A Worthy Occupation

 God's Word is precious, like nuggets of pure gold (See Proverbs 2:1-5). Through the Word of God, we can understand where we have come from, why we are here, and where we are going. Through God's Word also we can understand God's will for our lives in this time and for all the 'nations' (peoples) of planet Earth.

Through imagination travel back with me now before time was when nothing existed except God alone. God then spoke, and the universe and its vast array came into being, and thus also began time.

Then God made man, sculpturing them, male and female, from the dust of the ground. God breathed into them the breath of life; man became a living soul, created in God's own image. God commanded the man to "be fruitful and increase in number." He also gave man dominion over the rest of creation (See Genesis 1:28).

God then entrusted man with the responsibility of caring for His creation, placing the man and the woman in the Garden of Eden (somewhere between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, present-day Iraq) to work it and take care of it (See Genesis 2:15).

But the serpent was also in the Garden, filled with all the evil intents of that one who was cast out of Heaven because of arrogance and pride, desirous to exalt himself even above its Creator (See Isaiah 14:12-14).

Being deceived by that serpent, man betrayed God and shunned his responsibility (See Genesis 3), plunging the entire human race into rebellion against God. As a result, a great gulf was fixed, separating God and mankind to this day, that gulf incapable of being bridged through any human effort whatsoever.

God still loved His human creatures, however (See Genesis 3:21), and began His work -- His one pursuit -- to woo them back to Himself. Eventually, God would give them a second chance with the coming of the second Adam, Jesus (Yeshua), the Christ (Messiah), the only "bridge" capable of spanning that "great divide." (See Romans 5:10-21; 1 Corinthians 15:12-34.)



Fast-forwarding, we come to the New Testament era, where we see Jesus at Jericho (in the nation of Israel north of the Dead Sea, east of Jerusalem and Bethany). Through one of His parables, Jesus teaches us that God has once again given man a trust. (See Luke 19:11-27; Matthew 25:14-30; John 9:4, 5.) As it is with God, so it is to be our one pursuit -- faithfully laboring at it until Christ returns -- that the 'nations' may be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth (See 1 Timothy 2:4)

It's our heavenly work on Earth, more precious than gold, or any earthly ambition, not merely "wood, hay, and straw" (See 1 Corinthians 3:12). Such will all perish with the perishing of time. It is, therefore, "required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful" (1 Corinthians 4:2).

We once more fast-forward, to the year of our Lord, A.D. 1900, and meet one such faithful steward -- Amy Carmichael. Her obedience to God's command led to the founding of Dohnavur Fellowship in southern India.

At Dohnavur Amy saw the need: young girls were sold as temple prostitutes to be "married to the gods," and later made available to Hindu men frequently appearing at the temple.

Moved with compassion at what she saw, Amy embraced her calling ("putting her hand to the plow," Luke 9:62) and never looked back. Laboring faithfully for over 50 years, children were rescued from an empty life (See 1 Peter 1:18-21) and led to a new life of purpose in Jesus Christ. (See John 10:10b)

By twelve years into Amy's work, 130 children were cared for at Dohnavur. Amy faithfully pursued her God-given trust.


Today God waits for other "Amys," and "Aarons," to realize their precious labor -- that one occupation worthy of their lifelong pursuit. He listens for that sincere cry of the heart, answering the call of Isaiah, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8).


Coming next month A More Secure Trust

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