Work/Vocations/Callings (Part 2)

“An activity that is based on the frenzies and impulsions of human ambition is a delusion and an obstacle to grace. It gets in the way of God’s will, and it creates more problems than it solves. We must learn to distinguish between the pseudo spirituality of activism and the true vitality and energy of Christian action guided by the Spirit." (Thomas Merton)

“..if you try to live without Him [God], you will be abandoning the purpose for which you were made.” (Life Application Study Bible, John 1:3)

“God is my co-pilot” bumper stickers are misguided...if you possess every gift imaginable but don’t allow God to guide you in using those gifts, you could very well become useless. Or worse, you might spiral out of control and crash.” (NIV Men's Devotional Bible)

"...every member of the Church has his or her vocation to fulfill in the Church according to the divine will.” (Father Robert Slesinski)

"As Christians, our"call” from God is to become like Christ...This is a gradual, lifelong process that will be completed when we see Christ face to face ...To be"worthy” of this calling means to want to do what is right and good (as Christ would). We aren’t perfect yet, but we’re moving in that direction as God works in us.” (Life Application Study Bible, 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)

“Vocation comes from the Latin vocari which means to call. In Greek: klisis means calling. Vocation is our response to God’s call to serve Him. We have a primary and a secondary vocation. Our primary vocation is to have union with God and become Christ-like in all that we say and do. Our secondary vocation, or vocations, are what we do in our lives that enables us to express this Christ-likeness. Everybody has been called to serve in some specific way. God wants each and every person to utilize his or her talents according to His purpose.” (Fr. Jim Katinas, Sacramental Living)

“As described in the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, we left the path of our true vocation which is to grow towards God and have union with Him.” (Sacramental Living)

“We are not called merely to obey and imitate God in a moralistic fashion, but it is our vocation to participate by grace directly and organically in the divine life and glory, becoming one with the Holy Trinity in a transforming interchange of love." (Metropolitan Kallistos Ware)

“My vocation is not my career or my role in life. Rather, my vocation is my call from Christ to do what He has me on the planet to do, to cooperate in building up His Kingdom on earth. Hence, my vocation is fluid and changes with each passing day, each passing moment, in an enthralling adventure. My vocation is my way of life—His way of life in me—as time passes…When we live life as vocation, we witness to the world of the kingdom of God and rejoice in that gift that gives ultimate meaning to our daily, complex lives.” (Albert S. Rossi, Ann Bezzerides)

"You have to think of work as an act of love because it produces what is good." (Dallas Willard)

“What we should bear in mind is that every type of work on earth and in all the universe is God’s work and as such it should be performed from the heart, without reservation." (Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica)

"Honor Him by the quality of your work and the attitude of service you bring to it.” (Life Application Study Bible, Psalm 134:1-3)

“Most of us are already familiar with the profound...truth that man was created in the image of his divine Creator. But since God himself is a worker, we would expect man, who is created in God’s image, to be a worker, too...God is a worker. This alone gives us a clue that work itself must be significant, that it must have intrinsic value.” (Doug Sherman and William Hendricks)

“Since vocation – calling – is necessarily a vocal matter, God speaks directly to set His design before each person. We hear Him in our hearts as He seeks to break the bonds that keep us from responding to His call.” (Dynamis 4/8/2015)

"We need the grace of community. We discern our vocation in community, and we fulfill it as we are anchored in mutual interdependence with others in the community. No vocation is fulfilled in a vacuum apart from the needs and experiences of others with whom we live and work. Having a vocation never means that we are freed from the obligations and responsibilities of communal life…” (Gordon T. Smith)

“The word vocations is not simply the plural of vocation; at least not in the Christian context… We have one vocation, but many vocations… Our vocation is our primary call, which is to follow Christ, enter into a relationship with Him, and allow Him to transform us... and become more and more Christ-like. We express this Christ-likeness in our vocations or secondary calls. Our secondary calls are our vocations which can be careers, jobs, and our roles as spouses, parents, family members and friends. It is essentially to do the work Christ calls us to do, whatever that may be at the different stages of our lives.” (Sacramental Living Blog: Vocation and Vocations)

"Some people feel they are"called” to a certain type of work…Os Guinness, author of The Call points out what should be obvious. If you are called to something, there must be a caller. As Christians we believe that caller is God…” (Sacramental Living)

“How do we identify our vocation? Perhaps it is better for us to ask how vocation finds us, for vocation means"calling.” Our English word comes from the Latin vocare,"to call,” which connotes"a summons or a strong inclination to a particular state or course of action…” (Dynamis 4/8/2015)

"Our God-given role in life is the place of our salvation.” (Orthodox Study Bible, 1 Timothy 2:15)

“God establishes the lives of all His servants on a divine foundation, so that every thought, word, and deed draws life from the Life-giver. Whatever our career, job, or calling, we are to use it for God.” (Dynamis 11/14/2013)

“…to discover God's will for us we must be faithful to Him where we are, faithful to and in the conditions in which He has placed us. One of the greatest obstacles to the discovery of one's vocation in life, which is a clear expression of our disobedience and self-will, is the desire to be someone else, someplace else, sometime else…Being faithful where we are is the basic sign that we will God's will for our lives. The struggle to"blossom where we are planted," as the saying goes, is the way to discern God's presence and power in our lives, to hear His voice, to accomplish His purposes, to share His holiness.” (Father Thomas Hopko)

