Some years ago, as a new staff in a local church, I visited a young adult cell group. During the time of sharing, a young man thanked the group for praying for him the week before and said that he had finally made the decision about which of the three job offers to accept.
I was interested and curious – so I asked him after the cell meeting ended how he arrived at the decision. He said plainly, “Oh, it was easy, I just chose the one that pays the most.” His reply took me by surprise and everything in me reacted against it! But since I was new in the church, I refrained from speaking my mind.
But I had many questions. Did he hear from the Lord about which job offer to take? Did he even take time to seek the Lord about it? How could he just assume that the highest paying job was the right job for him? Could the Lord not want him to take the lowest paying job but with the highest yield in spiritual things? Did someone not teach him these things? Why is it that no one in the cell group said anything to correct his decision-making process as a follower of Christ? Did they think and act the same way? Are they all like that?
There is no sense of God’s call here and I believe this young man is not a rare exception amongst believers. I suspect there are others like him who are working in the marketplace without knowing God’s call, without following God’s leading and without fulfilling God’s destiny. That is something of great concern isn’t it?