Tag: Christian

1 Corinthians 10:31

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

I firstly acknowledge the blessings I have that I am able to choose the career I want, and access training and technologies that allow me to pursue many different pathways. But all this said, which career do I choose? Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians to ‘do it all for the glory of God’. How much priority should I put on providing for my family versus spreading the gospel? A very high paying job in a management position will have less opportunities to share the gospel than a far lower paying job as a school chaplain, or even a third-world missionary.

I believe providing for one’s family is vitally important. Paul even says so to Timothy:

1 Timothy 5:8

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

But I think the whole purpose of the gospel is to provide to the needs of those around you. Not the physical needs, but the spiritual needs, which are incredibly vital. Therefore I think the answer to the question is ‘both’. We need to find a career, or enable our careers, to be one in which we can both provide for others (family), and have opportunities to share the gospel. The thing missing from that career? Our own wants and desires. Our own ‘need’ to rise up the corporate ladder or feel worth from our colleagues and/or bosses. I have always struggled with this; knowing I can be fully satisfied by God’s love and don’t need the approval of others. But when we have those criteria in our minds; providing for family, having opportunities to share the gospel and ultimately doing it all for the glory of God, it really opens the doors to many, many, many different careers and opportunities.

Mark 10:27

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Jesus said to a crowd of followers as he traveled in Judea. Mark 10 is one great quote after another from Jesus. He lays out what it means to be a christian and answers questions that still burn in modern minds like: ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’ and ‘Is being rich going to help me when I die?’.

The question that leads into verse 27 comes from one of his disciples in verse 26:

The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” (Mark 10:26)

And so Jesus answers “With man [being saved] is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

The first point to be made about this teaching is that without a proper relationship with God, it is impossible for us to be in heaven. No amount of earthly works will get us into heaven if we don’t know God. For me, this is always a relief to know, because I’ll never be as good on earth as other people I know, but I also know people who act in ways far below the standard God calls for. But in God’s eyes, all of us are on a level playing field, and all of us can ask Jesus into our hearts, which is pretty amazing.

The second point about this teaching is in the second part; ‘all things are possible with God’. ‘All things’ is a lot of things. In my mind ‘all things’ makes me think of getting a million dollars, becoming the world’s best basketball player and/or flying. I don’t know why ‘flying’ but I feel the power of flight would be handy. We know this can’t be the case because of verse 25:

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:25)

Earthly possessions, positions and powers (both social and super) distract us from our spiritual needs for God. So what are ‘all things that are possible with God?’.

Everything. Creating a universe. Rescuing the Israelite from Egypt. Allowing a virgin to give birth, and many other miracles in between. But God only causes things to happen that are in line with his goals, not ours. And one of his top priorities? Forming relationships with us humans, which is mind boggling. So God will give grace upon grace, through his son dying on the cross, so that we can be in a right relationship with him. If he needs to make some miracles happen for a relationship with him to happen, I believe it’s possible for God. The person you believe has no chance to form a relationship with God and be in glory? All things are possible with God.

Don’t give up hope and prayer for the lost.

 

Everybody knows people who are unsaved. That is; people who don’t have a relationship with God and therefore are condemned to spend eternity in hell, in separation from God.

That’s pretty heavy if you can fathom even a glimpse of how wonderful it will be to be in God’s presence for eternity. So the question comes; how much pressure should we put on ourselves to ensure that our family and friends are there to join us in everlasting joy and peace?

John 6:65

He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”

Ultimately, it is God that does the final conversion. He is the one who sets the relationship between himself and an unsaved person. There is nothing we can say or do for someone else that gets them into a relationship with God; it can only be done through that person putting his faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. But what is the role we play? Paul says:

Romans 10:14-15

How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things?”

It is certainly said many times through the Bible it is our role to display God’s love to others through our words and actions, and ultimately spread the gospel of what Jesus has done for us on the cross. If we are a true believer, displaying God’s love should come naturally to us, whereas telling the literal gospel to a family member or colleague may require a fair amount more courage. We should not, however, put so much pressure on ourselves that it causes us to worry when those dearest to us are not recognizing the need for God in their lives. As long as we are doing what God calls us to do, in the end it comes back to their choices about being in a relationship with God. It’s sad and even devastating when we see our loved ones so lost, but ultimately it’s God and that person that needs to do the toughest parts.

In our sadness and brokenness about the state of the world around us, it’s important to surround ourselves with loving brothers and sisters in Christ, but more importantly we have God to comfort us even in the hardest, most confusing times.