So is my vocation more than just my job?

Oh, it is so much more than a job.  As we found in the last posting, the term vocation means a calling or an invitation and in this case it is a calling or invitation from our Heavenly Father.  First and foremost, we all have been called to be a follower of Christ.  The gift of salvation is the greatest invitation we are offered and our decision to accept or decline this will have eternal consequences.  Have you accepted this invitation?  If not, why not?  What is preventing you from doing so today, right now? (The Gospel)

This overriding vocation is seen in Matthew 16:24-26.  Christ says that we are to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him.  If I am to deny myself and even be willing to lose my life for His sake that pushes everything to the side, nothing else will have a priority; nothing else will / should matter as much to the Christian.  All other vocations within our lives are secondary and in essence are God given avenues used to express our primary vocation and our commitment to our Lord.  If one has declined to follow after Christ then all other vocations are incomplete, superficial and at best only providing temporary satisfaction having no lasting worth.

In addition to my vocation to follow after Christ, I have been given secondary vocations such as: being a husband, a father, a church member, an employee, a boss, and the list could go on and on.  Each of these are responsibilities I have accepted and it is important in HOW I perform these callings because it is in these that my primary calling to follow after Christ is magnified. 

We should not just claim the name of Christ but we are to live Christ-like in all that we do (I Cor. 10:31).   Too often Christians heed the call of the world to compartmentalize our faith.   We are constantly being told by the world it is ok to have our faith as long as we leave it at the door of our homes or churches.  We are told not to allow our faith to influence us at work, school or in the debate on morals or other topics, etc.  Unfortunately many times we comply thinking that by doing so we will win them to Christ but we fail to realize we will rarely win someone to Christ if  we share a compartmentalized faith.   If our vocation is to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him, then every other vocation we accept has to support our primary vocation of following Him.

In the next two verses, Paul begins to describe in what manner we are to behave.  Take the time to review these verses and let’s pick it up there next time.