Life + Faith

Tag: Identity

  • Am I Called To My Work? (Part 2)

    Am I Called To My Work? (Part 2)

    This is Part 2 of a two-part series. If you haven’t read Part 1, start there.

    While we may not be uniquely called to a specific task or work, what we have been given by God is a tremendous amount of freedom. Rather than moping about, devoid of hope or identity or purpose, we find this truth can bring freedom. 

    When we misunderstand God’s call on our lives we trap ourselves. When we believe God will give us a direct, unmistakable command to take up a particular task, job, or type of work then we can (1) fear we are missing out on what God has for us if we’re unsure about what we’re doing, and (2) we can find ourselves expecting our work to satisfy and fulfil us.

    But, because of Jesus we have been called into relationship with him and find ourselves called into a new and unending identity and purpose. Through Christ we not only find freedom from sin, but this recalibrates our lives, and our work. 

    Through Christ we are set free. 

    Freedom From FOMO

    The fear of missing out can cripple us. The amount of choice we have in our career, travel, work, and relationships is nothing like has ever been seen before. Unfortunately, rather than making us happier and healthier, it can be a major cause of anxiety, stress, and indecisiveness. There is a tendency to get stuck when there is so much choice.

    Add this to believing we are called to something specific and soon enough we are worried about whether we are doing the exact thing God wants of us. 

    This can lead us to procrastination, waiting around and hoping that God will send us a lightning bolt of wisdom and tell us exactly what we’re to do. When we fall into this trap our view of God is skewed. We start believing God is hiding something from us and we’ve got to spend months and years and maybe even decades finding exactly what God has for us. It is the proverbial needle in a haystack, our life’s purpose is to find that needle and if we don’t then we may well have missed out on the calling God has for us. 

    What a terrible way of thinking. 

    What a terrible way of thinking about God. 

    Remember, God is a God who gives good gifts to his children. Matthew 7:9-11, Jesus says, 

    “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

    Next, if we think we’ve got to go out and find our purpose and calling, then we are saying that God has purposely hidden his will from us. And if we are saying that God is hiding his will or his call from us then we are worshipping a pretty mean and untruthful God. Remember these words from 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 

    “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

    God has already revealed to us his call and will for our lives. He has done this through the scriptures, and continues to do so through his scriptures. He has given us all we need to be equipped for every good work; every good work that centres our identity and purpose in him. 

    When we know that God has called us to follow him and become more like him, then we don’t miss his call. It’s not even a category of thought. There’s no fear to be had. 

    Over 20 years ago I lived in a small village that only sold one type of milk, bread, butter, jam, yogurt, and the like. The choice was limited. On coming back to Melbourne I found myself paralysed when out shopping because there was so much to choose from. I remember standing in front of the pasta sauces taking as much time deciding which type I should grab as it would’ve taken to cook the meal!

    We have a lot of choice in our world regarding our work, jobs, and careers. When our identity is in Christ and our call to follow him is priority then we are set free from this debilitating choice. We recognise we have been created by God with our own passions, desires, gifts, abilities, and skills and can pursue those things we believe we are fit for. 

    Freedom From Expectation

    Another reason why making decisions and knowing God’s call for our lives can be so hard is because we expect so much. 

    We expect to find happiness and fulfilment in almost everything we do, including our work. As we seek to consume everything in life, not missing out on a thing, we lean toward having unrealistic expectations. Like a curated social media profile, our expectations on what work will achieve for us is unrealistic. 

    But the freedom of the gospel, and in the freedom that we have in our calling to Christ, our expectations are in God. Our perspective about what work will achieve for us changes. Work is not, as The Atlantic article suggests, “the centerpiece of one’s identity and life’s purpose”. Rather, the centrepiece and identity of our life is in Christ. In the words of Jesus, he has “come to give us life and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

    I do understand the book of Ecclesiastes affirms work giving us a certain satisfaction. While more famously known for comments about being meaningless, the Teacher in Ecclesiastes provides us with wisdom about work and how to view it in light of our relationship with God. In Ecclesiastes 2:24-25, after complaining about the emptiness of work, he writes, 

    “There is nothing better for a person than to eat, drink, and enjoy their work. I have seen that even this is from God’s hand, because who can eat and who can enjoy life apart from him?”

