WHAT IS YOUR OCCUPATION?

Years ago, God orchestrated a new and beautiful relationship with a lovely woman.  Her name is Norma, and she is one lovely mentor to my heart and life.  She may not realize it, but she is.  She has a great “grace” about her that allows me to bubble forth my thoughts and ideas, and her response is kind and receptive.  This “grace” was the first thing I noticed about her. 

When I met this woman a number of years ago, I was in the thicket of grief as my father had gone to be with the Lord a number of weeks prior.  She welcomed me into a Bible Study she was leading at the time.  Someone must have asked how I was doing, and my grief streamed out like a flood.  She and the others just “listened.”  When you heart is overwhelmed, friends can gift you with the “grace of listening.”  Listening is like a tender balm that shadows over and around your hurting heart.

You know, what we say to others can greatly influence the direction of their lives and yearnings.  This friend introduced me to a phrase that she had used in her  counseling career.

“Your profession is Jesus Christ

Your career is how you carry Him into your world”

Let’s see what Daniel Webster says about the meaning of a “profession.”  A paid occupation, especially one that involves prolonged training and formal qualification.  We might add other descriptions which would include:  vocation, line of work, day job, position, calling, or walk of life.

If you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, and you “profess Him as the Lord of your life;” and you are one that takes your commitment to Him seriously, then Jesus, in reality, is your “calling or walk of life.”

If that’s you and that’s me, then He has the right to call the shots in our life.   He is not only our personal Savior, He is also the “Leader, Director & Orchestrator” of our individual being.

A directional verse I love is Proverbs 4:26 “Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established.”  (established by our Lord Jesus)

Here’s a companion verse that follows up on how our steps are established by Him when we are surrendered to Him.

Proverbs 5:21 For the ways of man (that’s your ways and mine) are before the eyes of the Lord.  And He ponders all his paths.”

Did you catch that last phrase….” And He (capital H for He – God) ponders all his (small h for our paths).   GOD PONDERS OUR PATHS!

THAT’S UNBELIEVABLY INCREDIBLE

We’re to watch our steps, where they go and how they go, and to whom our steps correspond with.   It’s allowing God to “establish our comings and going!”   It’s a STOP SIGN for our hearts and our planning.  It’s okay to plan and all, but not to “manipulate or self-orchestrate” our lives down to the minute and beyond.

To be honest, for most of my Christian walk, I felt the need to “plan to the hilt!”  I’d lay awake at night anticipating and planning the next 5 years of my life.  How ridiculous that was.  For it’s my Father-God, and your Father-God, in this verse, that shows us He is the One Who wants to be in charge of our lives and the steps that take us there.

Yes, we can plan, but He is the One who has the “last word.”  It makes sense to commit all our ways to Him, giving Him the right to perhaps redirect us in another direction.   I may not know you personally, but my guess is that God has interrupted your plans many times…. with His own plan.

Proverbs 20:24 “A man’s steps are of the Lord.  How then can a man understand his own way?”

This verse has removed a lot of self-induced stress in my life.  I say that due to the fact that endeavoring to understand the twists and turns in life, that routine just brings on stress that we were never intended to nourish or carry.

And then, notice in the following chapter, verse 21 that God (Immanuel…God with us) ponders all “our paths.”   I find this verse thrilling…. because it’s rehearsing in our hearts that:

GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT ME

GOD KNOWS EVERYWHERE I’VE BEEN AND

GOD KNOWS WHERE HE WANTS TO TAKE ME

There are no surprises with Him!

For years felt I was working FOR God.

But when I began memorizing and musing over

Proverbs 4:26  “Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways  be established.”

my life, slowly began to relax from the urgency of planning and anticipating.  To read “and let all your ways be established” became a compass verse to point me to better travel in life.   I’m still in His class, but through that verse, He continues to encourage me to have a clearer and more profound perspective.

Yes, my mind, heart and life need constant “alteration.”  But this verse seems to bring a better and more relaxed vision for my journey.  If our God designed us for “His purposes and plans,” then only He knows best the route to take us down here.  He’s helping me resign the position of being my own GPS.   He has His own GPS…. God’s Positioning System. 

This morning, in my time with Jesus, I was reading in 1 Samuel 14:45b and the teaching of Proverbs 4:26 appeared again in one astounding phrase:

“for he (Jonathan) has worked WITH GOD this day.”

That verse literally erupted in my thoughts.  Jonathan was not working FOR GOD, but WITH GOD.  The distinction between “working for” and “working with” is in the nature of the relationship and the dynamic of working in cooperation with our Father.  

Practically, it’s working within His direction and timing, not working ahead of Him, but linking up to how and where He “establishes our steps.”  It’s allowing Him to not only set the pace, but re-direct as He wishes.

When you work “for” someone, you are that person’s employee, you are in a subordinate position, you take orders from that person and are responsible to that person with regard to the work that you do.

When you work “with someone,” you are that persons’ colleague, or that person is involved in some way, in the work that you do.  You collaborate with that person.

When we speak of working “with God…. your heavenly Father,” it’s an endearing and growing “relationship” …. not a boss as we think of it here on earth.  It’s an invitation from Him to “join Him in what His plans and purposes are” in building His kingdom.

Working with God is the highest privilege a person can experience, regardless of the assignment, whether menial or lofty…. it’s all the same to Him.

So, if we “profess Him as our Lord and Savior,” our “career” is to express Him in whatever we do, whether in a hospital, kitchen, laboratory, office or wherever we are.

MAY OTHERS BE DRAWN TO HIM BY OBSERVING HIM IN YOU AND ME.

HOW DO YOU AND I CARRY HIM INTO OUR WORLD?