Location, Vocation and God's Will

All Christians desire to go through life doing God’s will. Questions arise, however, in the activities we do, where we chose to live, and how we spend our time; in essence are these choices we make doing God’s will, or are we serving ourselves while paying lip service to it being for God’s glory.

We need to consider three areas with regards to how we live our lives and God’s will. We are directed to live our lives in accordance with Christ’s example and to not be “of the world” Ephesians 5:1-20. We move towards achieving this by being prayerful in all things, that is to always have God’s will and Christ’s purpose and life in mind. 1 Thessalonians 5:11-18.  The result of this is that we bear fruit Galatians 5:22, and live the proper way Colossians 1:9-12.

The question of where we live and what we do for a vocation are more difficult decisions, not directly answered by scripture. However, we can rest assured that if we are obedient and sincere in living the life of a disciple, and striving to always draw nearer to God, hearing his voice, the decisions of location and vocation will become clear.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight (Prov. 3:5-6).

Henry Blackaby has written extensively on how we can better hear what God is saying to us. He summarizes,

1)     “I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter.

2)      Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or simple impression. If so, I make myself liable to great delusions.

3)      I seek the will of the Spirit of God through, or in connection with, the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined.

4)      Next, I take into account providential circumstances. These often plainly indicate God’s will in connection with His Word and Spirit.

5)      I ask God in prayer to reveal His will to me aright.
 
So while we may consider and move towards a direction of location and/or vocation in our lives, we have assurance that if we do this with our heart, ear, actions, and intentions inclined towards our Lord, we will be in the right place, doing work and bearing fruit in a manner that glorifies Him who has made all things possible.