    As we are called to different responsibilities in life we find meaning in them because of God. As God gives and takes, as God provides and guides, we can find a sense of satisfaction and fulfilment in life and our work. Apart from God these things become meaningless; but with God, life and work is more than some fruitless exercise. 

    Essentially, this leads me to suggest that rather than being overly concerned about God’s plan for your life, particularly the work, job, and career aspect of that, recognise the freedom that comes from knowing him and following his way and rule. 

    God has called you to follow him, become more like him, and has given you everything you need to serve him.

    As Kevin DeYoung puts it in his book, Just Do Something, 

    “So the end of the matter is this: Love God. Obey the Scriptures. Think of others before yourself. Be Holy. Love Jesus. And as you do these things, do whatever else you like, to whomever you like, wherever you like, and you are walking in the will of God.” 

  • Am I Called To My Work? (Part 1)

    Am I Called To My Work? (Part 1)

    The majority of our week involves some form of work, whether it is paid or unpaid. You would think, then, that the intersection of our faith and work would be important and helpful to understand. 

    We live in a culture where work is to be meaningful and fulfilling, with some taking it so far that work borders on idolatry or religion. In his article for The Atlantic, Derek Thompson writes about work as the new religion of our day and times. At one point Thompson says, 

    “The decline of traditional faith…has coincided with an explosion of new atheisms. Some people worship beauty, some worship political identities, and others worship their children. But everybody worships something. And workism is among the most potent of the new religions competing for congregants.”

    Our sense of fulfilment expected through our work can be off the charts. So much so that it impacts how we view ourselves, our worth, and our purpose in living. 

    In Christian culture this is compounded when we believe that the Almighty–the great all-knowing, and all-powerful God in whom we worship–has called us to a particular task, assignment, or work. In other words, we expect to be especially “called” into some particular work. It’s common for us to hear the phrase, “God is calling me to…”, or, “I’m waiting for God’s call”, or “I just don’t know what God is calling me to do”. 

    We need to recognise this is a modern issue. We live in a time where there are more options for work and different kinds of work available to us. In previous generations, the concept of being called to a particular work wasn’t a thing. It was simply to find a job and work diligently at it. 

    Not only is it a modern issue, it’s also a Western issue (and dare I say the word privilege here too?). Millions of people around the world live in contexts where the options to choose what they do is limited. Economic, cultural, geographic, or linguistic factors limit people in the kind of work they do. The choice of what type of work they partake in is not something they can worry about. 

    In the book, The Gospel At Work, it says,

    “For most of human history, work was something you did to survive, and often there were no options to consider. Most of the time you did what your mother or father did, and that was the end of the story.” (Traeger and Gilbert, The Gospel at Work, p75)

    Today, it is more common to seek work that will bring an inner sense of fulfilment and satisfaction. Something that will fulfil life’s purpose and form one’s identity. 

    Calling In The Bible

    It shouldn’t surprise you that I believe the Bible speaks to this question of God’s call and our work. 

    In the Old Testament we find it is God who does the calling and is the instigator of the call. The majority of times God calls it is in relation to being in relationship with him. First and foremost, this call is to the community of God’s people. This is a corporate call to be in relationship with God and given to a people who God has set his love upon (Deuteronomy 7:6-8). 

    In the New Testament we find God’s call continues to be focussed on calling people into a relationship with him. Philippians 3:14 reminds us that all believers have an upward call in Christ to be with Jesus and to be like Jesus. We have been called to freedom, not bondage in Galatians 5:13. And we are reminded in 2 Timothy 1:9 that God has saved us and called us to a holy calling.

    When we read scripture we understand that God does call. And that he calls us. But this is a call centred on relationship. Relationship with him in Christ Jesus. It is a call to come and follow. To come and follow him. 

