Dear Family and Friends,
 
Of the many employees I interviewed and hired over the years, only one person asked the following question: Do you pledge to run your business in accordance with the Bible?
 
My friend Arnold, who is now with Jesus, loved and followed Jesus his entire life – all the time.
 
The workplace is one of the hardest places to keep following Jesus.
 
Not only are we surrounded by non-believers, everyone’s motivations are generally selfish in nature. It is truly a challenge to take Jesus to work.
 
Many have shared stories of how God opened doors to job opportunities.
 
We told ourselves God gave us this opportunity to make as much money as we can so we can bless others. Or He put us in this position to evangelize our colleagues.
 
But as the work began, despite our best efforts to be like Jesus when interacting with co-workers, we find ourselves fighting an uphill battle. And slowly succumbing to a work environment that’s hostile to the Gospel.
 
So, we lay down our once lofty goals. And put on our secular (not God’s) armor while telling Jesus, “It’s ugly out there – best You stay home.”
 
The result is the place where we spend our most productive hours; the place with perhaps the most opportunities to share Jesus and spread the Gospel, is the place where we end up following Jesus part-time, at best.
 
I once read a quote from Pastor Tim Keller about work.
 
“A job is a vocation only if someone else calls you to do it for them rather than for yourself. And so our work can be a calling only if it is reimagined as a mission of service to something beyond merely our own interests. Thinking of work mainly as a means of self-fulfillment and self-realization slowly crushes a person.”
Timothy Keller, Every Good Endeavor, 2012.
 
The definition of vocation is similar to what Christian’s term a “calling” – a strong feeling of suitability for a particular career or occupation.
 
Pastor Keller later elaborated, “Our daily work can be a calling only if it is reconceived as God’s assignment to serve others.”
 
I have to admit, I don’t recall ever hearing a sermon (or preaching one for that matter) about viewing work as God’s assignment to serve others.
 
On the other hand, I’ve heard many pastors call working for a church or serving in a ministry a calling. Many of us think a calling is going on a short-term church mission, or leaving to become a missionary in a foreign country.
 
For many of the us, church is church. And work is where we earn money to support the rest of our Christian life. 
 
Now, before I go much further and lose the attention of those who are retired – the word ‘work’ as used here doesn’t mean you must be paid.
 
Tim Keller used the term endeavor. For example, babysitting can be a good endeavor. In fact, it’s harder than work. Playing pickleball can also be a good endeavor. 
 
So, can work be a calling? Did God intend work to be an assignment to serve others?
 
This is a topic that will take more than today to unfold. In the meantime, let me leave you with these verses.
 
“For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”  Romans 11:36 NIV
 
“All things” comes from the Greek word pas, which conveys the idea of totality, completeness, inclusivity or universality of God’s promises, commands, and the scope of His salvation.
 
“The Lord has made everything for his own purposes.” Proverbs 16:4 NLT
 
The Hebrew word for “everything” kol has a meaning similar to pas.
 
So, what this means is God created work for His own purposes, just as He created you and me for His own purposes.
 
In love always,