Psalm 37:4-5, Commit that way to the Lord…trust in Him—He shall bring it to pass”
Each year, Richard Nelson Bolles produces his updated “parachute” book, “What Color is Your Parachute”, the most popular practical manual for job hunters. The traditional job hunting way calls for the obvious—develop a resume, send it out, then wait, and send more resumes, tons of them. The parachute way begins with yourself and not the job market–who you are and what you like to do, look for and approach a matching company in person, or through a bridge person. Get the first interview, then another. Yet there is a third way. You guessed—begin with God first, not yourself; not the job. Have you ever thought of God’s will for your life? You have your dispositions and probably already developed a career plan with marriage date approximations (if single and available), dates for education degree accomplishment, jobs and salaries desired at certain times, an age for retirement, and an age to come out of retirement. You have “your” plan.
I pictured Abraham and Joseph, David and Saul of Tarsus, reading “What Color is Your Parachute”. These folks sure didn’t send a resume out—Abraham had a job—big time farmer; Joseph was hanging out—his father’s chief aide, David was an assistant shepherd, and Saul was secure as a member of the Sanhedrin. They must have thumbed the pages and shaken their heads in sardonic amazement, “I think of myself first, then the company”. These guys started with God first, by faith–well Saul was a different person–guess he’d started with himself and his own ambitions. None of them started with a college major.
God has a revealed will through the scriptures, and a solid connection with Him will show you the way, so when it comes to a career, lifework, retirement, girlfriend, boyfriend, lateral or vertical moves, we’d better get into deep pray and reflection. Most folks are quietly planning on leaving their jobs at some time. Some can’t wait to leave; some don’t want to leave, because no one else wants them, yet some truly desire to stay even if others want them. So what is God’s will for YOUR life, in whatever place you are in now, for as night follows day, He surely has a plan for you, and it’s up to you to find out—it may not even be the highest salary or the best position or the most comfy job, in your estimations. You get this call to move to another church job, or you are up for a promotion or a transfer. I am convinced that God has a battle plan for His work and we are all a part of it. He includes our will based on an overall plan. So here’s the ‘Will Plan”—walk with God and follow His precepts; get Christian counsel, check out the gifts that God has given you, listen to those inner convictions and pray; pray for God is working in your life to achieve His purpose so that “all things work together for good to those that love God and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28, Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 12:2, 1 Timothy 2:3-4, Psalm 119:105, John 16:13, Proverbs 15:22, Proverbs 12:15, Philippians 1:6).
Author
Sylvan A. Lashley
E.D., J.D., Associate Pastor, South Atlantic Conference, USA. Served in pastoral districts, high school principalship & superintedent and four college presidents in three countries. www.sacsda.org