    What isn’t taught in the Old and New Testaments is to expect a specific call to a particular task, job, or profession. It just doesn’t seem to be taught in scripture.

    Another way of looking at this is how the New Testament uses the word call. It’s there over 300 times and used in 8-9 different ways. However, it’s never used in the sense of being called to a particular work. 

    How then shall we use the term call? 

    A more helpful way of understanding the call, is in the opening nine verses of 1 Corinthians. In this passage the term call is used in two ways, which are helpful for connecting our faith with our work. 

    First, Paul says he is “an apostle of Christ Jesus, called by the will of God”. Here Paul couches this call in the will of God (v1).

    Paul has been called by God to be one of his followers. He realises that it is God who has done this calling. God is the initiator, and this call leads to Paul following him. We can say the same thing. We have been called into God’s family by God himself. It is through God’s hand and initiative that we are followers of Jesus.

    Second, Paul uses the term call when he turns his attention to the church and tells them they are “called to be God’s holy people” (v2).

    This time the focus is who they, as the church in Corinth, are as God’s people. As God’s people they are to be holy. They have been called by God to be holy as individuals and together as a church. This call is a call to Christlikeness. 

    Not only that, but this call to holiness isn’t only for the church in Corinth, but for other believers too, “for those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v2).

    Given this we can certainly say that God does call, but it is a broader call. It is a call that is always about relationship with him. 

    A call to follow him. 

    A call to be more like him. 

    That’s it. 

    Rather than it be “what we do” that shapes our identity, it is “who we follow”. In recognising Christ as the identity-shaper in our lives then we will better understand our purpose. A purpose that is on display no matter what particular work, task, or job we perform. 

    Continue on to Part 2.

  • Rest in the Rock – Rediscovering True Rest

    Rest in the Rock – Rediscovering True Rest

    Rest.

    It’s most likely different for all of us. For some, it is sinking into the couch at the end of a long day; for others, it’s going to a favourite cafe for a quiet coffee, or perhaps it’s just a moment to catch your breath in between all those tasks to do.

    If we’re honest, many of us aren’t great at resting. Even when we try, our minds race with unfinished tasks, or we find ourselves turning to distractions that promise rest but leave us feeling just as drained.

    Challenging Our Restlessness

    After a recent pastoral retreat with our team, Psalm 62 has become a bit of a motto for me this year. It’s a psalm about rest—not the kind you get from a good night’s sleep, but the deep, soul-level rest that comes from trusting in God. It challenges us to rethink what rest really means and to ask some deeper questions, like:

    • What is driving me to avoid rest?
    • Why do I keep going and going without stopping?

    Psalm 62 doesn’t offer tips or techniques for resting better. Instead, it points us to the source of true rest—God Himself. The refrain that keeps going around my head is ‘Rest in the Rock’, which, as you’ll see, is a key theme that comes through this psalm.

    Rest in the Rock

    Psalm 62 begins with a declaration:

    Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.  Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. (Psalm 62:1-2)

    These verses set the tone for the whole psalm. Rest isn’t about doing nothing or escaping life’s pressures. It’s about where we place our trust. The psalmist is clear: true rest is only found in God.

    The image of God as a rock, a fortress, and a refuge runs throughout Scripture. It’s a picture of stability, strength, and security. I think of birds nesting in the crevices of a cliff face during a storm, safe from the wind and rain. Or rabbits darting into their burrows when danger is near. These animals instinctively know where to go for refuge. But for us, it’s not always so simple.

    When life gets overwhelming, or gets busy, we often look for comfort in all the wrong places. This can be zoning out in front of the TV, scrolling endlessly on our phones, or chasing achievements to prove our worth. These things might give us a momentary escape, but they don’t provide the deep rest our souls need.

    Psalm 62 calls us to a different kind of refuge:

    Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. (Psalm 62:8)

    True rest comes from trusting God with the pressures of life. It means pouring out our hearts to Him—our worries, fears, and frustrations—and finding in Him the security and peace we’re looking for.

    But why is this so hard? Why do we resist the very rest we know we need?

