In this special episode of Justice & the Inner Life, we share a Sunday morning message Jedd delivered on Labor Day 2021 at the Falls Church Anglican. In it, he offers a vision for Christian vocation — exploring the deep value of our daily work, our sense of God’s calling in our lives, and also, critically, how to keep what matters most in all of this first.
In this episode, we'll explore:
- What it means to live a called life.
- How our sense of vocation will impact every part of our lives, not just our work.
- The severe consequences of mixing up our primary and secondary calling.
- Some warning signs that signal our view of our calling is out of order.
- What it takes to persevere in work of justice & mercy for a lifetime.
Key Quotes
"If we get [our sense of calling] wrong, then what we think of as our primary vocation will go awry. It will become a burden, not a joy. And we will almost certainly do harm to others too, especially those nearest us. BUT, when we set our primary vocation first, becoming a little more like Jesus every day, our yoke will grow surprisingly light, even when we carry heavy loads…"
"This work [of mercy and justice] is not just a requirement of God’s people, it is most of all a revealing of God’s heart – of who He really is."
"Our first and deepest calling as followers of Christ is not to any job or career or even a lifetime mission. Our first and primary calling is simply this: to grow more like Jesus every day."
"The biblical calling to fellowship, to freedom, to peace of heart, to holiness, to salvation, to bring good to even those who have done wrong to us – none of these point to a particular career or undertaking. They are all fundamentally about our character and our way of life."
"When we are growing a little more like Jesus every day, especially in the very small things – the little choices of our thought life, what we chose to do with the first 15 minutes of our day, our attentiveness to the person in front of us and to God, other little habits and small choices – when those things are growing more like Jesus, then what grows out of us - including our public vocation – will be good too."
