Your Career

MOST PEOPLE GO through a number of job changes in their lives, and sometimes even several different careers. Each transition tends to be filled with tension, uncertainty, and sometimes doubt. In fact, many Christians facing a career change hope that God will somehow give them an indication of what He wants, effectively making the decision for them.

That happened to Isaiah. He was given a vision of the throne room of heaven when God called him to become His prophet (Isaiah 6:1–9). Thus there was no doubt as to what the Lord wanted of him. This same kind of dramatic encounter with God, leading to a major career decision, was experienced by a number of other people in the Bible:

•         Joseph was his father Jacob’s favorite son. This irked his older brothers, and when they got the opportunity they sold him to the Islamite merchants who sold him in turn to an Egyptian official, Potiphar. Extremely handsome, sincere and obedient, he soon became the manager of his master’s household. He refused to be seduced by the mistress of the home and landed in prison instead. He spent 13 long years there and became indispensable there. The Bible says “the Lord was with him” three times. He made a quite name for himself as an interpreter of dreams. Eventually, this talent brought him to the notice of the Pharaoh who was greatly troubled by his dreams. When he interpreted the dream and counseled the ruler what to do about them, Pharaoh was so much pleased with him that he made him in charge of the palace and eventually in charge of the land.

•          Moses was being groomed as the future Pharaoh. He grew up in the palace and was trained in the art of administration.  As the crown prince, nothing was denied to him. Then came a day when he was stripped of his privilege and position and chased into the desert with nothing but a day’s ration.  After forty years of harsh, lone life, he was settling into a shepherd’s life with a wife and kids, when God’s call came.  The Lord directed him to return to Egypt and lead His people out of slavery into the Promised Land (Exodus 3:1–10). Nothing he had learned of the hands of the great teachers of the palace had prepared him for this new appointment, but the Lord was his constant help. After leading the stiff-necked and rebellious Israelites for 40 years through the most forbidding desert, he passed on the baton to Joshua and entered into glory.

 

•          Gideon met the Angel of the Lord, who was sitting under a terebinth tree, while he was threshing wheat in a secluded location of the winepress, for the fear of enemies who regularly stole their grains. The Lord accosted him and informed him that he was the judge chosen to beat back the marauding Midianites and rescue His children from their oppression. (Judges 6:11–14). With only 300 soldiers on his side and the Lord’s unfailing leadership, Gideon was able to annihilate the Medianites with the war cry “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” Nothing was heard of the enemies anymore. 

•          David was the youngest of Jesse’s seven children and was tending sheep when the Lord directed Samuel to anoint him with oil as the next king of Israel (1 Sam. 16:1–13). His total dependence on Yahweh and his strong faith enabled him to kill the giant Goliath. This act endeared him to King Saul so much that he gave his daughter to him in marriage. As David’s popularity grew and he realized David was to follow him to the throne, Saul’s love for David turned into envy and envy into hatred. He tried to kill David several times, but the Lord saved him and Israelites’ traditional enemies eventually killed Saul in war. This paved the way for David to become the king—the most famous king in Israel’s long history. He had lived a life so close to God that He called him “A man after my own heart”.

•          St. Paul was from a devout Jewish family in the city of Tarsus renowned for its university.  He was "a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee”. At a very young age, he was sent to Jerusalem to receive at the school of Gamaliel, one of the most noted rabbis in history.   Paul persecuted the church "beyond measure" (in his own words) prior to his conversion. Paul was traveling on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus on a mission to arrest the followers of Jesus and bring them back to Jerusalem when the resurrected Jesus appeared to him in a great light. He was struck blind, fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying unto him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" Paul replied, "Who art you, Lord?”. And the Lord said, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting”. After three days his sight was restored by Ananias and Paul began to preach that Jesus of Nazareth is the Jewish Messiah and the Son of God. He is the most important figure of the Apostolic Age having founded several churches in Asia Minor and Europe. Thirteen of the New Testament books were written by Paul.

Elisha’s career underwent a dramatic change when Elijah met him.  Jeremiah’s long, complex career began when Yahweh met him and commissioned him. Virgin Mary would have spent a quiet, Jewish house wife’s life if the archangel had not met her to inform her that she would give birth to the Son of God. Each of these encounters was initiated by God, and each one led to a “career change” involving a special task or purpose. Yet despite the drama of these encounters, they appear to be the exception rather than the rule. Most people are not given a sign from heaven as to what God wants them to do in life. Instead, they must make decisions about how best to use their God-given skills and abilities in whatever opportunities the Lord brings their way. What you have to remember is:

(1) You are unique.  Even though you share many things in common with other people, you are essentially one of a kind. No one else has been given exactly the same makeup as God has given you. Your face, your fingerprints, your voice, and your genetic makeup are matched by no one else’s. Likewise, God has handcrafted you with your personality, your unique set of talents and motivations, and your special “bent” in life. This leads to the fact that …

(2) You have a unique purpose. Not only has God made you, But He has also designed you for His special reasons. He has crafted you to carry out a unique purpose and mission in life—what the New Testament calls your “good works.” (Ephesians 2:10). God intended that your life would be aimed toward these special ends before He created you. For that reason, the ultimate meaning in life comes from discovering and carrying out this unique purpose. That’s why …

(3) You have a responsibility to your Creator. For none of us lives to himself alone, and none of us dies to himself alone.  If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord (Romans 14:7–8). Therefore, your life needs to center on Him. The great tragedy of many people is that they turn their backs on their Creator and live for themselves alone. But everyone will have to give an account to the Lord for how they have lived their lives. He will ask whether or not they have used what He has given them to honor Him and fulfill His purposes.

In the meantime, are you being faithful in the tasks and responsibilities that God has currently given you, in your family, work, church, and society? Those are the places of God’s assignment for you right now.

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