I had planned to move on to the next part of the Purpose series but this additional piece about Career and Purpose was sent to me by someone i call my 'double brother' Segun Abe. He is my physical brother from same parents and my spiritual brother from the family of God through Christ Jesus. He is someone i respect so much as a person and as a teacher of the word.
I hope his words bless you.
I always see career as part of purpose. If they differ, you begin to notice an unexplainable friction in life. Look at this - I sometime ago during a lecture i gave at NYSC Community Development Service defined career as your carrier. What ever gets you moving, that is , what you do along the line of passion and satisfaction, which keeps you gliding in life. This is vital because the economic downturn has made decisions for people rather than them consciously and intentionally choosing. Career has to be from within, or else we become tired legs everywhere. Also, at that lecture, I defined occupation as what occupies your time, day and life. If i say i am into ministry, but i am always found on the football field, there is a shortcoming somewhere. Again, I got to learn that the word - BUSINESS comes from BUSY-NESS. That is, what you are busy doing. One thing we have to realize is that God created us as purposeful beings and our lives must be lived from that consciousness. When Apostle Paul said - 'do not muzzle the ox while it treads....' (1 Cor 9:9 and 1 Tim 5:18) those words are meant for more than pastors! They mean, since the ox is used for treading (Purpose), let it also eat from it (career). Do you know that if the ox treads in A and goes to eat in B, it can NEVER be effective. This is what happens when we use our energy for what does not tally with our innate and unseen being - the hidden man of the heart. Can you also recall when Jesus rose from the dead and miraculously supplied fishes to Peter and other disciples at the river? Read it over again and you will see that Jesus did it for Peter knowing that he actually wanted fish to eat or trade (career), but it dragged him away from the assignment ( purpose). So when Jesus provided, the same Jesus asked him if he loved Him more than the fishes! Jesus was only saying - 'the fishes you desire can come more abundantly than your efforts if you do what I have commissioned you to do. If you choose to be fishing and doing my assignment separately, it wont work. That is, let your career be in my purpose for you'.
Segun is the founder of FRAGRANCE OF LIFE. An interdenominational ministry dedicated to raising people into their purpose in the Kingdom of God. In pursuit of that, he will be holding a training this month in Abuja -
Impacting Lives for Kingdom Effectiveness.
Venue: Lake Chad Hall of International Conference Centre, Abuja.
Time: 3:30 pm
Date: 27 th March, 2010.
You are all invited.
Showing posts with label Career. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Career. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
FOR THIS PURPOSE WAS I BORN: CAREER AND PURPOSE
“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” 2Tim 1:9
A wise man i respect very much asked, “What is that thing you will do for free? What is that particular thing that even if you make no money from it, you would still do? That is your career” but he did not stop there. He went on to ask, “What is that other thing that you would actually pay people to allow you do? That particular thing that you would give up your money, properties and even life to achieve? That is your purpose”. Do you see the difference? WE POSSESS OUR CAREERS BUT OUR PURPOSE POSSESSES US!
In some cases, your career and your purpose are one and the same. Like in the case of Bezalel in Ex 31:1-5. God had endowed him with crafting skills and talents to carve and mold all sorts of wood and metals and stones into exquisite carvings. Bezalel had with all certainty been using this talent as a career in Egypt. We are told he was a professional carver, which means he had been carving professionally for a long time. Carving was his career.
But what I want you to note here is that Carving remained just a career with Bezalel until God told him what he had those skills for. He never entered into his purpose till he was told by God what those skills were for – to build the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant! What does this tell us? Career is for you, Purpose is for God.
Your talent can bring you money and fame and success through your career, but until you step into using those talents for the God who gave them to you and start using them for the things He planned them to be used for, you never enter into purpose and consequently, you never have fulfillment.
That’s why we have men and women seemingly at the height of their careers, successful and powerful, simply enter their rooms one day and commit suicide. They never moved from career to purpose. They never found fulfillment.
Notice also that with Bezalel, it took God telling him for him to know what his purpose was and why he had those talents and skills. Purpose can only be discovered in God. This simply means that until you are in Christ, you don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of even discovering your purpose. In case you are not clear, let me repeat it in layman’s language – if you are not born again in Jesus Christ, you will never ever discover your purpose talk less of fulfilling it. You will live and die a wasted life. I say that without apology. No matter what you achieve career wise, it will never fulfill you because that career will never evolve to purpose without Christ.
In some cases, your career might seem to differ from your purpose as in the case of Paul in the bible. He was a lawyer before he became an apostle/evangelist, but it was the training he had as a lawyer that helped him most as an apostle. He could because of his legal training stand up to the so called teachers of the law and show them how the very law they were defending spoke of Christ; he could address men of learning and repute anywhere. No matter how wide the difference between your career and purpose might seem, it always, ALWAYS, has a role to play in your purpose.
Your career and purpose might be the same or your career might be the kind that evolves into your purpose or your career and purpose might run hand in hand together, but there are salient differences to note between the two –
* Career is limited. It can be affected by many factors, e.g., age, economic conditions, health etc but Purpose is ‘unlimitable’ (permit me to use this non-word). Nothing can affect or stunt your purpose except you. Things that can limit career only serve to propel you into another dimension in purpose.
