Things I Learned Growing Up That Maybe I Wish I Hadn't
That I'll Know What I'm Meant To Do Because I'm Good At It
In modern times there is a new mentality in regards to working; people desperately want to find their "calling” or what it is that they are meant to do. There is not anything inherently wrong with that desire except for the level of importance put upon it. If you are a born-again believer, for example, it is not wise to pursue a profession or talent that is in direct conflict with what the Lord calls for believers to be involved in.
This could be as simple as taking on a “dream job” that causes for one to no longer be able to attend church services or interferes with dedicated Bible study time. Chasing a dream is one thing, but if it requires you to forsake the Lord, His church and His people to have it, then this dream is actually a nightmare that you should not have anything to do with.
Some will say, “Preacher, that’s just not realistic. We have to work to feed our families.” That is very true, and I would never tell a man not to work— so let me clarify a few things.
First of all, I believe that professed Christians should have a reputation in their communities and workplaces as being the hardest working people on the payroll. While so many people are consumed with trying to find their natural talent, it is critical that we recognize that being a true Christian is entirely supernatural—that is, it is not at all innate. On an emotional level, we might say that the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) make sense, but if we are truly honest with ourselves, we must admit that following them does NOT come natural to any of us. We have to work at being Christ-like beloved.
Matthew 22:34-40 “But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? -- Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
So, if following our Lord Jesus is our number one priority, immediately after our salvation is revealed unto us—our first day on the job so-to-speak—we must learn how to work. Many of us will learn how to truly study for the first time as we pour over our King James Bibles. Some will need to hone their public speaking skills as they seek to witness to strangers with the Holy Spirit compelling them to fulfill His great commission.
Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
None who truly read the Word of God can conclude that salvation is man’s choice; if someone is saved, they are indeed meant to be. We cannot call this a talent, beloved; salvation and the requirements that follow are not at all innate. Therefore, knowing our Bibles, praying with our families, witnessing to strangers, and teaching Sunday School classes all fall under the second category outlined above— acquiring skills through learning, practice, and experience.
Colossians 3 “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.
Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.”
As a young believer, I fell in love with this third chapter of Colossians. Paul’s words challenged me, and they revealed that there was a great level of intentionality to the Christian walk that I had never thought about before. Up until that moment, I fully believed that the phrase, “Once saved always saved”, was all I needed—as long as I was saved, I could live however I wanted. While I am certainly eternally secure, God’s saving grace is not to be abused as an insurance policy that covers all the sinning I can muster up before I die. The elect of God have been “chosen before the foundation of the world” (Eph 1:4), but when He called those early fisherman, He didn’t leave them on the boat.
Matthew 4:19 “And He saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
In a sense, He says to the born-again believer, “follow after me, for there is yet work to be done.”
This brings us to the second thing to consider: What is the work? The work of being a Christian is laid out most succinctly in Colossians 3:17 “…whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” It is EVERYTHING the believer does, WHEREVER the believer is, and WHENEVER the believer exists. This should be written perhaps on a bracelet or inside the opening folds of our Bibles. We are NEVER off-duty.
In salvation we are called to a work that we are not naturally good at, and we are never able to punch out again. How do we even begin to obtain the skills required for this work?
First, we have to get our minds right for the task: Colossians 3:2 “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” If I were to hire you to mow my lawn, you would have to mentally prepare for the job being mindful that you are working outside. You would want to research the weather to ensure that you weren’t making plans to mow while it was snowing or raining.
Secondly, you would need to consider the unseemly behaviors that are NOT needed for the job. As your employer, I don’t want to see you mowing with one hand while texting with the other. I don’t want you to bring your drinking or smoking habits to my property— behaviors that may sully my name and hamper your work. Colossians 3:5-6, 8-9 “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience…But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds.”
Thirdly, now that we have removed the obstacles to doing a good job, let’s consider what will be needed for the task. Mowing my lawn would require a mower, good shoes, and perhaps a hat for protection. It will also require fuel of some sort to make the task easier. As a child I found a mower much like what is pictured above in my Grandpa Hatcher’s crawlspace. I was fascinated, and thus, I begged him to drag it out so I could try it. He did. It was incredible to see but that machine relied on my power…of which I had very little. One swipe across the lawn, and I was exhausted. If we want to worship God under our power, we will come to the same conclusion. Jesus said (John 4) that true worship would be in Spirit and in truth. For us to have the truth of the Bible, as illustrated above, it will take work. If we want the Spirit of God made available for worship, then we must walk pleasing unto Him—which will also take work!
Is this what the Lord said we would need to overcome—our fear of putting in the work? What about our unwillingness to do the things below our standard of comfort? The easiest thing we were called to do, beloved, happened right at the beginning of our salvation story— when Jesus said “Follow me.”
We simply cannot take on other challenges in this life that will interfere with God’s calling of us. Prioritizing private study and corporate (with others) worship time is essential to our success.
Colossians 3:17 “…whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” This includes that profession you want for your life. Can you truly say that you are doing something in His name if it keeps you from being obedient to Him?
It’s okay if you have failed thus far, we all do because it is not natural to our flesh. Repent my dear friend and pursue the Lord while He may be found! Don’t continue to run in the opposite direction of Him and say it’s what you were born to do. If you are truly His, you weren’t.