Mar 30, 2009
What’s the difference between a calling and a plain old job you’re obeying God in?
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God wants policemen and preachers, mechanics and missionaries.
Nevertheless, one category seems like ordinary work, while the other is a calling.
Why?
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We don’t really believe that we can do EVERYTHING for God’s glory. That’s a problem -> Dualism.
Sean is right. We all have a dualistic worldview with a false dichotomy separating secular and sacred, where the Bible makes no such division.
Of course, to be fair, the Bible never talks about being “called” to the ministry, either. We’re called to Jesus, never to a particular occupation.
All of them can be a calling. I had this confusion in my early 20′s. I wanted to be a policeman and a preacher and I felt like God would be upset with me if I chose policeman.
I think God gives us any number of occupations that we could do. Some we are going to be better suited for but still whichever we choose can be God’s calling on our life as long as we do it for His glory.
So, which one am I, policeman or preacher? Neither. I am currently raising support for full-time missions work in Germany. If I wasn’t going to be a missionary I would live the missionary life style anyways in whatever occupation I went for.
Bottom line is whatever we decide to do is God’s calling on our life as long as it brings honor to His name.
I think, unfortunately, the answer is intentionality. People choose “ministry” because that’s the only way they can think of to have a life that is intentional about the gospel.
You don’t hear many people say things like “I want to work for Nokia so I can get transferred to a country where there is a tiny Christian presence and there live and work amongst a people sharing Jesus in word and deed”
[...] leave a comment » Abraham Piper (yes son of the world-renowned (or at least among young reformed-inclined types) John Piper), asked a very valid question that I myself have asked on numerous occasions. What is the difference between a calling and a plain old job you’re obeying God in? [...]
I’d like to point out that the word Vocation has the root ‘Voca’ which means to call.
I was going to say, “superstitous minds.” That is: we see a distinction between the sacred and the secular so we can do what we want to do without offending the sacred.
It’s just dualism though. Good call by the other posters.
Is there such a thing as “ordinary work”? I try not to compartmentalize my life like that. My ordinary work is just as sacred as the work God has called me to do through writing. Meaning, that yes, writing is more appealing than washing dishes–but I have come to understand that I will never be an excellent writer until I fully embrace the daily work God has given me to do.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that there is no difference between a calling and a plain ol’ job. At least, there shouldn’t be.
We’re called to obey God in our jobs….and to love others and to share the truth about Christ. There are many things we’re called to. Married people are called to honor God in their marriage and seek to model the love between Christ and the Church. Single people are called to devote themselves to the Lord and seek to model His character in other ways.
If we have a God-honoring job (i.e. police officer, mechanic, missionary – not a drug dealer, scam artist, prostitute, etc.), we are called to serve there faithfully. That is a ministry.
Maybe someone mentioned this, I didn’t read all the comments thoroughly. But didn’t the early church elders (which were the pastors) have “normal” jobs? I was under the impression that Paul, and maybe Mark or a few others that went with him were the only ones that didn’t have a “normal” job. But Paul was a tentmaker, correct? I think we can all say that Paul was specifically called to his ministry in a way that very few have been.
Cause we like to over-spiritualize things.
Because then we’d have no reason for using our tithes and offerings to financially support only certain types of “ministries” and “callings.”
How I love this post!
Once I was “called” to serve God as a foreign missionary….
….turns out he really just wanted my whole heart while I change the diapers, buy the groceries, and make my husband a good dinner…..
I think that some of it has to do with your personality type. I think some folks are dreamers, visionaries, idealists that feel what they do is very important as far as really believing in it, maybe it’s a doctor or working for local government to really serve the people. The idealist sees that as a calling as much as the person in ministry.
Others may see their need to provide for their family and if that means doing something ‘ordinary’ that’s okay as long as the bills get paid. That person may see the christian mandate to share Christ with those he works with. But he’s a plodder, slow and steady.
Do you see how it can be personality?
I don’t thing there is a difference from God’s perspective, the difference is in ours.
They’re all a calling.
Os Guinmess…”calling is the truth that God calls us to himself so decisively that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have is invested with a special devotion and dynamism lived out as a response to his summons and service.” (The Call, pg. 4)
And later…”Our primary calling as followers of Christ is by him, to him and for him…Our secondary calling, considering who God is as sovereign, is that everyone, everywhere, and in everything should think, speak, live, and act entirely for him.” (pg. 31)
think Jesus calls us to imitate him and I get frustrated by the over generalization of Paul’s charge to do what ever we do to the glory of God. Glorifying God is sometimes a very woven to the work of our hands – even for a web designer.
at risk of sounding like an unforgivable dualist, I distinguish between the two like this:
The difference between a job and a calling is not that one gives God glory and the other doesn’t. A calling differs from a job in that the day-to-day tasks of a calling (by and large) are intrinsically more meaningful and interesting to you. That may not always be true in a “job.”
So in that sense, anything could be a calling — police officer, pastor, blogger–but any calling could also just as easily lapse into “just a job” if the day-to-day tasks became less intrinsically significant over time.
