Issue #153, April 15, 2015
One of the first questions we ask when meeting someone for the first time is “So, what do you do?” We quickly identify ourselves and others with our work, job, or profession. How do servant leaders answer this question? In this series we’ll look at what Scripture says about what we do and how servant leaders express this in their day to day work. Paul’s instructions give us plenty to think about, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24). Paul sees our work, or vocation, as a call to steward what God has given to us.
Vocation is a call from God.
Paul says that “whatever you do” is working for the Lord. So your work is a calling from God. The word “vocation” simply means “calling.” Vocation is not used frequently but is a great word to describe what you do since our work is a call from God. Paul says that “whatever you do” should be done as working for the Lord. The “whatever” includes a lot of things! Some work in a bank; others in a classroom. Some go to a field on Monday morning to plant, some sit at a desk behind a computer or easel. Others go to a hospital or factory while others pick up a hammer and build homes. We easily make the mistake of believing that God is only interested in what we do on our day of worship and that the rest of the week is not important to Him. But Paul challenges servant leaders to see their work as a call from God. They answer the question of what they do by saying, “I’m called to ….”
Vocation is a call for God.
Paul goes on to say that we are “working for the Lord.” Servant leaders recognize that their work they do is not for themselves or simply to provide income for their family. The work they do is for God’s purposes. God’s mission is expressed in our vocation. When God wants to grow food, He uses a farmer. When He sees a need for a home, He calls a builder. When He wants something produced, He calls a manufacturer. When He wants something taught, He calls a teacher. When He wants people fed, He calls a cook. He uses workers in every occupation to accomplish His will for our world. Think about your vocation. What is it that you accomplish through your work that achieves God’s mission in the world?
Vocation is a gift to God.
What we do in our vocation is therefore a response to God’s call on our lives and our gift to Him. He has clearly given us gifts and abilities. In the Old Testament God poured out His Spirit on craftsmen to build the tabernacle. (See Exodus 31:1-5). As they constructed the tabernacle, they used these gifts for God’s glory. In Matthew 25:14-30 Jesus tells the parable of the servants who were given gifts by the master. When he returned, he expected the servants to give an account of how they had used their gifts. The good stewards had multiplied their gifts. In a similar manner we are called to shape and strengthen the gifts God has given us as we live our lives. Our weekly work is a gift back to God for the gifts He has given to us. This may be in the world of business, education, arts, agriculture, or in the church. But as servant leaders offer these gifts back to Him, they reveal that their vocation is a gift to God and a call to stewardship.
This week take a new look at your vocation. See it as a call to steward the gifts God has entrusted to you. See your work as an extension of His hands in whatever place you serve Him.
For further reflection and discussion:
- Think about the words you may use to describe what you do. Consider common words like “job,” “career,” “profession,” and “occupation.” What is the difference between using these words and using the word “vocation”? How does this change the way you see your work?
- Do you really believe that God has called you to do what you are doing in your workplace? If so, what difference does this make in how you see what you do? If not, why not?
- In what way is your work a calling from God? What do you accomplish for Him through your work? In what way does your work fulfill God’s mission in the world?