Creation-Fulfilling and Excellence-Pursuing

Bible Passage: 1 Peter 2:12; Colossians 3:17; Exodus 31:1-6

Introduction

Do you ever wonder if you’re fulfilling the plan that God has for your life? Lots of us wonder that same thing. Any job no matter how exciting has moments that are sheer drudgery. Often when we hit those things we start to question whether we’re in the place God intends for us to be. If we don’t like what we’re doing that’s a pretty good excuse for moving on to something else. I’ve run into that wall more than once in my lifetime. Boy this work is dull I must have misunderstood what God had planned for me. Time to move on to look for something else. You want to know a secret. While God cares about you so much that he sees when one of the hairs falls off your head. I don’t think He really cares all that much about what decision you make about how you’re going to spend your life. Sure if you’ve decided a life of crime and exploitation of other people is your calling, then you maybe don’t quite understand what it means to be His child and you may need to check a little closer into what He has in store for you. Otherwise, if you want to be a doctor, go for it. If you want to be a painter, enjoy yourself.

I can’t remember how I knew this, but there was a guy a friend of mine knew who had a PhD. I don’t remember what it was in, I believe it was nuclear physics. But he decided for income, he’d prefer to be a toll booth operator. He was allowed to read most of the day and it was a pretty stress free job. It certainly begs the question why he expended the effort required to get a PhD, to then walk away from that line of work. But it happens, you spend 10+ years learning to do something only to discover the actual doing isn’t nearly as enticing as it sounded at the outset. God wants you to be happy and fulfilled enjoying your relationship with him as you go about doing life. But he’s not bothered if you change your mind or want to discover a new career. He wants you to live your life in a way that blesses you and honors Him. His primary aim for you is to be a witness to the goodness and mercy of His son and to take that good news within you into whatever your chosen career field might be.

1. Keep Your Conduct Honorable

1 Peter 2:12 “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”

You are responsible

Live peaceably where you are

Pay attention to your conduct

Don’t be a stumbling block

Keep Your Conduct Honorable

Live to honor God

Not a Sunday Morning Command

Do your work as your mission field

Others See You and Glorify God

Does Your Work Inspire Others

Work diligently and honestly

Let people see and Glorify God

I first heard the call of God to prepare to be a preacher not to long after I gave my life to Him and established a relationship with Him. Though I wasn’t thrilled about it, I assumed it meant that was going to be my full-time vocation. Little did I know that the places God sent me during my Air Force career, were in preparation for full-time work as an engineer. When it became obvious that we wouldn’t be able to survive or even afford health insurance as missionaries to West Virginia, I spent a grand total of about 1 hour looking for a job. One of the first ads I saw looked like it had been written specifically for me. IMC (now IBM) was looking for someone who worked in Measurement and Signatures Intelligence (MASINT) with knowledge of the Department of Defense’s intelligence community to help design a data center to convert, store and disseminate this information to the services and the intelligence community. While I didn’t have a strong background in database design, every other qualification that asked for my career in the Air Force fulfilled. I sent them my resume and they called me immediately to schedule an interview. They asked me some questions to help verify that I was just flat out lying on my resume. Then they asked me what I was doing in the area. I told them I grew up here and had come home after my Air Force career to build a church. As long as that wasn’t a problem, I could definitely do what they were asking. They were thrilled and hired me immediately. My career as a Systems Engineer began almost immediately.

2. Creation-Fulfilling

Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Whatever You Do

Command applies to every one

Not for pastors and evangelists

Workers, Moms, Dads, Students, etc.

What You Say and What You Do

Be honest in what you say

Be ethical in what you do

Everything done in Name of Jesus

Give Thanks to God Through Jesus

Applies to every person

Be thankful for what you’ve been given

Success is one action away

People talk to me all the time about whether or not what they’re doing is really God’s plan for them. My answer is almost always the same. Are you doing something that’s legal and not specifically prohibited by some command within the Scriptures. By that I mean to say there are things that we as a society have declared legal that God says are reprehensible. For example, if someone asked me to marry them to a person of the same gender, I would have to respectfully decline and explain to them why I couldn’t do it. At the same time, you won’t see me campaigning to abolish such a marriage. I don’t believe that any serious student of the Scriptures can come to the conclusion that God says it’s acceptable. But God defined marriage and state sanctioned marriages are not the same thing. Some will no doubt not agree with me on that point. Fair enough, I bring up only to make the point that God’s Law and the U.S. Code are no longer the same. As believers, we’re called on to obey them both, which God’s Law being our highest calling. In other words, where they disagree, we’re called to follow God even at the risk of our own lives.

3. Equipped for Excellence

Exodus 31:1–6 “The Lord said to Moses, “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you:”

God Called Bezalel

Filled him with the Spirit of God

Gave him ability and intelligence

Made him to be a craftsmen

Able to Work Wood and Stone

Gifted to Glorify God

Equipped to Build God’s Temple

Prepared to Complete God’s Vision

Provided Him with Helpers

Gave him Oholiab to help

Equipped and commanded them

Prepared to carry out God’s Vision

God has given you a unique set of skills. He’s brought you to this particular time and place. He intends for you to be a part of his mission to carry the Gospel to the world around you. The people around you will know sooner or later that you are a Christian. Once they do they’ll be standing by ready to judge you. If you’re dishonest in your work, they will use that to confirm for themselves that God cannot be trusted. They will become convinced they’re really no different from you and therefore your faith will be of little or no use to them at all. On the other hand, if you do your work diligently and honestly, even when it’s not convenient or when no one is watching, you or someone else may eventually get the chance to share Jesus with the people around you. Because they see you and know that God can be trusted. People will demand loudly that you not judge them, but willingly judge you none the less. The only question left is are you living out Jesus in your work today? If not why not? Today’s as good a day as any to start.