The Book of Job

i once heard a preacher (who, prior to conversion had a severe drug & alcohol problem) say: "after i got saved i figured it was important for me to get a job...it's important to God...He named a book after it..."

so, how do you know your God given mission in life? it's both an easy question and a hard question to answer.

your first job is to love God and love people. that's a 24/7 job.

if you are a Christian.
if you are a follower of Christ.
if you are a disciple.
if doing what God wants you to do is important to you...

then loving God and loving people becomes a priority in your life. it becomes more important than anything else...you might say, we should be obsessed with it.

why do i love God?
how do i love God?
how do i show my love for God?
does the way i live my life show i love God?
are words enough?
are feelings enough?
is there something more?

well...

we love God bc He loved us first and better than we could ever love Him.
i should love God in a similar manner to how He loves me:

completely & sacrificially.

i show my love for God by loving what/who God loves.
He loves people.
words ARE NOT enough.
neither are feelings.
there is something more...

commitment.
faithfulness.
generousity.
graciousness.
willingness.


now, i do think that when we seriously live our lives this way...He has a way of opening doors for our job...our mission...our call. and when we are willing to do anything God asks of us (regardless of if it's high profile or not), He can often use us in greater ways.

but as we search out what God would have us do, we should ask ourselves some questions:

what do i love to do?
what am i good at doing?
what needs to be done?

you see, at last count, there were 10367 things that needed to be done at (our) church...and every church is the same...

here's a for instance:

let's say there is someone who is neat and tidy. they like to make things neat and tidy...they have the patience to pay attention to details and they are very good at these sorts of tasks.

well, we have about 600 wires that need to be wound up real small and tied up to make the front of the sanctuary look nicer.

another for instance:

let's say there is someone who is nice and friendly. they like to meet people and find it easy to talk about things with people they hardly know. they like to make people feel comfortable and at home. they are gracious and affable.

well, we always need ushers. we also need people who will both visit newcomers and invite people to their home for meals and/or bible studies.

how about this:

someone isretired and has some spare time on their hands they have a reliable car and a desire to be used by God.

well, there are plenty of people who need a ride to the doctor or to go shopping or whatever.

do you like to cook?
do you like to clean?
do you like to shovel?
do you like to help out?
do you like to do yard work?
are you handy with tools?
are you handy with words?
are you handy with money?
are you handy on a computer?
are you handy with a compliment?
are you handy with arts and crafts?
are you handy with biblical exposition?
are you handy with musical instruments?

God can and will use you for the things He has in mind for us to do. you may excell at some and barely pass muster on others...but, as you seek to be used by Him and have the attitude that you'll do what ever needs to be done and whatever you can do...

God will use you...