“....our careers and our life circumstances are not ends unto themselves; they are means to the end of serving Christ and building his kingdom. For the follower of Christ there is no such thing as an ordinary teacher, fashion designer, homemaker, retail clerk, or barista; there are only kingdom-focused teachers, fashion designers, homemakers, retail clerks, and baristas.” (Richard Stearns)

“Do you have difficulty accepting your station in life? Do you resent where God has placed you? Although education and focused effort may enable us to take a new role or get a new job, often God puts us in a place to serve. Whether it is an actual prison or a place that feels like one, God wants you to serve him faithfully and joyfully.” (Life Application Study Bible, Philippians 1:16)

“What is your attitude when the task you have been given is not up to your true potential? The task at hand may be all you can do, or it may be the work God wants you to do. Or...it may be a test of your character that can open up new doors of opportunity.” (Life Application Study Bible, Ruth 2:7)

"Nothing is more important than to learn how to maintain a life of purpose in the midst of painful adversity." (Pastor Timothy Keller)

“…we cannot discover God’s purpose for our lives by our own efforts – only through building a relationship with Him and seeking His guidance.” (Life Application Study Bible, Ecclesiastes 3:19-22)

“God leaves us here because He has a mission for us to fulfill. We aren’t here by accident; neither are we here simply to enjoy the good things life has to offer. We are here because God put us here, and He has a sovereign purpose in keeping us here. It’s true for us as individuals, and it’s true for His body, the Church, in all of its fullness.” (Billy Graham)

“As you go about your daily tasks, God is working in your life in ways you may not even notice. We must not close the door on what God can do. Events do not occur by luck or coincidence. We should have faith that God is directing our lives for his purpose.” (Life Application Study Bible, Ruth 2:20)

“And that is the pattern for all work. It is creative and assertive. It is rearranging the raw material of God’s creation in such a way that it helps the world in general, and people in particular, thrive and flourish.” (Pastor Timothy Keller)

“God does not call the equipped, but rather He equips those whom he calls.” (Richard Stearns)

“We must never use our gifts as a means of manipulating others or serving our own self interests...Make serving God and His people your motive as you utilize your gifts.” (Life Application Study Bible, 1 Corinthians 12:1)

“Commit to serving Him without conditions and move in the direction of your gifts and your passions, trusting that God will steer and lead.” (Richard Stearns)

"God will make resources available to us in creative ways to accomplish His purposes.” (Life Application Study Bible, 1 Kings 18:36-38)

“Meaning, purpose, and significance are found only by aligning our lives with God’s purposes, in lives committed to following Jesus Christ.” (Richard Stearns)

“Purpose in life starts with whom we know. Not what we know or how good we are. It is impossible to fulfill your God-given purpose unless you revere God and give Him first place in your life.” (Life Application Study Bible, Ecclesiastes 3:9-13)

“Highly skilled and talented athletes lose their abilities if their muscles aren’t toned by constant use. Likewise, we will lose our spiritual gifts if we don’t put them to work.” (Life Application Study Bible, 1 Timothy 4:14)

“Unless we regularly stop work and take time to worship and simply contemplate and enjoy the world—including the fruit of our labor—we cannot truly experience meaning in our lives.” (Pastor Timothy Keller)

“Titles and positions are meaningless in God’s sight when good deeds do not accompany them.” (Orthodox Study Bible Luke 10:31-32)

“The truth is not that God is finding us a place for our gifts but that God has created us and our gifts for a place of his choosing—and we will only be ourselves when we are finally there." (Os Guinness)

"There is no difference for the follower of Christ between the sacred and the secular. All work is sacred if it does not violate God’s laws and if it is offered in the service of building his kingdom.” (Richard Stearns)

“subdue” the earth (Gen. 1:28), and, both in Paradise and beyond, to"till the earth” and"keep it” (Genesis 2:15, 3:23). Work is not just something that"fallen” man has to cope with. We are, quite literally, made for work and our happiness—both in this world and in the world to come— is entirely bound up with our capacity for labor.” (Hieromonk Maximos)

"Your ability to find satisfaction in your work depends to a large extent upon your attitude. You will become dissatisfied if you lose the sense of purpose God intended for your work.” (Life Application Study Bible, Ecclesiastes 3:9-13)

“Without meaningful work we sense significant inner loss and emptiness.” (Pastor Timothy Keller)

"Our salvation and calling are based on His grace and love, not on anything we have done to merit God’s favor.” (Orthodox Study Bible, 2 Timothy 1:9)

“In obedience to discernment, more discernment will come. We need to be attentive and alert in order to hear and understand God’s call and then act, knowing that God blesses even our mistakes.” (Unknown)

“When God calls people, He doesn’t always choose those with the best résumés” (Kasey Van Norman)

“You may feel as though you are disqualified from serving God because of past mistakes. But serving God is not an earned position. No one qualifies for God’s service, but God still asks us to carry out his work.” (Life Application Study Bible, Jonah 3:1)

“God has important work for you to do for him, but you must do it by the power of the Holy Spirit. We often like to get on with the job, even if it means running ahead of God. But waiting is sometimes part of God’s plan.” (Life Application Study Bible, Acts 1:8)

#ThomasMerton #FatherRobertSlesinski #frji #FrJimKatinas #SacramentalLiving #MetropolitanKallistosWareAlbertSRossi #AlbertSRossi #AnnBezzerides #ElderThaddeusofVitovnica #DallasWillard #DougShermanandWilliamHendricks #GordonTSmith #SacramentalLivingBlog #FatherThomasHopko #RichardStearns #BillyGraham #OsGuinness #HieromonkMaximos #KaseyVanNorman