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{Since the Heavenly Trade Is the Best Trade…
Exhortation and Counsel to Professors of Christianity
Use Everything for Heavenly Advantages
Get Good from Your Callings and Employments}
Get good from your callings and employments in the world by preserving a sense of the snares and dangers that come with your work. If people would take a strict survey of their behavior while on the job, and be honest about their observations, they must confess that there are many evils of which they are guilty concerning their work every day. There is idleness, excess of labor, deceitfulness, earthliness, lying, cheating, selfishness, covetousness, carnal mindedness, vain conversations, multitude of words, complaining, unthankfulness, and many other sins of omission and commission. Christians are exposed to temptations to these sins in the course of their employment. Now, when Christians experience and sense these things, this should make them more humble and watchful against evil and occasions of sin, and help to break and melt the heart before the Lord in prayer. When experiencing this sense of their weakness and inability to hold up under their temptations, they must fly to Christ for all their help and grace to stand (Hebrews 4:16; Ephesians 5:15–16).1109 And when Christians labor to keep a tender spirit in all their dealings, a holy jealousy of their hearts in everything they do, exercise self-denial, and are dead to the world and things below, then they get profit from their callings.
Christians get good from their particular callings when (Ephesians 6:18; Titus 3:1):1110
They make their particular callings serve their general Christian calling and make them consistent with that Christian calling.
Their business in the world does not hinder, but helps their Christian duties.
They keep their hearts fit for spiritual service even while they are in their earthly employments.
Sometimes God blesses your callings and makes your basket and store to increase. Then, be enlarged in thankfulness and preserve the memory of God’s goodness; this is not only your duty, but will sweeten your enjoyment of your mercies. “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two companies” (Genesis 32:10 NKJV). To love Him more and serve Him better with more cheerfulness and gladness of heart is to profit by your callings.
Sometimes God blasts your labors, defeats your hopes, disrupts your trade, and follows you with losses, one after another. In this case look to the hand of God, search out God’s purposes in all, get good from it, be more weaned from the world, and cease trusting in earthly things. This also is a profitable use of your callings.
1109“Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16 NASB). “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15–16 NASB).
1110“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18 NASB). “Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work” (Titus 3:1 NKJV).
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