In both, however, we are required to honor God with our work, regardless of our personal feeling about the day-to-day tasks.
Maybe it’s not so much a “calling to” ministry as it is a “call away from” whatever you were previously doing. I was happily self-employed and not looking to make a career change when I felt God clearly “calling” me in a different direction that wasn’t on my radar screen at all. Maybe someday He will call me to leave this role and go into something that others would consider as secular work or maybe He’ll call me to be a missionary to a really hard place. Wherever it is, I just hope I’m obedient.
Our calling doesn’t always have to to with our job. Every Christians calling is to raise the dead, heal the sick and cast out demons. Be the best at it job and spread gods kingdom wherever you go.
To answer the question, ‘why?’ I’d probably say that many churches have done a poor job of teaching on the subject of ‘ordinary’ work, all of which is a reflection of the image of God.
A good book on this subject is Michael Horton’s Where in the World is the Church?
Here’s a blog post I recently wrote on this subject:
http://redemptiongroanings.blogspot.com/2009/02/education-on-vocation.html
My dad gets up every morning at 5am to work as an electrician.
I guarantee you he is more faithful to his calling than hundreds of pastors.
People elevate preaching and missions over finding crooks and fixing care because the former tends to be associated with the eternal while the latter is associated with temporal.
Each have both eternal and temporal value if done in obedience to God, with diligence and thanksgiving.
I totally agree with your sentiment.
However, I think part of it has to do with why we’re in the particular job we might have. My sister was a nurse and she felt called to be a nurse for most of her life. My other sister is a speech pathologist and she’s felt that calling for most of her life.
However, I work at a community college district on their website to pay the bills. I don’t see this job as my “calling” or my “holy discontent” or my “passion groove.” It’s just a job to pay the bills.
However, I do believe that God has placed me/we here for His glory and my calling is to be His light wherever I am.
However… (just kidding)
What’s the difference between a calling and a plain old job you’re obeying God in?
The person’s revelation, posture, and insight.
Great question! I had too much to write, so I left my comments here.
“Whatever ‘call’ a man may pretend to have, if he has not been called to holiness, he certainly has not been called to the ministry.” —Charles H. Spurgeon
This is a great question because of how John Piper and Paul Washer both emphasized this – whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. And that is our violation of the first commandment when we see our work as “menial” – as it can’t be kingdom work. Then we become embittered as if those doing “holy” work are big shots or doing something worthwhile.
But Paul Washer put it this way when you think about the great commission and missions – when someone goes down into the well, you are either the one going down into the well or the one holding the rope – either way, you are going to have scars on your hands. And think about this with respect to “menial” jobs – where are the scars on your hands? What has it cost you and what have you made your service – going to work everyday to support missions? Praying until late?
Great question because we all need a bolster of encouragement to see that our mission field is here and now, right where we are and in what we do. There is just as much hardship, depression, misery, joy, wonder as being a pastor or missionary in India as there is being a mission right here!!
Go…or send!
There is no difference. All is to be done for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). When we do this, then we are obeying our “calling.”
The problem you are presenting takes place because Christians like to write their own version of the Bible.
But, it’s simply not the way it is. The Bible tells me so.
The Puritans taught that we all have a calling – that special task for which God has prepared each individual. For some being a farmer was a calling, for others it was rebellion from God. They encouraged their children not to follow the “family business” but to pursue his God given calling.
A calling is when we’re doing something with service to God in mind. A job is when we’re doing something and we’d rather God not have anything to do with it.
My grandfather was a plumber who ran a ministry on the side printing and distributing gospel tracts all over the world. (You Gen-Y-ers can ask an older person what a ‘tract’ is…)
One of them was called “Packing Pork to Preach the Gospel.” (Really!) It was about a guy in a meat packing pack who viewed his vocation as secondary (but necessary) to his ministry. I don’t know if my grandfather wrote it himself or not; I’d give anything to find a copy of it.
Whether in vocational ministry or serving God through secular work, the ministry we all have can only take place if the “business” side of our life is viable.
this professor/pastor/friend of mine likes to give a stern talk to college students about not “living parenthetically” – neglecting the present in impatient anticipation of one’s “real” life/calling. that’s been one of the most difficult things to remember as an unmarried student. i don’t know whether we want to label being an unmarried student as a “calling” or not because for most people, it’s temporary, but i do get bothered when people (including me) treat their lives and jobs flippantly, like doing excellent work and being intentional and productive don’t matter if it’s not what you’ve always dreamed of.
Hm. The only difference is our attitudes. We’re called to bring glory to God in whatever we do.
I would say that one we do because we “have” to work because we “have” to have an income. The other is something we do in order to bring God glory. Both purposes can be contained in the same job, regardless whether it’s typically considered a “secular” position or a “ministry” position.
There’s a danger, isn’t there, with a “ministry” job that one does simply because he/she has to have a job (minus the giving God glory attitude)?
I agree with everyone above, but I wanted to throw something alongside what everyone’s said before. Yes, God calls us to obedience in whatever field we do. Yes there is not a difference (brownie pointswise) between “ministry” as a pastor and “ministry” as an engineer.
