How The Holy Spirit Empowers Christians To Be Effective In the Workplace

Colossians 3:23-24 "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve."

Introduction:

God gives three callings to the believer in Jesus Christ: the calling of salvation, sanctification (i.e holiness) and vocation (i.e work). Today's post will aim to dive a little bit further into the subject of vocation. Certainly what Paul has to write here in Colossians 3:22-4:1 deals with the matter of the work place. How one functions as a Christian in the everyday workplace is covered under the discussion of "vocation". One area that is important to include in such a discussion is the matter of "the anointing of the Holy Spirit".

The anointing of the Holy Spirit 

Operating as an employee who is a Christian is as spiritual of a consideration as thinking upon heeding the call to pastoring or missionary work. The types of work may be different and the callings God gives for each might be distinct, yet the value each has in contributing to the overall accomplishment of God's purposes can be used equally by God. God certainly has used preachers and pastors in times past to initiate might movements of God, but so has He used business men to do the same work. The gifting and calling of God is certainly greater than any man, however God is greater than them all and will use each as he sees fit to accomplish His purpose. 

The Bible uses the language of "anointing" to communicate this idea of spiritual authority. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is that ministry He does while indwelling the Christian. Such ministry results in Christians having empowerment and insight to function and serve the Lord. At least two types of anointing are spelled out in scripture. 

The first is what I call an "outward" anointing. This has to do primarily with offices of every sort, whether family, govermental or within the church. God grants grace and ability to achieve that particular office. Clearly unbelievers or believers occupy positions or stations in families (parents) and in the culture (politics, doctors, police officers, teachers, etc). For example, in the Old Testament we see godly King David and a Pagan King named Cyrus both referred to as "God's anointed" (Psalm 2 and Isaiah 45). Only Christian men are specifically assigned by God to occupy the Pastoral/Elder and Deacon offices of Christ's church. (1 Timothy 3:1-14 and Titus 1) and believers in general are called by God with graces that accompany other areas such as teaching, administrating. All authority comes from God. Period. 

The second type of anointing, what we will deem "inner anointing", refers to that spiritual authority that only comes through saving faith in Jesus Christ. 1 John 2:20 and 2:27 describes the indwelling Holy Spirit as being the Christian's "anointing", meaning the source of delegated authority from God to discern and live out the Christian life. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 also describes this second type of anointing: "Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, 22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge."  Every Christian has the indwelling Spirit, and thus possess this inner anointing. Though all Christians have the inner anointing, each Christian will operate in different measure based upon how much they have taken in the scripture and have obediently yielded themselves to the Spirit's filling or influence. (Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:1,16). The anointing of the Holy Spirit is simply the empowerment and insight the Christian has from the indwelling Holy Spirit at work in and through their lives.

How so-called Christians are anointed by God to do extraordinary things
How can a Christian, working in an otherwise non-Christian environment, affect change? Certainly whatever station one is at in life, whether a parent, a doctor, a teacher, a laborer, a pastor or whatever the case may be, God has created the boundaries and abilities that come with each one. God has called and placed every believer where He wants them so they can be used by Him to impact others. 

In understanding the nature of one's vocation to do a certain task (again we will tie this to the term "outward anointing"), the Christian uniquely has that second anointing, that "inner anointing" or indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells the child of God to compell them work hard and love their neighbor as themselves. So how do these two anointings work together?

Over time, a Christian who has regularly given themselves to the scriptures and prayer will to the unsuspecting co-worker gain respect. As the Christian learns their place and accepts what they are doing as a call from God, their ability to be used of God can only increase. 

Closing Thoughts Just knowing that where you are is ordained by God (outward anointing) and that all that you need to do your job is supplied by the Holy Spirit of God indwelling you (i.e inward anointing) supplies the basis for Christian spiritual authority. Such authority must  not be viewed as imposing one's will on someone else but rather serving the Lord by loving one's neighbor for Jesus sake and doing one's job for God's glory. As Paul writes in Romans 14:7-8 "For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself;8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s."

Biblically understanding Spirit-filled, Spirit-anointed employees and employers

Ephesians 6:5-9 "Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; 6 not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. 7 With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 knowing thatwhatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free. 9 And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him."

