Okay, so you're not Jason Bourne, James Bond, Laura Croft, or even Maxwell Smart. You don't work for the CIA, NSA, FBI, or any of the three-letter agencies. The president doesn't have your number on speed dial, and the fate of the world does not rest on your shoulders.
You are still God's special agent. Seriously!
You are on assignment from the King of Kings -- right where you work! Construction worker or day care worker, surgeon or stay-at-home mom, preacher or plumber.
- You may love your job -- or hate it.
- You may feel the sky is the limit -- or you're getting sucked into the black hole of boredom.
- You may work inside the home -- or outside the home.
- You be a temp -- or a "career-man."
- You may get paid for your efforts -- or you may volunteer.
It doesn't matter! Your job is where you conduct special operations for God. How do I know that? Jesus spelled it out in the Great Commission:
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 ESV
The word, Go, in that verse above is literally, as you are going. What that means is that Jesus commissions you to make disciples everywhere--including at your job. For most of us, work is the place we will spend 75,000 to 100,000 hours of our lives. Doesn't it stand to reason that God would have plans for us at work beyond just earning a paycheck?
Let me be very clear. You are there to work, but as the gospel of Jesus shapes your attitudes toward work, and your ethics at work, and the manner in which you work, your life is going to begin to attract some attention.1 This is all a part of God's plan.
Years ago, Wayne Corderio shared something that profoundly changed my perspective about work. He said, When God wants to reach teachers, he takes a missionary, dresses her up and outfits her as a teacher, and then places her smack dab in the middle of a school. In the same way, when God wants to reach a hospital, he takes a missionary, dresses him up as a doctor or nurse and places him right in the middle of a bustling center of care.
You are where you are for a reason!Maybe you are thinking . . .
- That's just the preacher's job. Not true!The preacher's job is to equip you to witness (Ephesians 4:12)
- I can't influence anyone. Not true! Tim Elmore, a man I respect, said: "For years I’ve reminded people that sociologists tell us the most introverted of people will influence 10,000 others in an average lifetime."2
- God could never use me. I'm not a good conversationalist. Not true!Paul reminds us that the power is in the gospel, not in the cleverness of our ability to express it (Romans 1:16).
You really are God's special agent!
This week, we'll discover more about the adventure awaiting you. For today, why not start with this prayer: "God, here I am . . . reporting for duty!"
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1 Tim Keller, Gospel In Life: Grace Changes Everything, DVD, Session 6: Work--Cultivating The Garden. 2 Tim Elmore, "The Top Excuses For Not Leading," www.growingleaders.com. Accessed February 25, 2012.