What Will You Gain?
By: Kristen L. McNulty
Reprint rights available on request. Email the author at kristenmcnulty@hotmail.com.
What does your dream for your future look like? Are you pursuing a career in banking? Are you hoping to end up going to medical school? Have you picked out the dream house or the dream car? What does your picture for your future look like? And what's the priorities you have that are guiding those dreams and desires?
Those are questions we all need to ask ourselves. I know for me growing up I had some pretty big dreams but also some pretty misaligned priorities. I wanted to be a lawyer or an actuary so I could make a lot of money and acquire a lot of possessions including a BMW in the driveway and a mansion on a lake. But somewhere along the way, those dreams and priorities changed. Why? Because as a follower of Jesus I could no longer justify picking a career based off of my desires or pursuing wealth to build my own kingdom here on earth. After meeting Jesus at 16 I learned that it’s incompatible to call myself a follower of Jesus and then go on to live life the way I wanted to. No, I learned that following Jesus means following him in every area of my life, including dreams for the future and priorities for my life.
Less About A Paycheck and More About His Will
Now, I’m not saying as a follower of Jesus you can’t become a lawyer, not in the least. But what I am saying is when you listen to the teachings of Jesus and commit to living them out you find out that life is less about having a big bank account and more about funding the work of God. And you find out life is less about picking a career that leads to a big paycheck and more about picking a career that Jesus wants you to be in where you can accomplish the most for Him.
In the book of Matthew we find some verses that help us to prioritize what matters in our lives, especially when it comes to things like careers and money.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. Matthew 16:24-27
Let me repeat those questions: And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?
Two Vital Questions
Those two questions should be on our mind daily as believers and they should definitely be on the forefront when it comes to the decisions we make about our careers, our futures, and our finances. As we learn from these verses, the lives of believers are to be vastly different from the lives of unbelievers. Because belief in Christ isn’t something that is added to our life. Belief in Christ is something that defines our lives completely as we pick up our cross and follow Him. It’s impossible to be truly following Jesus and still live a life filled with selfishness or greed. Following Jesus means laying down our dreams in exchange for His will and following Jesus means giving up the pursuit of wealth to live a life of luxury and instead using whatever we are blessed with to be a blessing to others and to build His kingdom.
I can’t tell you what following Jesus will look like for you, but Jesus can. So when it comes to a career, don’t consult your plans, ask Him what His are for your life and be faithful to follow His leading.
When it comes for money, don’t pursue it above all else, but commit to take whatever your job pays you and use it for His kingdom building, not to add possession after possession into your collection but to build His kingdom and spend your money the way He would have you spend it.
Because This Life Is Temporary
Because as we know, this life is temporary. One day our careers will be distant memories. One day the cars we drive will no longer run and the houses we lived in will lie in ruins, but what we did for His kingdom will last forever. Let’s not forsake following Him for things that are temporary, but instead commit to living the life He would have us live and giving away what He would have us give.
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