Introduction
These last couple of days we have considered how the Spirit-filled life produces necessary consequences for daily living. We've explored Spirit-filled church life and Spirit-filled families. Today's post considers the Spirit-filled workplace. One of the reasons Paul is writing these words is to help readers to apply the central truth of Christ's all-sufficiency and Lordship to matters pertaining to family, to child-rearing and then of course the work place. How one functions as a Christian in the everyday workplace is covered under the discussion of "vocation". The Spirit-filled life is key to being a Spirit-filled employee or boss. One related area that is important to include in such a discussion is the matter of "the anointing of the Holy Spirit".

The anointing of the Holy Spirit 

When we talk about the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we are referring to the overflow of His power and presence in our lives. One cannot expect to walk in the overflow of the Spirit unless they are filled or influenced by Him. 

Operating as an employee who is a Christian is as spiritual of a consideration as thinking upon heeding the call to pastoring or missionary work. The types of work may be different and the callings God gives for each might be distinct, yet the value each has in contributing to the overall accomplishment of God's purposes can be used equally by God. God certainly has used preachers and pastors in times past to initiate mighty movements of God, but so has He used business men to do the same work. The gifting and calling of God is certainly greater than any man, however God is greater than them all and will use each as he sees fit to accomplish His purpose. 

Such ability to not only model but be the presence of God in the work place derives from the spiritual authority delegated by God to the Christian.  The Bible uses the language of "anointing" to communicate this idea of spiritual authority. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is that ministry He does while indwelling the Christian that results in them having empowerment and insight to function and serve the Lord. The filling of the Holy Spirit links together the Spirit's indwelling ministry on the inside to the anointing He does in taking what is on the inside and blessing others on the outside. At least two types of anointing are spelled out in scripture. 

The first is what I call an "outward" anointing. This has to do primarily with offices of every sort, whether family, govermental or within the church. God grants grace and ability to achieve that particular office. Clearly unbelievers or believers occupy positions or stations in families (parents) and in the culture (politics, doctors, police officers, teachers, etc). Thus for example in the Old Testament, we see godly King David and a Pagan King named Cyrus both referred to as "God's anointed" (Psalm 2 and Isaiah 45). Only Christian men are specifically assigned by God to occupy the Pastoral/Elder and Deacon offices of Christ's church. (1 Timothy 3:1-14 and Titus 1) and believers in general are called by God with graces that accompany other areas such as teaching, administrating. All authority comes from God. Period. 

The second type of anointing, what we will deem "inner anointing", refers to that spiritual authority that only comes through saving faith in Jesus Christ. 1 John 2:20 and 2:27 describes the indwelling Holy Spirit as being the Christian's "anointing", meaning the source of delegated authority from God to discern and live out the Christian life. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 also describes this second type of anointing: "Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, 22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge."  Every Christian has the indwelling Spirit, and thus possess this inner anointing. Though all Christians have the inner anointing, each Christian will operate in different measure based upon how much they have taken in the scripture and have obediently yielded themselves to the Spirit's filling or influence. (Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:1,16). The anointing of the Holy Spirit is simply the empowerment and insight the Christian has from the indwelling Holy Spirit at work in and through their lives.

How so-called Christians are anointed by God to do extraordinary things
How can a Christian, working in an otherwise non-Christian environment, affect change? Certainly whatever station one is at in life, whether a parent, a doctor, a teacher, a laborer, a pastor or whatever the case may be, God has created the boundaries and abilities that come with each one. God has so-called and placed every believer where He wants them so they can be used by Him to impact others. 

In understanding the nature of one's vocation to do a certain task (again we will tie this to the term "outward anointing"), the Christian uniquely has that second anointing, that "inner anointing" or indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells the child of God to compell them work hard and love their neighbor as themselves. When we regularly are filled with the Spirit, as commanded in Ephesians 5:18, we will be equipped to delight in doing for God and for others. So how do these two anointings work together?

Over time, a Christian who has regularly given themselves to the scriptures and prayer will to the unsuspecting co-worker gain respect. As the Christian learns their place and accepts what they are doing as a call from God, their ability to be used of God can only increase. 

Closing Thoughts
Just knowing that where you are is ordained by God (outward anointing) and that all that you need to do your job is supplied by the Holy Spirit of God indwelling you (i.e inward anointing) supplies the basis for Christian spiritual authority. Such authority must  not be viewed as imposing one's will on someone else but rather serving the Lord by loving one's neighbor for Jesus sake and doing one's job for God's glory. The working of the Spirit's anointing is directly connected to the Spirit's filling ministry. We could say on a practical level - one cannot truly operate in the anointing and not be Spirit-filled, since both ministries are intertwined with one another. If we were to assign a theme verse to Spirit-filled, Spirit-anointed employees and employers, it would be Romans 14:7-8. Notice what Paul writes in Romans 14:7-8 "For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself;8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s."

