In a span of four years, Zondervan Publishing House in Grand Rapids, Michigan produced 30 million copies of Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life. The book topped the bestseller lists of Publishers Weekly and the Wall Street Journal and was named in a Barna Group survey in May 2005 as the book Christian leaders found most influential in their lives and ministries.

Although Warren and his book faced criticism as well as praise, the book’s success was undeniable. It garnered this unprecedented success because it spoke to a common human desire—wanting our lives to count for something. The Christian’s responsibility as a child of God coupled with this innate longing make us even more eager to find our true calling. But how can we determine the job or career God has called us to pursue?

If you were to draft a list of terms we seem to learn by osmosis in the Christian community, calling would appear on the list. We talk about feeling called to do something or feeling a call to ministry, but rarely pause to define what we mean. How does the Bible define calling?

In the New Testament, the Greek word kaleo (“to call”) occurs 170 times with three different uses. The first two deal with the call to salvation through faith in Christ, while the third is a unique calling given to people for specific tasks. It always came in an undeniable form—a voice from a burning bush, a light on the Damascus Road, or an angel from the Lord. It’s not a calling received by all.

The Bible issues a call to all Christians, however, even though it doesn’t use kaleo to describe it. We are called to glorify God, serve others, and spread the gospel (1 Corinthians 10:31; Matthew 28:19, 20; Galatians 5:13, 14). This is our true calling, our God-given task. Consequently, determining our career isn’t about finding the one and only place we belong but finding the place where we can fulfill this assignment most productively.

The following five criteria can help us find the career or job that best fulfills our calling in life.

After Solomon became king of Israel, God came to him in a dream and told him to ask for whatever he desired. Solomon could have asked for riches or honor but instead he asked for “a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong” (1 Kings 3:9). God praised Solomon for his choice and gave him “wisdom and very great insight” (1 Kings 4: 29).

Wisdom is extolled throughout the Old and New Testaments as something to be sought and valued. Before we make decisions, we need to seek wisdom through prayer (Proverbs 15:33; James 1:5) and accept advice from trustworthy sources (Proverbs 13:10; Proverbs 15:22).

The Scriptures reveal the Lord’s moral will to us. In other words, the Bible tells us what actions God approves and what actions he disapproves. Using the Bible as our guide will prevent us from choosing a career that will conflict with our faith.

The Lord stipulates some careers Christians shouldn’t participate in (prostitution, for example). For careers that aren’t prohibited in the Bible, we’ll have to use broader principles to make our decision. A lawyer, for example, must consider Proverbs 17:15: “Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—the Lord detests them both.” To avoid having to defend someone he knows is guilty, a Christian lawyer may need to turn down a secure job as a public defender or a lucrative position with a large law firm.

The influence of Scripture’s guidance on our career choice may be even more subtle at times. If two businesses offered you an administrative position, how would the Bible help you decide between them? Since we are instructed to care for the poor, does one business give more to the community than the other? Since we are instructed to be fair in our dealings, does one business abide by a written policy of above-board practices?

When we choose a career that aligns with God’s commands, we bring him glory. Once we know an option does not violate God’s moral will, we can look for other indicators to guide us along the right path.

At the start of one Sunday night Bible study, the leader began his lesson by saying, “My mother always told me, ‘Don’t stoop to being a doctor if God’s gifted you to be a garbage collector.’”

My best friend grabbed my arm in response to his words. For the past three years she’d been ashamed of her decision to become a teacher rather than a doctor. Anyone who watched her could see her giftedness with children and the joy she found working with them, but she felt like a disappointment because she had the academic background to be a doctor and chose a different path. That simple statement one Sunday night changed her outlook on her career.

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul tells us that every part of the body of Christ needs every other part in the same way the human body needs all its parts to function correctly: “If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be?” (1 Corinthians 12:17-19). Paul instructed the Corinthians to function in the roles God gave them rather than wishing they had been created differently.

When we are considering a job or a change in careers, this is an essential point to take into account. God has gifted each of us with unique talents and the best way to fulfill our calling is to be good stewards of the talents he has given us. We should seek jobs that cultivate our God-given abilities and interests. In this way we will be able to glorify God and help others.

As he was nearing the completion of his last semester of university, my fiancÈ received a piece of advice from a friend: make a list of “must have” qualities before you decide on what career or job to pursue. For my fiancÈ, the ability to help or protect others topped his list. This desire was why he enlisted in the Marine Corps, why he is proud of his combat deployment to Iraq, and why he is now pursuing a career in criminal justice.

While we may not all be called to this level of service, we are all called to serve others. Most professions have an aspect of service built into them, but opportunities for further service are something to consider in our job search. Does a potential employer run blood drives, clothing drives, or food drives? Does a potential employer donate any profits to charities?

Few jobs will be ideal, but when choosing one job over another or one career over another, it helps to consider the greater good along with salary, stability, and benefit packages.

Even when we follow the Word of God, consider stewardship of our talents, and take into account opportunities for service, we may find ourselves considering more than one good option. We should praise God for his blessings if we find ourselves in this situation. Instead of agonizing over making the wrong choice, pray for wisdom and pick the opportunity that appeals to you the most.

According to Proverbs 16:9, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps” (see also Proverbs 19:21). God is sovereign over the world and over your life. If you have earnestly sought to please him and have asked for wisdom, you can rest secure in the knowledge that he will work all things in the direction he knows will ultimately be best for you. |L