Becoming Like Jesus: What Difference Do I Make?Sample

Your Creator has called you to work.

Discovering our purpose begins with knowing the Caller. The one who calls you is the same one who created you. And He created you with a purpose to fulfill.

Over the next three days, we are going to look at the difference we have been called to make by studying the Hebrew word abad. This one word carries so much meaning for us as people called by God. Because this one word gets translated into the words: work, worship, and serve—three words that are a pretty big deal when it comes to understanding the purpose God has given us. Today, we’re going to look at the first appearance of the word abad in the Bible and discover together what it means to work with and for our Creator.

From the very beginning of the Biblical story, we are told that God created human beings special, in His image, to partner with Him in caring for creation. This is the picture painted by Genesis 1—God is our Creator and He wants a relationship with us, His creation. And we learn that we are different because we have been created in the image of God with the purpose of partnering with Him.

In Genesis 2, we see the story of creation from another angle. Instead of the big picture account of Genesis 1, we get a more up-close and personal account in Genesis 2. And that’s where the word abad first appears.

Once again, it starts with God creating the heavens and the earth. But, there’s a very important detail that shows up to shine a light on what we’re called to do:

“This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work (abad) the ground,” Genesis 2:4-5 NIV

As God is forming and filling the universe, our attention is drawn to what is missing: “there was no one to work (abad) the ground.”

There was a job that needed to be done, and no one there to do it. So God created human beings.

Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being… The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it (abad) and take care of it. Genesis 2:7,15 NIV

God formed us from the dust of the ground and filled us with the breath of life so that we could abad—so we could work, worship, and serve alongside other image-bearers.

What are you called to do?

Your Creator has called you to work.

Okay, but what kind of work are we supposed to do? Partnering with God in His good plans for the world. For the first humans, this looked like taking care of the garden God had placed them in. For us, it’s joining in on God’s redemptive plan to rescue others from sin and restore the world. It’s allowing the Gospel to transform us from the inside out so we start to look more like Jesus, live more like Jesus, and love more like Jesus.

So, how do we do that exactly? As much as we’d like to, we can’t answer this question for you. Because the way each of us lives out our calling will look different. Each of us have been given different gifts, perspectives, and experiences that make us more suited for some things than others.

This is the beauty of the Church. A movement of people united under the rule and reign of Jesus who all bring their unique skills to the table to accomplish His mission.

While we can’t tell you exactly what your assignment is, we can offer some questions that may help you gain a little more focus on the kind of work you might be made for.

What are you passionate about?

What are you really good at?

What does the world need?

What can you make a living doing?

As you ask yourself and the people close to you these questions, look for themes and patterns that overlap. Chase those themes and patterns and see where they go. As you do, look for opportunities to test and try out some of those things.

Are there places you can volunteer your time to get more experience? People you can ask more questions regarding your interests? Videos or tutorials you can look up online?

As you explore these questions, just remember, God cares so much more about the condition of your heart than the specifics of your assignment.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24 NIV

So, whatever work you do, commit to working for and with your Creator. Because He is the one who created you and He’s the one who called you.

Pray: Lord, remind me what matters most: pursuing you and loving others. As I do, open my eyes to the gifts you’ve given me, the passions you’ve put in me, and how those fit into your good plans for the world. I want my work to matter. I want to work for you. In Jesus’ name, amen.