Finding your calling

[ohso]

I have a problem with working on a job that is not based on my faith. I know we live in a fallen world and we all need money, but most jobs are filled with situations and people that are not of God, and I feel I need to compromise so much of myself and of my faith, way too much, to do such work.

I am in a situation where I should be happy if I can find any kind of job, but all I've found are not functioning according to God's word. It bothers me a lot, and my heart and soul hurts there.

I'm really having hard time with figuring out what to do about it and how do I find my place? When the reality is I should be grateful to have any kind of job.

I've prayed about it and I hope, I'm not sure, that God wants us to just try our best and spread His word, but I feel like I'm failing God somehow. I feel like I should be doing something of an importance to faith and his kingdom, but not of importance to the world. I just can't seem to fit anywhere.

Have you ever been in such situation and what did you do? Any advice is appreciated as I am new in faith. Thanks. God bless.

[missmuffet]

1 minute ago, ohso said:

I have a problem with working on a job that is not based on my faith. I know we live in a fallen world and we all need money, but most jobs are filled with situations and people that are not of God, and I feel I need to compromise so much of myself and of my faith, way too much, to do such work.

I am in a situation where I should be happy if I can find any kind of job, but all I've found are not functioning according to God's word. It bothers me a lot, and my heart and soul hurts there.

I'm really having hard time with figuring out what to do about it and how do I find my place? When the reality is I should be grateful to have any kind of job.

I've prayed about it and I hope, I'm not sure, that God wants us to just try our best and spread His word, but I feel like I'm failing God somehow. I feel like I should be doing something of an importance to faith and his kingdom, but not of importance to the world. I just can't seem to fit anywhere.

Have you ever been in such situation and what did you do? Any advice is appreciated as I am new in faith. Thanks. God bless.

I feel that in most jobs we will be working with atheists and many who do not share our faith. There are some jobs I would not apply for as a Christian. We need to use our Christian discernment. Giving this concern to God is what you should be doing. It looks like you are doing that. Sit back and wait and see what He does.

[ravindran]

1 hour ago, ohso said:

I have a problem with working on a job that is not based on my faith. I know we live in a fallen world and we all need money, but most jobs are filled with situations and people that are not of God, and I feel I need to compromise so much of myself and of my faith, way too much, to do such work.

 I am in a situation where I should be happy if I can find any kind of job, but all I've found are not functioning according to God's word. It bothers me a lot, and my heart and soul hurts there.

 I'm really having hard time with figuring out what to do about it and how do I find my place? When the reality is I should be grateful to have any kind of job.

I've prayed about it and I hope, I'm not sure, that God wants us to just try our best and spread His word, but I feel like I'm failing God somehow. I feel like I should be doing something of an importance to faith and his kingdom, but not of importance to the world. I just can't seem to fit anywhere.

 Have you ever been in such situation and what did you do? Any advice is appreciated as I am new in faith. Thanks. God bless.

There is nothing like a spiritual job. Serving God is different from doing work for living. Actually you can work in media department of some ministry. And they will pay you salary. It is not serving God. You could be doing the same thing for a secular organization. They are both jobs paying you money. As long as the job is not something morally against God's standards, it is okay. Jesus was carpenter. Paul made tents for living. Luke was doctor. These are not spiritual jobs. Just jobs done by unbelievers as well. They probably dealt with many unbelievers. Means nothing. Spreading Gospel, helping others in need, etc have nothing to do with you job. Be thankful that God has blessed you with a job and seek Him to understand what He wants to do for Him outside of your job

[OneLight]

I have never had a faith based job in my life, yet that did not stop me from being a light to the lost I worked with.  I would pray for an increase in faith and His strength to be an example of Christ to others.  Don't compromise your belief system or others will see your faith as fake.  Stand firm in Him and let His light shine in and through you.  You may never know if you touched someones heart which later became the base prompting used to bring this person to salvation.  God works through His Spirit, which is in you.

Jesus hung around with sinners and He did not become like them, they turned to Him instead. 

[Neighbor]

19 hours ago, ohso said:

I have a problem with working on a job that is not based on my faith. I know we live in a fallen world and we all need money, but most jobs are filled with situations and people that are not of God, and I feel I need to compromise so much of myself and of my faith, way too much, to do such work.

I am in a situation where I should be happy if I can find any kind of job, but all I've found are not functioning according to God's word. It bothers me a lot, and my heart and soul hurts there.

I'm really having hard time with figuring out what to do about it and how do I find my place? When the reality is I should be grateful to have any kind of job.

I've prayed about it and I hope, I'm not sure, that God wants us to just try our best and spread His word, but I feel like I'm failing God somehow. I feel like I should be doing something of an importance to faith and his kingdom, but not of importance to the world. I just can't seem to fit anywhere.

Have you ever been in such situation and what did you do? Any advice is appreciated as I am new in faith. Thanks. God bless.

Yes I have been in such a situation. I was the atheist among many Christians. I schmoozed with pastors priests rabbis and  leaders of many sorts of faithing systems with their many gods and God. I have worked after being called to my salvation  by the Holy Spirit  as an inn keeper bar operator and restaurant  operator. i have been a Christian builder a contractor and i have worked directly for a church for 14 years until recent retirement.

