers or those who work for a ministry are in full-time service for the
Lord. WRONG! Everyone who professes a personal faith in Christ is working
for the Lord. The only difference is where God has placed you to do your
work. Jesus said we are to be the "salt of the earth" and the "light of the
world". That means God needs His children working in every kind of job, in
every kind of industry. That is why the Lord has given each of us special
and unique talents and opened certain doors in our life, so that we can serve
Him and work for Him. Even though you may be going to school to get an
education, even though you may be working at a job to earn a paycheck to pay
the bills, that is not the only reason you are in that school or in that
job. My friend, it is NO ACCIDENT that you are going to school where you
do. It is NO ACCIDENT you are working where you work. God has allowed you
to be there for a season, not just for the reasons I already mentioned, but
also for a Divine reason. You see, in addition to your classes, in addition
to performing your duties, you have a Divine reason for being where you are
at.
God opens and closes doors in our life to guide us, direct us where He
wants. While we make choices daily, there are always things that are
totally out of our control. Those are the things we need to pay very close
attention to, since it is one way God speaks to us. We need to look at
those circumstances beyond our control, pray and read the Word, pray and get wise counsel from those outside who can be more subjective, pray, oh yes, and
pray. Trust nothing happens in your life by chance or by accident. God
often steps in to make things happen we can't control, to speak directly to
us and show us what He wants. After all, it should be our daily prayer, "Lord,
not my will, but THY will be done".
Now that we understand that in addition to getting an education, God has you
in the school you are in for a Divine reason and the job you work for a
Divine reason, the logical question is "what work is it God wants me to do?"
The number one job is to live in a way that glorifies our Lord. Our loudest
and most effective witness is not what we say, but how we live. Trust me,
people see how you live. Never forget, you are representing Christ every
second of every day. You are His ambassador at that school or on that
job site. In addition, God will give you opportunities to share your faith
in Christ. People are so afraid because they may not know exactly how to
answer a question. Listen, you are NEVER going to lead a person to Christ
in a debate. Those who want to argue about dinosaurs, and why God makes
people suffer, and how the bible is wrong, etc. etc. etc., are not going to
all of a sudden hear your answer and fall to their knees. It is best to
share what Christ has done in your life and how He has made a difference.
Most people who come to you are at a point in their life when they are
hurting and looking for answers. You may not have the answer, but you can
pray. You can assure them you will walk with them thru the difficulty.
This is what Jesus would do. Never forget the greatest ministry you can
ever have is sharing the love and hope of Christ with someone who is
hurting. Let the love Jesus has shown you flow from you to that person.
That is what opens a person's heart to the Lord. Pure, unconditional love.
Speaking of love, I do love you so much and care for you. I pray today that
you will take a few minutes and first thank God for where you are going to
school or where you work. You may hate your school and you may hate your job,
but that has to change, because you are there because that is where God wants
you. Remember, you are working for the Lord, so give Him your very best.
When it is time to change schools or change jobs, God will show you. He
will cause things to happen out of your control to show you where He wants
you. Don't forget it is His life, not yours, and your desire is to be
wherever He wants you to be, doing whatever He wants you to do. Go out each
day with the confidence and knowledge that you are where God wants you to
be, to use all He has blessed you with to serve Him. You are not working
for a teacher or working for a boss, but you are working for the Lord.