    The psalmist speaks about the pressures of life and the distractions of the world in a few ways:

    • The pursuit of power and status (v9).
    • The lure of wealth and possessions (v10).
    • The fear of what others think or say about us (v3-4).

    These things promise satisfaction but leave us restless. As Augustine famously wrote:

    “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”

    Where Do You Find Your Rest?

    Where are you seeking rest outside of God? What is driving your busyness or your need to keep going?

    I’ve been exploring this more honestly with myself over the last 12–18 months. There have been seasons, and no doubt there will be more, where I have sought refuge in productivity, trying to prove my worth by how much I could accomplish. As I continue to be honest with myself, I am constantly tempted to put my trust in my own efficiency. But Psalm 62 reminds me that my salvation, my identity, and my rest depend on God, not on anything I do.

    Perhaps this is just a word for myself as I step into this year. Perhaps it is also a word for you, as you try and deal with the overwhelm.

    Rest in the Rock: A Series in Psalm 62
    Part 1: Rediscovering True Rest
    Part 2: Trusting God in the Pressure Cooker of Life
    Part 3: A Rest That Transforms
    Related: 11 Helpful Books on Burnout and Ministry and my review of The Unhurried Pastor

  • Hallowed Be Your Name

    When we are aware of someone’s name then we are aware of who they are.

    A name defines us.

    Some parents put time and meaning into the names they choose for their children, others don’t think too hard but come up with a name they like . But a name defines who we are. It represents us. It identifies who we are. Further, with time and experience, our name may become synonymous with particular things; with a particular family, with a particular place (if we’ve lived there a while), with a particular industry or workplace or organisation, and perhaps even a particular character trait.

    I mean, think about the last few months here in Melbourne, how many times have you heard the Karen used in the media? Right now Karen is the name that represents someone who is an obnoxious, entitled, complainer.

    But of course, this doesn’t rightly represent all Karen’s. We feel sorry for those people who are actually named Karen and are very nice people. Not all Karen’s are complainers, just like not all Wally’s are wasteful with water.

    As we survey scripture we find there are over 100 names for God, many describing and revealing the character and person of God. In Matthew 6:9, continuing on from last week’s post, Jesus teaches us to honour the name of God, to hallow it, to recognise it as holy.

    As we come to our Father in prayer we are to recognise that we are coming before God in all his majesty, holiness, righteousness, and beauty. We are children of the One who is all-powerful, all-glorious, all-excellent, and all-holy. And yet in prayer we are able to come before him and enjoy and adore him.

    With this in mind, what then does it mean to adore God? I often feel we have inadequate words when we try to describe our adoration toward God.

    You see when we adore something in human terms we have our heads affirming our adoration, our hearts yearning toward that which we adore, and our hands open to act toward that which we adore.

    We think, we feel, and we act in adoration.

    There is a head, heart, and hands aspect to this.

    If we adore our particular football team we will watch the games, go to the games, buy a membership, debate others about how superior our team is, wear the scarf, and think often about our team and the players.

    When we adore a person we will think about them, we will talk to them, we may have a photo of them on the wall, we will seek out the best for them–we want to be with them.

    In prayer, as we show our adoration toward God, we come to him through relationship but we also come to him for who he is. We are drawn to God because of his greatness, his magnificence, his excellencies, his works for us and our world.

    It can be stated rather crassly that the adoration component to prayer is simply repeating back to God how good he is. But I think this misses the point. We may well be telling God how good he is when we pray in adoration, but we do so because we recognise that God is God and we are not.

    We are, after all, in a relationship with the God of the universe who has done things we cannot comprehend or understand, and whose character is displayed and told to us through his scriptures. Psalm 8 is a good example of adoration toward God, and we would do well to pray this Psalm as a prayer ourselves. It reads,

    1 Lord, our Lord,
    how magnificent is your name throughout the earth!
    You have covered the heavens with your majesty.

