Day Twenty-Seven Forty Days of Focus: Relationships

Is your job more of an occupation or a vocation? Do you know the difference? An occupation is what you do to make money to pay the bills. It's an obligation; a necessary evil. It's not that you can't enjoy what you do as an occupation, but it's rare. Most people don't look forward to Monday, they look forward to Friday. That's work as an occupation. A vocation is a different matter. It's more of a calling than an obligation. A vocation takes into account God's sovereign will and sees purpose in it. Work becomes worship. It has great meaning and significance. When you invite God to speak into your work world and tell you where to work, you will find that your Monday is a vocational experience. God will be in the details of every day. How much money you make will match what you need, no more and no less.

Day Twenty-Six Forty Days of Focus: Relationships

Why do you work where you do? Did your job come from God or from Craigslist? Sometimes it seems like our job is none of God's concern. He's busy running the universe and I've got bills to pay. A Biblical, Christian view of our job is that God is in control of every detail of our lives, including work. James 4:13-15 says, "Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” What is God's will for your work? If you find that the place you work is the place God wants you in as part of His will, it can change the way you view your job.

Day Twenty-Five Forty Days of Focus: Relationships

Dropping bad friends is hard. Finding new ones may be even more difficult. When I was 18 that's exactly what I did. After four years of high school, I knew I needed to find friends who were not going to lead me to act like a donkey and make a fool of myself. The summer after graduation I stopped returning phone calls and never saw my friends again. It was a lonely summer. In the fall, when I began college, I looked for some new friends. The first week of school there were several fraternities and campus groups with booths recruiting new members. I knew the frat house would be more donkey business, and I stayed clear of them. The group I chose was Campus Crusade for Christ. I met the leader, joined a small group and went to weekly large-group gatherings. It felt like joining a new church. None of the guys seemed like the perfect best friend I was looking for. In fact, they all seemed a bit of a stretch. They were nice, treated me well and seemed to like me o.k., so I continued on. For a few years I stuck with that group of guys but never found a solid, life-long connection. However, during that same time, I began to make solid life choices and grew like a weed in my relationship with Jesus Christ. Eventually I did find some life-long friends at Seminary who were great influences in my life.