A GOD-LIVED LIFE: God gave you a blessed vocation

INTRODUCTORY NOTE

          We are observing a series of sermons with a Stewardship emphasis. Stewardship, ultimately, is about our entire life. We use what God gives us to his glory and for the good of our neighbor.
          Each month, I will be sending out an email to further encourage what we pondered on the first Sunday of that month. In this way, the thoughts do not perish by that Sunday evening, but each one can give intentional consideration how he or she may put into practice what was proclaimed as a God-pleasing way to serve him.

          For the month of November, we continue to consider what it means to have A Life Lived for Others. 

A LIFE LIVED FOR OTHERS

Week #3        God gave you a blessed vocation

            St. Paul wrote, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).  This passage reminds us that, when God set us apart, he set us apart for good works.  He has declared us righteous, and the faith he has placed in us makes itself evident and productive through good works.  St. James even goes so far as to note, “You see that a person is shown to be righteous by works and not by faith alone.  …For just as the body without breath is dead, so also faith without works is dead” (James 2:24,26).

            In the Ephesians passage above, St. Paul also notes that the good works we are to do are presented before us by God.  “God prepared [them] in advance so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).  We do not need to go out and invent ways to impress God or our neighbor.  God gives us vocations in which we are able to do good works and serve our neighbor in beneficial ways.

            Perhaps the easiest way to see your vocation is in your employment.  Whether your profession is exciting or mundane, whether each day is a new adventure or the same tedious task performed without end, God is pleased with the work that is done by his children.  Even if you think it is pointless, someone gave you a task to do which serves other people in some way.  These are good works that God lays out before you.  And if God chooses to provide a different, more exciting way to serve your neighbor, there is nothing wrong with doing something different. 

            But vocations are not limited to employment.  Are you a child?  Are you a parent?  Are you a spouse?  Are you single?  Are you a citizen?  Do you have friends?  Do you have neighbors?  Do you ever see other people?  These are vocations, too.  You get to serve your neighbor in whatever way you are associated to him, even if he is your enemy!  “Love your neighbor” covers everyone you encounter. 

            You do not have to plot or plan how you may live a God-lived life.  God presents you with daily opportunities for good works.  God gives you various vocations in which you get to honor him and love your neighbor.  It is what you have been set apart for.