    2 From the mouths of infants and nursing babies,
    you have established a stronghold
    on account of your adversaries
    in order to silence the enemy and the avenger.
    3 When I observe your heavens,
    the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars,
    which you set in place,
    4 what is a human being that you remember him,
    a son of man that you look after him?
    5 You made him little less than God
    and crowned him with glory and honour.
    6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
    you put everything under his feet:
    7 all the sheep and oxen,
    as well as the animals in the wild,
    8 the birds of the sky,
    and the fish of the sea
    that pass through the currents of the seas.

    9 Lord, our Lord,
    how magnificent is your name throughout the earth!

    The whole Psalm resounds not only in praise for what God has done, but recognises the greatness of God. How majestic is your name in all the earth! It is a true Psalm of adoration toward God.

    Jesus teaches us in the Lord’s Prayer that to begin prayer in adoration is prayer that highlights God’s goodness and greatness. It honours God’s name as holy. May we do this in our prayers during this time.

    This continues our series in the Lord’s Prayer. More posts can be found at the following:

  • Our Father In Heaven

    In the Anglican tradition, the Book of Common Prayer defines adoration as ‘…the lifting up of the heart and mind to God, asking nothing but to enjoy God’s presence.’

    I’m not sure about you but I find that hard. 

    Prayer is often hard, and I don’t think many believers, whether they are new in the faith or those who are more mature in their faith, think they’re very good at it anyway. I know in different seasons my prayer life changes, it goes up and down, but it can also take on a different shape. Sometimes it is through a list, other times I write them out by hand, other times I pray while doing a particular task–like doing the dishes or vacuuming. 

    But when we pray in adoration we turn our hearts and minds not only to the things of God, but to God himself. As we commune with God through prayer we do so in relationship with him.

    In this COVID season, as much good there is that comes from text messages, phone calls, family gatherings over Zoom, and FaceTime calls with loved ones, nothing replaces the actual physical presence of being together with those we love and cherish. I’m sure you’ve felt this in recent months. Our relationships and friendships are still in existence during this time, we can still catch up with each other, but there is something missing when we aren’t in each other’s presence. Likewise, our relationship with God is made all the more when through prayer we come and enjoy being with him. 

    As Jesus teaches about prayer in Matthew 6:9 he begins by pointing us toward adoration. Adoration in the context of relationship. 

    At the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer this is described as a familial relationship between God and his children–“Our Father who is in heaven”. It’s not quite as close as ‘Dear Daddy’, but it certainly has a familiarity, a relational tone, that shows a deep and abiding relationship between us and God. 

    Through the scriptures God reveals to us that he is a father to his children. The Old Testament portrays God as a father to his people–Israel–in Exodus 3-4; Psalm 2; Psalm 103; and Hosea 11 to name a few. In the New Testament we find that God the Father is, of course, the unique father to his Son, Jesus Christ. And the writers of the New Testament show the intimacy we, as the corporate people of God, have with God as we are considered his children, his sons and daughters. As 1 John 3:1 reminds us, 

    “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God…” 

    For those of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus, we know that the Creator of everything is not a father; he’s our Father. As children we are able to commune and relate to God as one who is our Father. 

    Jesus teaches us about prayer as someone who is in perfect relationship with God the Father. Through his perfect and acceptable sacrifice for us on the cross we are able to step into the presence of God as his children. Through the blood of Jesus we have access to the Father, and we come to him as such in prayerful adoration. The relationship we have with God is one that is intimate and personal–a point we can never emphasise too much. 

    It is important to recognise that not all earthly fathers live up to our expectations. Earthly fathers are not perfect; they fail us, they fail God, they fail themselves. Yet, whatever our relationship with our earthly father, it does not compare to the perfect love and care shown by God the Father toward us, his sons and daughters. 

    Galatians 4:6-8 reminds us powerfully about our identity because of God’s love and care toward us,

    “Because you are his sons [and daughters], God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.“

    As Jesus begins this model prayer for us, and as he teaches us a way to pray, he begins by stating the unbelievable truth that we are in relationship with God–the Creator God of the universe–who we are able to call ‘our heavenly father’. 

    This begins our series in the Lord’s Prayer. More posts can be found at the following: