The Fallacy of Full-Time Christian Work
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1, by Os Hillman
03-19-2010
"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
"I didn't know you were in full-time Christian work," said my close friend as we were driving. "I didn't realize that," she went on. I responded, "Every person who has followed the will of God in their life is in full-time Christian work." God calls some to the mission field, others to be accountants, and others to be advertising executives, and still others to be construction workers. God never made a distinction between sacred and secular. In fact, the Hebrew word avodah is the root word having the same meaning of "work" and "worship." God sees our work as worship.
We have incorrectly elevated the role of the Christian worker to be more holy and committed than the person who is serving in a more secular environment. Yet the call to the secular workplace is as important as any other calling. God has to have His people in every sphere of life. Otherwise, many would never come to know Him because they would be separated from society.
I learned this lesson personally when I sought to go into "full-time" service as a pastor in my late twenties, only to have God thrust me back into the business world unwillingly. This turned out to be the best thing He could have done for me, because it was never His will for me to be a pastor. He knew I was more suited for the workplace.
We are all in missions. Some are called to foreign lands. Some are called to the jungles of the workplace. Wherever you are called, serve the Lord in that place. Let Him demonstrate His power through your life so that others might experience Him through you today and see your vocation as worship to His glory.
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Today's Prayer
Dear Precious, Loving Father in Heaven, Thank you for your gracious love. Thank you for the love of fellow believers. Please remind us through your spirit that as the body of Christ, we are to encourage and exhort one another. When a brother or sister is down, we should not gossip, condemn, criticize, and "kick" them so to speak. Instead, it is up to us to pray for, pick up the phone or make a visit to show that we care -- in love. Let us ask if they are all right and if we may pray with them. Let us be sincere in reaching out to lift them up. May we be instruments to help draw them to you. And let us not forget even one. Thank you for your mercies. May we also we merciful. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior I pray, amen.
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TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1, by Os Hillman
03-19-2010
"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
"I didn't know you were in full-time Christian work," said my close friend as we were driving. "I didn't realize that," she went on. I responded, "Every person who has followed the will of God in their life is in full-time Christian work." God calls some to the mission field, others to be accountants, and others to be advertising executives, and still others to be construction workers. God never made a distinction between sacred and secular. In fact, the Hebrew word avodah is the root word having the same meaning of "work" and "worship." God sees our work as worship.
We have incorrectly elevated the role of the Christian worker to be more holy and committed than the person who is serving in a more secular environment. Yet the call to the secular workplace is as important as any other calling. God has to have His people in every sphere of life. Otherwise, many would never come to know Him because they would be separated from society.
I learned this lesson personally when I sought to go into "full-time" service as a pastor in my late twenties, only to have God thrust me back into the business world unwillingly. This turned out to be the best thing He could have done for me, because it was never His will for me to be a pastor. He knew I was more suited for the workplace.
We are all in missions. Some are called to foreign lands. Some are called to the jungles of the workplace. Wherever you are called, serve the Lord in that place. Let Him demonstrate His power through your life so that others might experience Him through you today and see your vocation as worship to His glory.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's Prayer
Dear Precious, Loving Father in Heaven, Thank you for your gracious love. Thank you for the love of fellow believers. Please remind us through your spirit that as the body of Christ, we are to encourage and exhort one another. When a brother or sister is down, we should not gossip, condemn, criticize, and "kick" them so to speak. Instead, it is up to us to pray for, pick up the phone or make a visit to show that we care -- in love. Let us ask if they are all right and if we may pray with them. Let us be sincere in reaching out to lift them up. May we be instruments to help draw them to you. And let us not forget even one. Thank you for your mercies. May we also we merciful. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior I pray, amen.
Never done before but on 9 March 2010, we had the women turning at 6am for the launch of the Battlefield of the Mind session instead of the norm.The session started with Ps Richard doing the opening with prayer. And since the Authentic Manhood is also conduced on the very same day and time (go figure out how this is done) we were given additional insights as to how a women think and a man do.
The participants were also given the Strongholds and Symptoms list to help them identify in which area they need to look into. And since this list is meant to be personal, the participants are encouraged to do the evaluation honestly.. However, for the brave ones, they can ask their spouse or close friends but be prepared NOT to take offence if the truth hurts!!
Thanks to their enthusiasm and commitment, BOTM is now in Kluang!
Reported by Winifred Chin.
If nobody else in the world believes in you, God does. With that confidence, you can do whatever He wants you to do.
Give shape to your potential. Potential cannot be manifest without form. Like concrete, it must have something pouted into, something to give it shape and make it useful. What is the form into which potential is poured? Decisions. To develop potential properly, we must have a plan and pray over that plan, we must have a purpose and we must be doing something.
If you want to see your potential developed to its fullness, don't wait until everything is perfect. Do something NOW. Start laying your hand to whatever is in front of you. You cannot start at the finish line. You must start at the starting block like everyone else.
Many people want to start at A, blink their eyes twice and be at Z only to find out it does not work that way.
Give your potential some form. Do something with it. You will never find what you are capable of doing if you never try anything. Don't be afraid of failing that you never take a chance. Step out into what you feel God is leading you to do, and you will discover what you can and cannot do. God is not going to make you spend your whole life doing something you hate.
Everyone is anointed for something that needs to be done. The smart leader knows what he/she can and cannot do and surround himself/herself with people who do well what he/she cannot do at all..
