Five Questions⤒🔗

It is a pity that the response of some parts, of the Reformed community have been so negative towards the issue of Social Responsibility. It was no doubt a reaction against the emphasis placed in “liberal” circles upon the so called “Social Gospel” at the expense of the Biblical Gospel of Justification by Faith Alone. This does not however excuse us from avoiding the issue rather than facing it.

What are my gifts?←↰⤒🔗

An honest self-assessment of one’s gifts is the logical place to start in sorting through sort of work God would have you do. Paul warned Timothy to “neglect not the gift that is in thee” (1 Tim­othy 4:14) and spoke of himself that he “was made a min­ister, according to the gift of the grace of God” (Eph. 3:7). We should not just think of gifts as spiritual. Our so-called “natural gifts”, be they physical, mental or social, and need to be cultivated. Sometimes they are not immediately evident and can be more clearly seen by others than by ourselves. It is evident from Exodus 31 that Bezaleel and Oholiab were called to be the lead craftsman on the tabernacle and had been equipped with special aptitude for his assignment. This calls for honesty, and sometimes-difficult conversa­tion, as we need to discover ourselves as we really are and not what we wish we were.

What is my passion?←↰⤒🔗

Our passions – those things we love – are also gifts of God and need to be considered as we seek to discern our calling. One per­son may see the beauty of the apple tree while another is caught up with the mystery of the raven’s flight. God, being infinite and all-knowing, derives pleasure and satisfaction from both but He has given, different people different passions, just as he provides a different beauty to the tulip than he does to the oak tree. For the tree-admirer to become an arborist and the bird-watcher an apia­rist is not a failure on the part of either. It is an acknowledgement of the passions which God has given to each of his creatures, and it brings glory to God, for us to pursue our respective passions.

One of the principles guiding our view of work is that we need to derive satisfaction and see meaning in our work. Following that principle suggests pursuing areas about which we can get excited and express love and passion.

What is my temperament?←↰⤒🔗

In addition to gifts and passions, one needs a suitable temperament. Our personalities suit us to some vocations over others. Someone who has difficulty dealing with diversity well is not like­ly to successfully practice conflict management; no matter how skilled they are in mediation or how much satisfaction they can derive from achieving reconciliation between former adversaries. Someone without patience is not likely to be a successful medical researcher, no matter what their understanding of biology or their passion for fighting disease. The Lord equips his people with the abilities, passions, and temperaments to suit their callings.

How is the Lord opening and closing the doors of providence?←↰⤒🔗

Neither should we reduce the issue of calling to a matter of per­sonal analysis. The Lord provides opportunity, sometimes in the most unexpected manners. David may have thought his accurate slingshot was evidence of his calling as a shepherd, but God was in fact preparing him for leadership. Joseph, on the other hand, thought his calling was that of leadership.

Hadn’t God himself made this clear through dreams in his youth? Yet for many years, we can only imagine what went through his mind as providence placed him as a servant in a for­eign household or a prison guard. The doors of providence open and close in ways we cannot always make sense of, yet we know that our calling takes place within this context.

Few would describe Israel’s exile in Babylon in positive terms, yet Jeremiah writing to these exiles writes:

Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away cap­tives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon; Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be car­ried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.Jeremiah 29:4-7

What are the needs of the Kingdom?←↰⤒🔗

Choosing a career (which in our times is usually shaped by the preceding decision of choosing an educational path) should not be made based only on an assessment of ourselves. We are not on this earth to serve ourselves or maximize our own position in life but to serve God. Although God of­ten aligns our own passions to lead us, we must also take into account the broader needs of the church and community in which we are living. Is there a shortage in a particular occupation in which you have gifts? Are there occu­pations which provide opportunity for strategic influence in society in which you might be used by God for greater good? It is to be feared that sometimes when opportunities to serve the Lord in difficult places like Nineveh come up, we rationalize our ways out of it, like Jonah, to find a more comfortable assignment. If our eating and drinking is to be done to God’s glory (1 Cor. 7:10), then the full array of vocations are ones which Christian young men and women should consider serving as the Lord equips them.

In a sermon on 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Let every man abide in that calling, wherein he was called,” the Puritan William Perkins described as “wicked­ness” the notion of someone using his vocation,

for himself, seeking wholly his own, and not the common good. Every man for himself, and God for us all, is wicked, and is directly against the end of every calling or honest kind of life.

No formula of questions is going to provide easy answers but prayerfully and honestly considered in light of God’s word, these questions provide a starting point. We must remember to not approach this subject with our predeter­mined answers based on earning potential, prestige, or other expectations but be prepared to serve God in corners of His wide kingdom you had not even imagined.