What Is My PurposeSýnishorn

Understanding Work

Ephesians 2:10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

“Why am I here?” This was the question that drove my life until I found Jesus Christ. At first sight, life seemed to have no meaning or purpose. It seemed to be a crazy roller coaster ride that ended with death. If that were so, what was the point in doing anything other than enjoying oneself to the hilt?

However, I found that a wild lifestyle did not bring me the peace or joy that I expected and so I began reading philosophy at the age of 16. I was introduced to the subject by Will Durant’s book The Story of Philosophy. I read many philosophers, beginning with the Greeks and going on to the Romans and those of the later periods but was left unsatisfied. It was on reading Augustine’s Confessions and City of God that I found the answer - God was the meaning in life. Everything began and ended with Him.

If everything begins and ends with God, does that mean that the work of ministry becomes the only reason for our existence as Paul says in Phil 1:20, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain?” Should we lose interest in our work and wait for the end of the work-day when we can get busy with ‘Christian’ activity?

When I asked my Pastor to recommend a good Bible school so that I could become an evangelist, he dissuaded me and told me to remain where God had brought me. As Paul says in 1 Cor 7:20f, “Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it. “

That led me to a two-year search which gave me some insights and laid a foundation for my life. Peter Drucker mentions Malthus, a pastor, and sociologist who lived at the end of the 18th century, who said that since the population of the world doubles every 40 years or so, while the land under cultivation remains fixed, the world would become poorer and people would starve. While the population did indeed double as expected, the world got richer and food became surplus. How come? Because of science and technology. Science and technology led to the productivity of the land being multiplied. God used science and technology to make true what Ps 136:25 says, “He gives food to every creature. His love endures forever.”

This shows us that God doesn’t just want evangelists. He also wants people that will help fulfill His larger purpose for providing for the world. God not only gives us spiritual salvation, but He also provides for the needs of mankind through the different businesses that exist and the work we do. We are not just doing a job. We are fulfilling a role for which God has called us.

That realization should change our whole approach to work. Work becomes exciting because our goal is no longer self-advancement but serving mankind. Having that shift in perspective helps us find meaning in the work that we do.

How do you contribute to the well-being of society and mankind by your work?