Hardest, but most satisfying is working for  a church body, by far. One stands never so low as to work for a Christian church body, no matter the job title, no matter the responsibility or authority, there is no limit to the number of people that will carp complain seek an audience  and crticize as there will be found  by the employee of a church going bout the business of serving as best  one can their Lord Jesus.

"No good deed goes unpunished" becomes a slogan, "Do anyway" a motto.. 

My own situation put me before 12 deacons, 12 elders, numerous deaconessses, and some seven hundred members and attendees  of  local body of christ Jesus, all of whom knew better my job and how I should do it than I did. Many  of whom would quickly share  of their vast knowledge.

Of all though the betterment of me presentations one stands out for my own top criticism award- The day I went up on the rooftop worked in a 135 degree HVAC unit to get it going so a ladies group would have their cool again as they labored for our Lord in a work/class room. I fixed it, came back down to where the ladies were working to make sure they were comfortable again.  And one said to me; "You should dress much better! Don't you know you represent the church to the world?!"  I loved it.

It was so much humbling fun to work  under conditions where such hilarious stuff happens. As I headed  for the church coffee pot after receiving my "praise reward" for fixing the HVAC unit for ladies I caught up with a pastor, one who never ever wears a coat nor a tie, coming through in his tshirt, shorts and flip flops- I told him, "Do you not know you represent the church to the world? You should dress better." "Seems you and I  make a terrible presentation to the world."

When I was hired I was asked by the secretarial staff if I had ever worked for a church before. When I told them,"No". The one said, "You won't last 60 days here", and then they started an office pool on it, picking dates for the end of my church career.-  I outlasted all but one of them.

One will not find glorious the work and praise for doing it to our Lord's glory . Can't take what is the Lord's to have; but if one gets a kick out of pushing on a rope trying to get the other end to move in a preferred direction  it is lots of fun to work inside the sausage factory so to speak. I sure enjoyed it, and will like to find yet another opportunity, but my own  body is now so worn I know it is not likely to happen.

 

May God bless you with satisfaction of doing all that you do to His glory alone.

[Who me]

22 hours ago, ohso said:

I have a problem with working on a job that is not based on my faith. I know we live in a fallen world and we all need money, but most jobs are filled with situations and people that are not of God, and I feel I need to compromise so much of myself and of my faith, way too much, to do such work.

I am in a situation where I should be happy if I can find any kind of job, but all I've found are not functioning according to God's word. It bothers me a lot, and my heart and soul hurts there.

I'm really having hard time with figuring out what to do about it and how do I find my place? When the reality is I should be grateful to have any kind of job.

I've prayed about it and I hope, I'm not sure, that God wants us to just try our best and spread His word, but I feel like I'm failing God somehow. I feel like I should be doing something of an importance to faith and his kingdom, but not of importance to the world. I just can't seem to fit anywhere.

Have you ever been in such situation and what did you do? Any advice is appreciated as I am new in faith. Thanks. God bless.

Your calling is to be Salt and Light in what ever job, place or situation you are in.

In biblical times and in recent history many Christians had no say in where they lived or worked. You have the freedom to decide these things.

Live for Jesus wherever you are and accept that as a missionary serving Jesus in secular work there is no such thing as a faith based career.

[AnOrangeCat]

I agree with Ravindran. Most jobs are innately secular but not necessarily bad. If you adhere to Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters" you're following one of God's commands on the job and serving as a good role model to other employees. If they look up to you in a secular sense because of that and know you're Christian then you can certainly serve as a way for God to open their hearts to the message. But other than that if you find your work spiritually unfulfilling then I'd agree with Ravindran again and encourage you to seek something in addition to the job rather than in place of it.

[Kinison]

I'm an assistant manager in retail, and I consider myself blessed to be where I'm at. Most of my customers are regulars who I see all the time, and there are times when they open up about their problems, thereby giving me something (or someone) to pray for. To me, I'm being the church by doing my best to serve in the environment I've been given.

[johnthebaptist]

On 4/5/2019 at 10:25 AM, ohso said:

I have a problem with working on a job that is not based on my faith. I know we live in a fallen world and we all need money, but most jobs are filled with situations and people that are not of God, and I feel I need to compromise so much of myself and of my faith, way too much, to do such work.

I am in a situation where I should be happy if I can find any kind of job, but all I've found are not functioning according to God's word. It bothers me a lot, and my heart and soul hurts there.

I'm really having hard time with figuring out what to do about it and how do I find my place? When the reality is I should be grateful to have any kind of job.

I've prayed about it and I hope, I'm not sure, that God wants us to just try our best and spread His word, but I feel like I'm failing God somehow. I feel like I should be doing something of an importance to faith and his kingdom, but not of importance to the world. I just can't seem to fit anywhere.

Have you ever been in such situation and what did you do? Any advice is appreciated as I am new in faith. Thanks. God bless.

Perhaps by setting an example for those you work with, you can do a great deal of good.