But alongside that, I think there actually is something good in using the term “calling” rather than “career” for pastoral positions. This isn’t fully fleshed out, but some basic thoughts -
I think the term “calling” actually is a biblical reflection. The OT prophets were “called.” Paul was “called” to be an apostle. In order to raise up elders, they prayed and laid hands on them, so there certainly is something special there.
I think we do want to maintain an emphasis upon the seriousness and soberness with which our preachers labor – that they are shepherds and going to be held accountable as teachers. I think using the term “calling” is helpful for that.
Any thoughts?
I don’t think there is a difference.
What everyone has said about the value of doing everything to the glory of God is so true. However, we shouldn’t discount the serious warnings to any who would be teachers. While every believer should strive in God’s grace for holiness and guidance in their careers and in which ways they spend each day … there is a certain level of “something” placed upon teachers of God’s Word.
Along with that … the majority of teachers/… are unable to make a living without the giving of the church.
The work of a Beethoven and the work of a charwoman become spiritual on precisely the same condition, that of being offered to God, of being done humbly “as to the Lord.” – CS Lewis, Learning in War Time (A sermon preached in the Church of St. Mary the Virgin,. Oxford,Autumn, 1939)
If anyone wants to think this through, read Os Guinness’s “The Call.” Good read. A favorite.
Chuck Colson has a very good article entitled “A Sacred Call vs a Secular Call” in which he uses William Wilberforce to debunk the idea of a difference between the two. He concludes:
“Had Wilberforce abandoned public life, the consequences would have been enormous. His friend, the Rev. Thomas Scott, wrote, “The slave trade might have continued into future generations.” Thank God Wilberforce embraced a proper view of biblical calling.
As we ponder God’s call on our own lives, we should remember that not every Christian needs to be in formal ministry. There are opportunities to serve God and do His will in every field of human endeavor. After all, we believe that all of life is ministry. So Christians should be equipped to be ministers of the Gospel wherever God puts us.”
“Work is a Holy Thing.”
(from my oral tradition theology)
as a mother, i particularly struggle with this. my “professional” life is in the past.
can we have more than one call?
the call to be a stay at home mom, versus working mom, versus, part time mom (like there is such a thing, right?) part time job.
we can say that we are “called” to be a mother. though, i’ll be the first to admit… it more feels like ordinary work than a calling most of the time.
are we also “called” to be away from our children if we decide to work outside the home as well?
For me, the difference is this: I have a job now, but I’m not good at it and I really don’t like it. I’m just here to earn money while I figure out what I’m “called” to do, whether secular or not.
I just want out of sales!
I would agree with all of those who emphasize that all are called to minister or be missional. Each has a calling.
Scripturally then the questions are:
Was Paul’s calling different from that of a mechanic? Paul used his calling as a claim to authority.
&
Is a mechanics call different from Paul’s/Matthew’s call?
(Practically I do believe there is a calling on ministers and missionaries. When we remove the distinction how do we function? Do we fund every Christian as a missionary? No, then do we only fund those who going cross-cultural or international? Soon as we start creating categories we need names for them. Thus we just recreate the missionary under a different name.)
I don’t understand a “calling” and I have never understood it.
Yes, God is the Lord of my life, but to my knowledge, he has never told me to be such and such.
The only things He has ever said to me were the following:
1. It’ll be OK.
2. Don’t worry.
3. Don’t lust.
I Corinthians 10:31
A.W. Tozer, in The Pursuit of God:
“…Let us practice the fine art of making every work a priestly ministration. Let us believe that God is in all our simple deeds and learn to find Him there.
The `layman’ need never think of his humbler task as being inferior to that of his minister. Let every man abide in the calling wherein he is called and his work will be as sacred as the work of the ministry. It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it. The motive is everything. Let a man sanctify the Lord God in his heart and he can thereafter do no common act. All he does is good and acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For such a man, living itself will be sacramental and the whole world a sanctuary. His entire life will be a priestly ministration.
Caedmon’s Call , Sacred lyrics:
Words and Music by Randall Goodgame and Andrew Osenga
(c) 2007 House of Mirrors Music (ASCAP) admin. by Simpleville Music, Inc. / 2007 Mighty Molecule Music. (ASCAP) admin by Music Services
this house is a good mess
it’s the proof of life
no way would I trade jobs
but it don’t pay overtime
I’ll get to the laundry
I don’t know when
I’m saying a prayer tonight
cause tomorrow it starts again
could it be that everything is sacred?
and all this time
everything I’ve dreamed of
has been right before my eyes
the children are sleeping
but they’re running through my mind
the sun makes them happy
and the music makes them unwind
my cup runneth over
and I worry about the stain
teach me to run to You
like they run to me for every little thing
when I forget to drink from you
I can feel the banks harden
Lord, make me like a stream
to feed the garden
wake up, little sleeper
the Lord, God Almighty
made your Mama keeper
so rise and shine
rise and shine cause
everything is sacred
and all this time
everything I’ve dreamed of
has been right before my eyes