Choose to Live a Full-Time Faith

By Mike Henry Sr.

I first decided to follow Jesus on a weekend. Then, on Monday, I had to go back to work. I didn’t like my job, but I didn’t know why. I felt things would be better if I could live full-time faith. But what do you do when you have a JOB? Can you live your faith full-time? For the next several years, when I disliked what I was doing at work, I would ask God to “put me into ministry.”

You hear the pastors and the missionaries say they’ve been “called into ministry.” My persistent question was, why wouldn’t God call me? Why must I be a part-time minister, when all these other cool people got “the call.” Was my phone broken? Did I get in the wrong line? Or was I created to be a helper and a spectator. Did God choose me for second class? Someone has to ride coach? Right?

Part-Time Faith

Everyone says “No! Of course not!” when I call lay-people second class or part-time. But both clergy and lay-people foster this sacred – secular divide. We part-timers consider the full-timers special or closer to God. We ask their permission and put them on a pedestal. And the full-timers sometimes support the divide with their actions or their attitudes. I know a few pastors who feel like they’re the only doctor in a hospital of wounded Christians. Others think of lay-people as volunteers or spectators who support the “real” work of proclaiming the gospel. One book I read suggested that employees of secular companies could only quit their jobs and go into real ministry, or make lots of money and support real ministry.

Full-Time Faith

But God gives each of us a job. We are all part of a body, His body. Our jobs are important. Some serve food, fix cars, or drive trucks, clean streets, run companies. Others run churches, homeless shelters, orphanages or move to foreign lands. God created and saved each of us for good works, His good works, that He prepared beforehand (Ephesians 2:10). We all have a full-time job and a full-time faith. We are all called to serve our world so that Jesus becomes known.

You live a full-time faith. Jesus calls you to full-time ministry. You work for Jesus. Your day job, and your resources, and your income, they belong to God. He has given them to you for His purpose. What you do with them matters forever.

Follower of One is a community of people who understand we work for God, full-time. How we do our jobs, live our lives, serve our friends, coworkers, bosses, customers, and vendors matters. We want to follow Jesus better and influence others. We lead everywhere we can, and follow One. Join us?

Photo by Crew on Unsplash

Liked this post? Share with your friends & coworkers

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email

Keep Going? Check out these related posts

Verified by MonsterInsights