Job Opportunities Available

When it comes to our career, most of us have our dream job and then we have our real job. How did you end up in the career choice that you made? Would you describe yourself as being happy with that choice? Have you ever considered the link between your work and how that impacts your walk with Christ? Are you searching for work? Your job is a big deal to God.

In talking with a few people that are unemployed this weekend, I heard something that really alarmed me. Most of these people were doing everything they believe possible to find employment. Most of these people turned down work that was either beneath them or not enough money to pay the bills.

A year ago, I was unemployed and disabled. I thought that I couldn’t work because of my disability and therefore didn’t qualify for any position. I volunteered my butt off at church and around the community to keep myself busy. Because of my heart of service, God sent work to me even though I didn’t think I was looking.

My Church offered me a job, part time, in maintenance and the staff bent over backward to keep me within the limits of my requirements for Disability. In other words, I could keep receiving my benefits from the government and work for pay. What a great opportunity which I jumped on immediately.

Now, let me explain something. Since I was 17, I always knew that I had a special aptitude for Computers. My Mom actually gave me the inspiration and passion for technology. For 20+ years I have been working in the computer field and my degree is in Software Engineering.

So, why did I take a job that involved cleaning bathrooms and setting up rooms for events? God told me too, that’s why. I had absolutely no idea what he intended for me but I wasn’t going to tell God ‘NO’. Apparently God wanted me working and may or may not reveal to me why. I will say this, everyone I worked with at the Church were very supportive and I learned quite a bit while I was there.

But….I was let go. I could have done a few things as a result of being let go. I could have got upset and left the Church…angry. I could have put a chip on my shoulder and spoke against the staff of the church. What I did do was, change my mind and Thank God for the things I learned as a staff member.

A week later I was offered a position with a Christian Software company and the rest is just pure joy. I currently work for a great company and have been provided not only financial peace but also a great and joyful working environment. Why? God is good…all the time!

My point with this story is this, “If God Knocks on your door…ANSWER IT!” It may be the backdoor, side door or even a window! ANSWER IT!

It may not be the best job in the world but who are you to limit God and what he is trying to provide you. How do you know where this job may possibly lead? Maybe God is giving you this job to point them towards God’s love? Maybe he is giving you this job to teach you.

In the book of Genesis, Joseph was a shepherd and then a slave. Yet, God rose him up! God rose Joseph the slave up to be the Pharaoh’s right hand man. Of course, Joseph went through a few awful jobs and even prison. Joseph never turned his eyes away from God though. Joseph new God had a bigger plan for him.

Colossians 3:23-24 - 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.

The implication of this verse is clear: as a Christian, it is much more important HOW you do what you do to earn a living than that it is WHAT you do to earn a living. We have this unfortunate practice of attributing greater worth to some people because of the job that they hold. We also tend to look down on people who serve in jobs we may not fully appreciate. The truth of the matter – any job you hold may be transformed when you view it as a way to serve the Lord and glorify God in whatever it is that you do.

Whatever work you do, think of it as God wants to show His greatness by using our Nothingness. Mother Teresa described her life in being God’s Pencil. The pencil is useless without the Masters hand guiding it.

Let God write your life’s work!

Not Selfish

When I first joined the Navy and at my first Training school I had a real close friend. His name was Lou and we were roommates as well as party pals. We did everything together; we studied together; went bar hopping together and we even liked the same things. It was like we were twins, separated from birth and rejoined again.

2 weeks before we graduated from our training course, he just disappeared. I didn’t see him till the last day of class. I had just finished my final tests and walked back to my empty room but it wasn’t empty. Lou was in the room and packing his things.

The reason Lou was gone was because he had gone to sick call 2 weeks ago. Lou said he had gotten sick, real sick. They admitted him to the hospital only to find he had a rare type of brain cancer. They gave him 2 weeks to live and were sending him home to be with his family. To make a long story short, he died before he made it home.

I made myself very mad, how could Lou do this to me? How could God do this to me!

• I see people lash out at waitresses, fast food workers and the like when they have had to wait to long for their food.
• I see people cutting other people off on the highway weaving in and out of traffic to get further ahead in line.
• I see people who refuse to help others out because their life is already too busy with their self-centered interests and wants.
• I see marriages that are in shambles because neither one wants to die to themselves.
• I hear of employees who steal from their employers because they feel that the employer owes them something.
• I see parents who would rather spend all their time doing their hobbies than spend time with their kids or spouse.
• I see parents who spend inordinate amounts of money on themselves and neglect to support their own children or spouse.
• I see dead beat dads who refuse to pay child support for their own children.
• I see other parents who give their kids everything they want and think this is good for them.

Romans 15:1-3 - We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”

1 Corinthians 10:24 - Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

Philippians 2:4 - Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

God frowns on selfish behavior and he repeatedly told us to root it out of our lives. This type of lifestyle, mindset, or attitude is not from heaven but originates from the world’s value system. Today the self is elevated and servant hood is deflated by our society and by some in the church.

People who are self-centered ask this question frequently, “What’s in it for me?” This thinking in life creates a person who is useless to the Kingdom of God. This person thinks that Jesus is his personal Santa Claus and He owes them something. This person thinks of church as the place to be served but not as a place where you give.

They point the finger at others and say – you are not a Christian because you did not do this for me!

• A person who is gripped with selfishness will always do what they want first – it will be their priority in life.
• Life will center on meeting all their whims and wants and God will always take a back seat to their wants.
• These individuals will miss church a lot for selfish reasons.
• God will not be a priority in person’s life because their god is themselves.
• These individuals will blame others for their failure to serve God.

No one is Christ-like unless he is unselfish. The Son of man “came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28).

I fail to see selfishness in this.

Then how can we not be unselfish?