Should my faith affect my choice of careers?

God has a plan for us – even our careers

The Rev. Rick Burwick, lead pastor, Clinton Parkway Assembly of God, 3200 Clinton Parkway:

Of course it should, if we understand what the word faith really means. To assist us, let’s look at the words penned by an unnamed author of the book of Hebrews: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

It says, “faith is the substance,” meaning what I believe about God, about others and about myself. It also implies personal learned values on which we base our decision-making process.

That being the case, if we accept the word of God as being true, then we will place our faith in the reality that God’s plan for our lives, including our careers (Jeremiah 29:11), will be in alignment with the way that we’ve been wired to think.

Our faith – and our beliefs – also affect our career choices in other ways. It would affect where (company, business, though not necessarily location) we work, who we work for, etc. We wouldn’t want to work in an environment that is destructive to family values or work for someone who doesn’t exemplify integrity.

In essence, to assume that a person’s faith wouldn’t affect their career choice would skew the meaning of faith and reduce our God-given abilities to think, feel, respond or react to a less-than-human level. However, the greater impact is when we discover that God’s plan for our lives may be challenging with its ups and downs, as life is.

Send e-mail to Rick Burwick at pastorrick@cpaog.com.

God employs us to benefit his kingdom

The Rev. Alan Estby, campus pastor, Immanuel Lutheran Church & University Student Center, 2104 Bob Billings Parkway:

My first job was gathering pop bottles on the beach in California when you could get a few cents for returning glass bottles to the store.

It took hours of walking the beach area, checking out the refuse bins and asking people if they were going to throw away their bottles or take them back home. It wasn’t going to be much of a career, but it did provide some needed cash at times and gave plenty of fun in the sun and surf.

Since faith receives the gifts of God for our physical and spiritual well-being, I would have to say that I had total trust in God to provide for all my daily needs.

When faced with a career decision, one looks to God, who provides all things. One considers the talents and gifts given, which enables you to serve God and your neighbor in love.

God is able to use the faithful for the benefit of his kingdom. The fruits of faith are seen in the decisions that are made to glorify God and give thanks for all the blessings we receive through the object of our faith in Jesus Christ, his son.

– Send e-mail to Alan Estby at lsfku@mail.ku.edu.