Your Job is your calling - Colossians 3:22-4:1

Colossians 3:22-4:1  Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth,not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. 25 For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.
4:1  Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven."

Introduction:
The past couple of posts have looked at several ideas related to how the Christian functions in the work place. 

Viewing one's job as a vocation or calling
We have learned the idea that the jobs in which we work as Christians are to be viewed as a "vocation" or "calling from God" to serve and love one's neighbor as oneself. The context in which we hear God's calling to go and be a blessing is what we call a "station". 

The ability to do one's job comes from the Spirit's enablement or "anointing"
The ability to perform what is necessary to "get the job done so-to-speak" is the anointing power of the Holy Spirit. This "inner anointing" is provided by the indwelling Holy Spirit for every Christian to carry out their jobs with discernment and direction. Today's post aims to take all we have looked at as background information and simply unpack the text of Colossians 3:22-4:1. 

Unpacking Colossians 3:22-4:1 - How your job is your calling

What Paul writes in Colossians 3:22-4:1 is practically spiritual and spiritually practical. As a Christian works hard for the boss for the glory of God, and as the Christian employer provides a safe and equitable work environment where their employees can work and thrive, the authority of God's kingdom is made manifest. Even for unbelievers who either supervise Christian employees or the other way around, there ought to be a noticable difference in the atmosphere and demeanor of the Christ-follower. How can a Christian arrive at better understanding their job as their calling? Two insights drive the text in Colossians 3:22-4:1.

Motivation to do one's job comes from the fear of God.      Colossians 3:23
So why should employees obey their employers? Paul answers this question by noting that: "with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord." The fear of God entails three motivations to drive Christians to be better employees: fear of God as leading to worship, dependance and faithfulness in one's work ethic.

a. Working hard from a heart of worship
When we fear God, it means to possess awe and respect leading to love and obedience. When Paul speaks of employees heeding their bosses, what begins as an obligatory obedience turns quickly into a willing submission. Fearing God has a way of purifying the heart, being that Proverbs 8:13 speaks of fearing God as being the hatred of evil. Whatever we fear the most will shape and mold how we think and act. When an employee is consciously aware that everything they do is in the sight of God, they operate in due diligence, whether the boss is looking or not. 

b. Working hard from dependance on God
The one who fears the Lord also recognizes that without God, there would be no job nor ability to earn a wage. Joshua 24:13 states - "And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat." 1 Corinthians 4:7 notes: "For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?" The heart that fears God cannot conceive of life without Him and will do all it can to maintain that conscious awareness that the Lord provides everything. Such an attitude guards a person from lapsing into pride and self-sufficiency. Only when the cross is at the center of one's fear of God can dying to self be a reality. 

There is a difference between obedience for the sake of getting a job so as to clock out or just get a paycheck versus putting one's heart into their work and knowing that in working for their employer, they are really working for their Lord. 

c. Working hard in faithfulness to God
Fear of God is vital in recognizing that one's job is a vocation or calling from God to serve Him and to love one's neighbor. In Colossians 3:24 we see reference to the believer's rewards that they will receive at the judgment seat of Christ. When Jesus comes to catch away His bride, the church, there she willl be with him in heaven while the tribulation period is occuring here on earth. (1 Corinthians 3:12-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). During that time each Christian will stand before the Lord to give an account of the deeds done during their time here on earth. Included in that will be how the Christian took care of their time at work. 

To lose rewards over a matter like not working as hard as one could or slacking off when the boss was not looking ought to change how Christians work. Why? Because the Christian's heavenly rewards demonstrate faithfulness and they have something to lay at the feet of Jesus who worked for in them the desire to be faithful. (Revelation 4:10) 

So when an employee basis their work ethic on the fear of the Lord, they will come to view what they do as an expression of worship, dependance upon Him and faithfulness to Him. There then is a second motivation for arriving at viewing one's job as their vocation or calling, namely...

The Attitude at one's job is regulated by faith in Christ.   Colossians 3:24-4:1

Look at some of these amazing statements about Jesus in this text: Colossians 3:25 has Jesus being "the Lord whom you serve" and 4:1 calls Him "the Master in Heaven". We must remember that no one can say from their heart Jesus is Lord unless they have the indwelling Holy Spirit in them from salvation. (1 Corinthians 12:3) Employees and employers that have true saving faith will do what they do because of the conscious and willful recognition that Jesus Christ who saved them is also Jesus Christ who owns them. Employers have no right to treat employees unfairly. Why? In the words of one preacher I heard once say: "in Jesus they have been placed out of ownership and put into management." The company and employees under their authority is a stewardship and blessing given by Christ to them to tend for His sake. Likewise employees have no right to be dishonest or lazy. Why? Because even though they do work for their employer, Jesus is the One for Whom they are laboring. 

