How Does God Want Me To Live?
The Lord said to Moses, “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft.” Exodus 31:1-5
Christians are called to live out their faith in their families, their occupations, and the church. Martin Luther said that the family, for example, ought to be a “little church.” That is, it ought to be a place where the faith is taught and nurtured, where children are taught the fundamentals of the faith, and prayer is part of the family routine.
One of the great responsibilities of Christian parents is to pass their Christian faith along to their children. A good way to do this is to bring them to church with you and teach them to pray at home. Bedtime is a good time to teach them to pray. Starting about age 5, sit beside the bed and teach them to pray. Teach them how to open their prayers, “Dear God,” and how to close them, “Amen.” Teach them to do two things in the middle: say thank you to God for their blessings and pray for themselves and others. Prayers of thanksgiving and prayers of petition are at the heart of Christian prayer. Pray with your child out loud and both of you pray. Model for them what to do and pray with them every night as you tuck them in. It will give them their own experience of God as they turn their hearts to him every night in prayer. Do this and you will build faith in God in your child’s life.
Another place we are to serve God is in the church using our gifts. The New Testament says that God gives to each one gifts to use for the common good. These gifts must be discerned. That is, we do not get a handout detailing the particular gifts God has given us or is giving us. We must discern them, and this is a spiritual discernment. The Bible lists many spiritual gifts such as compassion, mercy, service, leadership, administration, generosity, encouragement, healing, and teaching (I Corinthians 12:1-12, Romans 12:3-7, Ephesians 4:11). God also gives us natural talents, such as musical abilities, that can be used in his service. Both natural talents and spiritual gifts are to be put to use for the benefit of others. For our spiritual gifts, the more we use them the better we become at doing so and the more God increases and expands our gifts (Matthew 13:12). In the same manner, if we don’t use them, our ability to do so diminishes. The Christian church is built up through the exercise of spiritual gifts.
How do we serve God in our community and the world? We do so through service to others and our vocations. What is our calling? One answer is that it is to serve God faithfully in whatever vocation God has given us. If we work in an office, teach in an elementary school, work as a nurse, repair automobiles, etc. we serve God by doing our jobs well. It does not serve God when we do shabby work, cheat our employers out of a good day’s work, or lay out for no reason. God has given people different abilities for the good of society. God needs preachers but he does not need everyone to be a preacher. He also needs farmers, construction workers, and truck drivers. While there are some unrighteous occupations that do not serve God, all legitimate occupations are ones in which we can serve God. One of the great insights of the Protestant Reformation was that the person who makes shoes can serve God just as well as the monk or priest. If God has called you to be a cobbler, then being the best shoemaker you can be is acceptable and holy service to God.