* While careers can grow and wane at different times based on different conditions, Purpose just keeps getting bigger and better from season to season through all conditions. “The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more until the perfect day” Prov 4:18.
* Career is chosen; Purpose is discovered.
* Career is the road; Purpose is the destination
* Career is for you; Purpose is for God
* Career is your gift; Purpose is your calling
* Career is the means; Purpose is the end
* Career starts and ends with you; Purpose begins with God and is an indestructible legacy you leave behind for others to continue till it ends again in God. “I have planted, Apollos watered but God gave the increase” 1 Cor 3:6
* You can achieve your career goals by yourself; You need the Holy Spirit to fulfill your purpose
* Career is you; Purpose is far bigger than you
* Career can be done alone by you; Purpose is team work and effort of the Chosen amongst the body of Christ
* Career gives you everything except fulfillment; Purpose gives you everything AND fulfillment
How can you know your career? Check out your array of natural gifts and talents and interests and effortlessly acquired skills. Those are the GPS navigators of your career path. That thing you refer to as a ‘hobby I’m just interested in’ can turn out to be your career.
How can you know your Purpose? Only one way – GOD! He alone knows why He made you and what He made you to do.
A wise man i respect very much asked, “What is that thing you will do for free? What is that particular thing that even if you make no money from it, you would still do? That is your career” but he did not stop there. He went on to ask, “What is that other thing that you would actually pay people to allow you do? That particular thing that you would give up your money, properties and even life to achieve? That is your purpose”. Do you see the difference? WE POSSESS OUR CAREERS BUT OUR PURPOSE POSSESSES US!
In some cases, your career and your purpose are one and the same. Like in the case of Bezalel in Ex 31:1-5. God had endowed him with crafting skills and talents to carve and mold all sorts of wood and metals and stones into exquisite carvings. Bezalel had with all certainty been using this talent as a career in Egypt. We are told he was a professional carver, which means he had been carving professionally for a long time. Carving was his career.
But what I want you to note here is that Carving remained just a career with Bezalel until God told him what he had those skills for. He never entered into his purpose till he was told by God what those skills were for – to build the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant! What does this tell us? Career is for you, Purpose is for God.
Your talent can bring you money and fame and success through your career, but until you step into using those talents for the God who gave them to you and start using them for the things He planned them to be used for, you never enter into purpose and consequently, you never have fulfillment.
That’s why we have men and women seemingly at the height of their careers, successful and powerful, simply enter their rooms one day and commit suicide. They never moved from career to purpose. They never found fulfillment.
Notice also that with Bezalel, it took God telling him for him to know what his purpose was and why he had those talents and skills. Purpose can only be discovered in God. This simply means that until you are in Christ, you don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of even discovering your purpose. In case you are not clear, let me repeat it in layman’s language – if you are not born again in Jesus Christ, you will never ever discover your purpose talk less of fulfilling it. You will live and die a wasted life. I say that without apology. No matter what you achieve career wise, it will never fulfill you because that career will never evolve to purpose without Christ.
In some cases, your career might seem to differ from your purpose as in the case of Paul in the bible. He was a lawyer before he became an apostle/evangelist, but it was the training he had as a lawyer that helped him most as an apostle. He could because of his legal training stand up to the so called teachers of the law and show them how the very law they were defending spoke of Christ; he could address men of learning and repute anywhere. No matter how wide the difference between your career and purpose might seem, it always, ALWAYS, has a role to play in your purpose.
Your career and purpose might be the same or your career might be the kind that evolves into your purpose or your career and purpose might run hand in hand together, but there are salient differences to note between the two –
* Career is limited. It can be affected by many factors, e.g., age, economic conditions, health etc but Purpose is ‘unlimitable’ (permit me to use this non-word). Nothing can affect or stunt your purpose except you. Things that can limit career only serve to propel you into another dimension in purpose.
* While careers can grow and wane at different times based on different conditions, Purpose just keeps getting bigger and better from season to season through all conditions. “The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more until the perfect day” Prov 4:18.
* Career is chosen; Purpose is discovered.
* Career is the road; Purpose is the destination
* Career is for you; Purpose is for God
* Career is your gift; Purpose is your calling
* Career is the means; Purpose is the end
* Career starts and ends with you; Purpose begins with God and is an indestructible legacy you leave behind for others to continue till it ends again in God. “I have planted, Apollos watered but God gave the increase” 1 Cor 3:6
* You can achieve your career goals by yourself; You need the Holy Spirit to fulfill your purpose
* Career is you; Purpose is far bigger than you
* Career can be done alone by you; Purpose is team work and effort of the Chosen amongst the body of Christ
* Career gives you everything except fulfillment; Purpose gives you everything AND fulfillment
How can you know your career? Check out your array of natural gifts and talents and interests and effortlessly acquired skills. Those are the GPS navigators of your career path. That thing you refer to as a ‘hobby I’m just interested in’ can turn out to be your career.
How can you know your Purpose? Only one way – GOD! He alone knows why He made you and what He made you to do.
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