How often have you conceived of your everyday, possibly hum-drum life, as a calling from God? Possibly never. For most of us the work-a-day week is routine. It seems not to be directly associated with God’s work on this earth. Every day we get up at a particular time, grab a lunch, and books or tools, and are off to a day like many others. Is this a calling? Are we in this way fulfilling God’s work on this earth?

Often the word calling is associated with a position in the church, such as minister, missionary, elder, or deacon; or possibly even extended to the work of a Christian school teacher. Generally it is not carried so far as to include the work of a laborer, clerk, farmer, mechanic, or student. This should never be so.

All God’s children are called to the office of all-believers. Everyday life is included in this office. God’s children have the calling to function in this world, and in eternity, as God’s friend-servants. This then is calling of all the elect: the sum­mons to be God’s servants in the offices of prophet, priest, and king. No matter what our occupation might be, we fulfill these offices in our everyday work.

When the undersigned was a student in a Christian high school there was an or­ganization called The Future Kingdom Workers. This name suggested that persons do not work in God’s kingdom until they have chosen a particular occupation, and that even then only certain occupations could be considered “Kingdom Work.” This could never be true. All God’s children have the calling to work in His Kingdom in whatever capacity God has called them to.

In order to see how this is realized, we might look at the Heidelberg Catechism question and answer 32: “Why art thou called a Christian?” The answer tells us: 1) that I may confess His Name, 2) that I may present myself a living sacrifice to Him, and 3) that I may fight against Satan and sin in this life.

Confessing God’s Name in everyday life comes with difficulty. In some situations we often find ourselves to be the only Chris­tian. So much easier it is to sit back un­noticed than to make our confession. Con­fessing that we are children of God need not be done in the pushy method of street-comer evangelists, but in a manner which can yet be seen by all. The Chris­tian ought to be obvious at work or in school. He is recognized by the language he uses, the types of entertainment he condones, by his prayer at mealtimes, and possibly by his dress. He is honest when it comes to money matters and in all things never attempts to be anything less than straight-forward. It soon becomes apparent to all that this same person regards Sunday as the Sabbath and not simply as part of the weekend of worldly pleasure. He al­ways stands prepared to explain these ac­tions and to give confession of his salvation in Christ. These virtues are revealed as a reflection of the virtues of God who has called us from darkness into His Light.

In this instance we can take the example of Daniel, who being a young man in his teens, was called into a difficult position by God. All the pleasures of Babylon were offered to Daniel; however, “Daniel pur­posed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat nor with the wine which he drank.” Rather Daniel confessed God’s Name by eating pulse, rejecting that which had been dedicated to the Babylonian god. In Daniel’s confession he was not ashamed. Never do God’s children suffer shame in the confession of His Name.

We must be thankful to God for the calling which He has given. Our calling, be it laborer or highly regarded pastor, has come from God. It should be with joy that we awaken each morning and realize, that as we prepare for another day’s work, we are fulfilling God’s mandate for us and for His Kingdom on this earth.

Our thankfulness can never include the idea of repayment. This would be impos­sible. Rather gratitude can be this alone: that we show forth His glorious praises. This is done by putting on the new man, walking in His righteousness, and declaring that God has delivered us from the power of sin and has redeemed us in the blood of Christ. Here also is an antithesis: we cannot serve God and mammon. So also in our calling we reject sin and hate dark­ness.

This is the third area of our calling ac­cording to the catechism: “That with a free and good conscience I may fight against sin and Satan in this life, and after­wards reign with Him eternally over all creatures.” We have no difficulty in rec­ognizing sin. It is all about us; it is that old man with which we constantly struggle. We have heard the Ten Commandments over and over; we are warned of sin in our daily Scripture reading; it is preached on Sunday.

With “a free and good conscience” leaves us with no doubt as to the out­come of the fight. We are certain of the victory. We are assured that in our calling we represent the cause of Christ in our fight on this earth. We shall “reign with Him eternally over all creatures.”

Be faithful and thankful to God for the calling which he has given on this earth.