Truly then it can be said that for the Christian, their job is their calling as they do their work in the fear of the Lord and faith in Him. 

The Christian operating by the anointing of the Holy Spirit in the everyday world

Colossians 3:23-24 "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve."

Introduction:

In yesterday's post we got into the three callings God gives to the believer in Jesus Christ: the calling of salvation, sanctification (i.e holiness) and vocation (i.e work). We ended yesterday talking about the last calling, and the desire today is to dive a little bit further into the subject of vocation. Certainly what Paul has to write here in Colossians 3:22-4:1 deals with the matter of the work place. As I wrote a couple of days ago, the appropriate way to apply the statements made about "slaves and masters" is to view them in the modern day categories of "employee" and "employer". One of the reasons Paul is writing these words is to help readers to apply the central truth of Christ's all-sufficiency and Lordship to matters pertaining to family, to child-rearing and then of course the work place. How one functions as a Christian in the everyday workplace is covered under the discussion of "vocation". One area that is important to include in such a discussion is the matter of "the anointing of the Holy Spirit".

The anointing of the Holy Spirit 

Operating as an employee who is a Christian is as spiritual of a consideration as thinking upon heeding the call to pastoring or missionary work. The types of work may be different and the callings God gives for each might be distinct, yet the value each has in contributing to the overall accomplishment of God's purposes can be used equally by God. God certainly has used preachers and pastors in times past to initiate might movements of God, but so has He used business men to do the same work. The gifting and calling of God is certainly greater than any man, however God is greater than them all and will use each as he sees fit to accomplish His purpose. 

Such ability to not only model but be the presence of God in the work place derives from the spiritual authority delegated by God to the Christian.  The Bible uses the language of "anointing" to communicate this idea of spiritual authority. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is that ministry He does while indwelling the Christian that results in them having empowerment and insight to function and serve the Lord. At least two types of anointing are spelled out in scripture. 

The first is what I call an "outward" anointing. This has to do primarily with offices of every sort, whether family, govermental or within the church. God grants grace and ability to achieve that particular office. Clearly unbelievers or believers occupy positions or stations in families (parents) and in the culture (politics, doctors, police officers, teachers, etc). Thus for example in the Old Testament, we see godly King David and a Pagan King named Cyrus both referred to as "God's anointed" (Psalm 2 and Isaiah 45). Only Christian men are specifically assigned by God to occupy the Pastoral/Elder and Deacon offices of Christ's church. (1 Timothy 3:1-14 and Titus 1) and believers in general are called by God with graces that accompany other areas such as teaching, administrating. All authority comes from God. Period. 

The second type of anointing, what we will deem "inner anointing", refers to that spiritual authority that only comes through saving faith in Jesus Christ. 1 John 2:20 and 2:27 describes the indwelling Holy Spirit as being the Christian's "anointing", meaning the source of delegated authority from God to discern and live out the Christian life. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 also describes this second type of anointing: "Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, 22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge."  Every Christian has the indwelling Spirit, and thus possess this inner anointing. Though all Christians have the inner anointing, each Christian will operate in different measure based upon how much they have taken in the scripture and have obediently yielded themselves to the Spirit's filling or influence. (Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:1,16). The anointing of the Holy Spirit is simply the empowerment and insight the Christian has from the indwelling Holy Spirit at work in and through their lives.

How so-called Christians are anointed by God to do extraordinary things
How can a Christian, working in an otherwise non-Christian environment, affect change? Certainly whatever station one is at in life, whether a parent, a doctor, a teacher, a laborer, a pastor or whatever the case may be, God has created the boundaries and abilities that come with each one. God has so-called and placed every believer where He wants them so they can be used by Him to impact others. 

In understanding the nature of one's vocation to do a certain task (again we will tie this to the term "outward anointing"), the Christian uniquely has that second anointing, that "inner anointing" or indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells the child of God to compell them work hard and love their neighbor as themselves. So how do these two anointings work together?

