I have wrestled with my conscience/heart for many years over how I should be spending my time here on earth, what career it is that God would have me in. I have raised the question to others, including pastors, "Is it God's will that every Christian have a career as a pastor or serve in a full-time ministry, since all other careers are not fully devoted to serving Him?"
I always got the same general answer, which in summary states that we can serve God in many careers by being a good example, being a positive influence on and ministering to others, etc. These are good answers, but, it didn't quite get to the core of my sticking point. I read a devotional by Charles Haddon Spurgeon this morning, here are the pertinent parts:
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"For me to live is Christ." — Philippians 1:21
In the words of an ancient saint, he did eat, and drink, and sleep eternal life. Jesus was his very breath, the soul of his soul, the heart of his heart, the life of his life. Can you say, as a professing Christian, that you live up to this idea? Can you honestly say that for you to live is Christ? Your business—are you doing it for Christ? Is it not done for self- aggrandizement and for family advantage? Do you ask, "Is that a mean reason?" For the Christian it is. He professes to live for Christ; how can he live for another object without committing a spiritual adultery?
- Charles Haddon Spurgeon
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At first as I read this I thought (as I have before) "Should I quit my job as an engineer and jump full-time into Christian media productions?" Quickly, before I could agonize over that (again) this answer came to me; "The point is to examine your motives. Your hands and feet can be in many places, it is your heart that He cares about."
So, I can't answer for anyone what they should be doing as "hands and feet" of God, but that we each must carefully and prayerfully examine our motives for how we spend our time.
This devotional relates well to the next movie that I am considering producing. It is a documentary exploring the lives of people who spend their time serving others, making life better for others, and making the world a better place. I still don't have a title. The potential distributor suggested titling it "Hands and Feet," I have considered titling it "It's Your Life...how will you spend it?"
The photograph was taken during production of "Spirits Among Us" while we were shooting the church service scene.
2 comments:
AHHHhhh! I love you humility here, Ray. Very sobering thought that we should ALL evaluate SPIRITUAL INTIMACY in our believing lives.
All is in spirit form first.
God is a jealous God. Coupled, (hence the pun), he does not want to SHARE us with anything or anyone else.
God reigns Supreme, and wants also to be recognized as so in our lives. What do we passionately meditate on and cry for, or plan for in our private time? Or do we MAKE private time?
He wants us to yearn for Him, not just for bigger and better ideas! Not just how to "FIX" our current circumstance or the rest of the world, even! He wants our thoughts our desires....
Let's come back to our FIRST love.
Let's surrender to and embrace the one who so fearfully and perfectly put us together, and let's fall apart in his loving arms. He molds and shapes our ideas and dreams. He bottles our tears and then in due season rains down the blessing on us.
He will share us with no other.
If we so chose any other, THIS is Spiritual Adultery.
In Love,
Dawn Bursell
Ray & Dawn you both had some good thoughts here. When we consider all the things in our lives that demand our time, and look at how we actually occupy the moments the Lord has apportioned us... we can't help but often think that we need Eph 5:16 emblazoned upon our volition, so everytime we are faced with a decision of how we use those moments, we will admonish ourselves to be careful to "Redeem the time" (rescue from loss) for that which really counts for the Kingdom. Of course that doesn't mean we are going "ninety to nothing" all the time either. Even God rested on the 7th day.
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