Career choice

Over the years, I have had several occasions when I stood at the crossroads of career. I may be standing at one such place at present. Should I leave or stay at the current employment? If leaving, should I go to A or B? Where is God's will? How do I know where He wants to take me? These are all questions that arise, when standing at the crossroads.

The questions and answers are similar to what would be asked and answered when asking oneself about one's ministry. All Christians are to do works of service (Ephesians 4:12), so that the body of Christ is built up. While the main work of service by Christians is to preach the good news about Jesus Christ the Savior (Matthew 28:18-20), there may be different ways that different people may go about doing it. Each Christian, I think, needs to find his or her ministry field and target and serve that person or people.

The first step in finding one's ministry target or deciding on a career choice may be to look for people in need, for whom one has compassion. During His public ministry on earth, Jesus began each work with compassion for the people in need. When He saw the crowd that followed Him to the countryside near Bethsaida, He had compassion on them and healed them (Matthew 14:14). After healing the multitude on a mountainside, Jesus had compassion on them, who had been with Him for three days and had nothing to eat (Matthew 15:32). He then proceeded to feed the four thousand. When two blind men cried out to him near Jericho, He had compassion on them before opening their eyes (Matthew 20:34). Likewise, I should look for people in need, for whom I have compassion.

The second step may be to learn to discern which need God wants me to minister to. It may not be that all needs that I have a compassion for are needs that I am equipped to address. If it is a need that God wants me to work on, then He will have also provided the means with which to meet the need. "We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us." (Romans 12:6). There are different kinds of gifts, different kinds of service, and different kinds of working (I Corinthians 12:4-6). The Holy Spirit gives out different gifts to different members of the body of Christ, so that each can fulfill his or her function. If God wants me to do A, He will have equipped me for that service or work. If God wants me to do B, then likewise He will have equipped me for that service or work. So, the discernment about which need God wants me to minister to is really a discernment about what God has equipped me to do.

If I choose the right ministry and the right service, the proof of the right choice may be in the fact that ministry or service opportunities will be effective and multiply. People in need which you can meet will come to you -- maybe in droves. Jesus never advertised on TV or Internet, but the news about Him and His ministry spread to the whole countryside and people came to him in flocks (Mark 1:32-34, 1:45, Luke 4:14, 7:17). If I am in the right service or ministry, then there should be confirmatory messages from people with the same or similar needs.

One note of caution here may be that I should be careful to watch for any creeping in of my sinful desires trying to influence my choice -- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (I John 2:16). These will cloud my mind and mislead me, so that I end up laboring on what does not satisfy (Isaiah 55:2).

Lord, I want to hear You and follow You. Lead me, so that I may truly live and "delight in the richest of fare." Lord, freely pardon all my pursuits of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life -- none of which are truly satisfying. My true delight is in You, Lord. Make me a witness to the peoples. In Jesus' Name. Amen.