What Do You Do For a Life?

A pretty common question that people ask is “What do you do for a living?”  We have come to understand that this question is meant to identify what kind of job we have…teacher, factory worker, major league baseball player, etc…  But this question/answer reveals how far off we can be in terms of priority and purpose in our life.  What you do to provide an income to live on is rarely considered the most important part of our life.  Most tombstones say things like “loving husband”, “loving wife”, “loving mother”, etc…  Very few tombstones say “park ranger” on them.

Jesus Christ had a heroic purpose.  Jesus did many things.  He was a healer, a teacher, a food multiplier, a civil rights leader, a storm changer, etc…  But His purpose was none of those things.  If Jesus had a tombstone, which He never did because of that wonderful resurrection thing…what would it have said on it?  Well, in His own words, written down in Luke 19:10, Jesus said that He came to seek and to save the lost.  Jesus’ purpose was well defined.  His tombstone would have said, “Savior”.  If you are a follower of Jesus Christ then your purpose is also well defined.  You are to be an ambassador for Jesus Christ.  2 Corinthians 5:20 says that we are to plead with people to be reconciled to God.

Now, you can be an ambassador for Jesus while being a teacher or a major league baseball player or whatever.  In fact, what you do for a “living” is not nearly as important as what you do for a “life”.  So, I dare you….next time someone asks what you do for a living, say, “I am an ambassador for Jesus”.  Who knows where that phrase might lead the conversation?  And if that is a little too much for you, at least recognize that what you do for a living is only a very small part of your life.