The Job of Being a Christian

Sometimes it is so easy to get caught up in the job of being a Christian.

My job as a Christian

On the occasion of the birth of their little sister, two of our beautiful granddaughters were staying with us. We spent our time together playing games, seeing fun places, visiting relatives, and watching movies. And we ate. Often. That was something I had forgotten about little children–even little girls can consume a lot of food.

Not that I minded. I love to cook and bake. Being an Italian raised, Southern transplant grandmother, I’m a triple threat in the kitchen. So I found myself in the grocery store for the third time in a week with my two little angels by my side.

Walking across the parking lot, one of them asked, “Grammy, why do you go to the store so much?”

I smiled and answered, “Because it’s my job to make sure you have enough to eat.”

She responded, “No, it isn’t. Your job is to love us!”

Well, you can imagine that brought some tears to this grammy’s eyes.

What the job of a being a Christian is not

I wonder how many times we do that same thing to God. We teach Sunday school classes and bake for the missions bake sale, and take our turn cleaning the church. We attend all the weddings and funerals and revival meetings. We decorate. We help with Bible school and visit the hospital and sing in the choir and … and … and … because, as Christians, it’s our job. Right? 

Then we wonder why it’s so hard to get motivated on Sunday morning. Somehow, we changed serving God into a job.

So what does God expect of us? How many hours should we punch in on His time card? Exactly what is the job of being a Christian? 

I once ran a daycare center at my church. I had the quintessential brass plaque on my desk that boasted the scripture, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” After one particularly exhausting day, I realized that I was overseeing the routines of the daycare, scheduling workers (who were often late or left early), taking payments, keeping the books, teaching a class, cooking lunch, and doing the end-of-day cleaning.  I was, in fact, doing all things, and overwhelmed, I was not doing any of them very well. 

“It’s not by works”

That evening, I told the Lord that I no longer wanted to do all things, and asked Him to please help me to delegate some tasks and trust others to do what they were hired to do. I learned a valuable lesson. 

It’s funny, but some of us find ourselves easily caught in that revolving door when it comes to the things of church. We can find that, at times, people expect more of us than God does, causing us to run in endless circles, seeking approval. That is not God’s will for His children!

What the job of being a Christian is

The fact is, when we are doing what God has truly called us to do, it may tire our bodies, but it invigorates our spirits. Doing the work we are called to do does not send us running away from Him, and it does not take away from other areas of our lives that He ordained, like family, worship, prayer, rest.

We can get plumb worn out in the process of all the things we do that God never told us to do. Always, God pours in; He doesn’t drain out. As we empty our cup in His service, He refills it in our quiet time with Him. Where the designs and plans and agendas of people are concerned, it really is okay to say no. Really.

So what exactly is the job that God has called us to do? Look at His Word. Here are a few suggestions:

What the scriptures say

1. Proverbs 31:8-9

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.

2. Isaiah 1:17

Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.

3. Micah 6:8

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

4. Matthew 6:33-34

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

5. Mark 16:15

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”

The most important job of being a Christian

6. John 13:34

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”

Wow! My little granddaughter had it exactly right! 

One body, many jobs 

There is no one particular job of being a Christian. As we are all one body made of many parts, each with a particular, important function, so there are many jobs and responsibilities to fulfill. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

God bless you, and may you find your particular job in His kingdom.