Over time, a Christian who has regularly given themselves to the scriptures and prayer will to the unsuspecting co-worker gain respect. As the Christian learns their place and accepts what they are doing as a call from God, their ability to be used of God can only increase. 

Closing Thoughts Just knowing that where you are is ordained by God (outward anointing) and that all that you need to do your job is supplied by the Holy Spirit of God indwelling you (i.e inward anointing) supplies the basis for Christian spiritual authority. Such authority must  not be viewed as imposing one's will on someone else but rather serving the Lord by loving one's neighbor for Jesus sake and doing one's job for God's glory. As Paul writes in Romans 14:7-8 "For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself;8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s."

Called to salvation, holiness and work - Taking a look at the concept of one's vocation

Ephesians 6:7 "With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men."

Introduction: 

Have you ever thought of your job as a calling? Both the Bible and the history of Christian thought abound with teachings that declare that not just the preacher, but everyone who carries a responsibility, holds an office, performs duties at a work under a supervisor or boss or who are parents have a calling. Every single person in society occupies what is called a "station" or "standing in life". Theologian Gustaf Wingren notes: Stand is one's station in life. These stations are external and are so arranged to serve others. "It is only before God, i.e., in heaven, that the individual stands
alone. In the earthly realm man always stands in relation, always bound to another. From this it is clear that every Christian occupies a multitude of offices at the same time, not just one: the same man is, for instance, father of his children, husband of his wife, master of his servants, and office holder in the town hall".

Authors such as Wingren explain this truth being part of what is called the doctrine of "vocation". Perhaps you have heard of a "vocational technical school" or you have undoubtedly heard of jobs being referred to as one's "vocation". The term "vocation" is related to a Latin root the carries with it the idea of "calling". In Bible doctrine, the idea of vocation has to do with a Christian living out the will of God and loving their neighbor by means of their current situation or place in life (i.e station). Whether some people realize it or not, various "stations" such as parents, police officers, pastors, laborers and employers are ordained by God to sustain a level of order in this world. 

When a person is called by the Spirit of God to faith in Jesus Christ, only then within the confines of such stations can one see that what they do (whether baker, laborer or candlestick maker) is serving God by serving others through the particular giftings and calling (i.e vocation) He has given them.  Seeing how this truth is spelled out in scripture in relationship to two other "callings" will aid us in seeing why it is so important to understand.

The three callings in the Bible: Salvation, Sanctification and Vocation

Often when Christians speak of "being called", the normal image that comes to mind is either a pastor or missionary being "called" to serve God. Understand though that the theme of "God's calling" is dominate in describing the entirety of the Christian life. The first and most fundamental call is that to salvation. Jesus notes in Matthew 9:13  "But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” It is only when Jesus calls individual sinners by means of the spoken scriptures that there can be a legitimate response unto salvation. (Romans 10:17; 1 Cor 1:9) 1 Peter 2:9 reminds us: "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."

The second calling described in the Bible is that of sanctification, which every disciple of Jesus Christ is called to live out and yield to Christ to let Him live out the life through them. We could also call this calling "the calling to holiness", as exampled in 1 Corinthians 1:2 "To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours." The phrase translated "saints" literally means "holy ones" or "set apart ones" and thus the Christian by definition is called by God to live a Holy and devout life. For example, consider 1 Peter 1:15-16 "but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 

Thus the calling of salvation and the calling to sanctification provide the foundation and backdrop for the Christian's third calling, the one which we began with in today's post, namely "the calling of work" or vocation. As we noted earlier, vocation explains how any job or profession is duly ordained by God to all kinds of people and professions, not just pastors and missionaries, to affect His Divine order in this world. Only the Christian, having been Divinely affected by saving grace to respond in faith and repentance can see any job as an opportunity to be a channel through which God can use them. 

The ability and opportunity to work was first spelled out in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 2:8 we see the primary purpose as to why God created man and placed him in the garden: "The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed." Notice here, we see God providing the place and the role for the man - i.e his station. Then in Genesis 2:15, with the perfect man in fellowship with God, we see the purpose for which God placed him: "Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it." We understand that the calling to go to work was the first Divinely ordained institution, with the family being the second at the end of Genesis 2. 

The God-centered view of work (i.e vocation) was lost in the fall, and only can be regained in the New Birth experience of saving faith in Jesus Christ. As Romans 14:7-8 states - "For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself;8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s."

Closing thoughts

As we understand God's calling to serve Him by serving our neighbor in whatever field, office or job we hold, we will then more appreciate the larger calling to be holy and the most important calling of them all - salvation.