Job Readiness

Walk with me.

You're a not-so-recent college graduate and have been in the hunt for a dynamic, well paying gig since you strutted across that stage a few years ago.  Tired of working crappy jobs; depressed and totally hopeless, you begin to entertain thoughts of earning money by way of illegal means.  These notions dominate your mind as you take the humbling trip to the Department of Social Services to hop on public assistance.  But on the way, your phone rings with an opportunity to be interviewed for what you think is a customer service position at JP Morgan Case & Co., the nations' largest bank.  Dressed in your best business gear which is...well at least it's clean, you show up only to be interviewed by the president of the company.  All ready in shock, you're offered a position as a marketing executive for the Central Virginia region (which includes four cities and five counties) within 35 seconds of the meeting.  And if that wasn't enough, a personal promise of promotion is spoken to you from the big man.  You have a little trouble getting your head together.  Being considered for this position, one that you're certain you're not qualified for, is putting more questions in your head instead of just accepting the job.  Nearly with tears in your eyes, you say yes; and right after you passionately thank the president he leads you to a training room and says, "be back in 20 minutes so we can start working."

I may have shared this thought of mine before; but I believe that a life with the Lord God through Jesus Christ includes just one component that has to do only with me, my salvation.  As far as everything else, all of the wonderful experiences and [literally] the adventures of being a Christian, while it may be related to me in some way it is mostly for the benefit of others.  How do I support this?  In Acts 9:18-20 a Christian-killing Paul gets baptized, gets some grub, and "immediately" began helping people see the greatness of Jesus.  Also in Acts, this time in the first chapter, we find some bewildered, rookie apostles starring in the air after Jesus told them to get ready to spread the Gospel.  To confirm His instructions, the Lord placed two men beside them to ask them what they were looking at...get moving.  Most of us are like those green apostles gazing in the air after Jesus already told us we're hired, and it's time to get to work.

This notion sheds more light on Romans 3:11 when it says that "no one understands."  Because we take the greatest gift ever known, eternal life of wealth in all areas, and limit it to phrases such as what God has for me is for me.  That thinking is a direct contrast to the command of Christ in Acts 1; which generally says what God has for me is for everyone.  And instead, our lifestyles and the blessings that define them should influence those who don't know...to know.  Our speech should reflect a person who is enlightened with "peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7)" instead of prolonged darkness...evidenced by the casual use of the N and the B words.  Yet we deliberately tightly grasp what was intended to be shared so every person could be saved.  We shun working for the Kingdom, but want all the benefits that come with being a valued employee of the Kingdom.

Just considering the odds, more than likely you weren't called to be a preacher.  But if you accepted Jesus Christ, you were called to be a minister...not by a church...but by His Word.  The light of Christ should be so radiant in you that others will yearn to be with God (Matthew 5:16).  You should be so excited about it that it should be nearly a knee-jerk reaction to not only say 'God is good to me', but to say 'God is good to all of us!'  Then those things you so need and desire will chase you down, but you have to be willing to do the Father's work, with fervor.  Because your 'hood doesn't need to hear your preacher, they need to hear you.

Peace