My Friend Needs a Job

"Desperation tends to bring about an extreme search for God and an extreme offer from the world to stop you from having Him." - Yours truly

 

I have a friend who desperately needs a job.

 

But he wants a life.

 

He has recently left the "party lifestyle" of his youth that involves going out to the bars every night, partying it up with people, and charming everyone on the scene. He was very good at this lifestyle, and it called his name every day when the sun went down. But when the sun came up, with last night's after-effects lingering, he would be full of regret, yes, but more than that, he would be full of a lingering belief that "there has to be more than this."

 

It wasn't long before he found "others" out there that have the same lingering belief, some living in it, some trying to figure out how to live in it. Since then, he has left his "life of the night" and become a "child of the day"...feeding the part of him that believes, and starving the part of him that hinders belief.

 

But now, he suddenly and desperately needs a job. And there is something about needing a job (which is a weird combination of "making money" and "finding a life") that brings about the competing feelings of urgency and reflection.

 

He started by calling a friend for a sales job. He got a good word from him that opened up a real possibility for a position. And he gave me that good news, but with a spark in his eye he said, "I'm not feelin' it." This excited me as he unpacked a vision he had for his life that involved finding a job that "makes a difference" in people's hearts. He rushed me to the computer and showed me a you-tube video about a difference-making group that got him jacked up. It would involve wholesale revolution and change for my friend...a move to another state, a huge step of faith, help from others to enable him to do it...and his eyes lit up as much as he was lighting up the room as he spoke.

 

That was last week.

 

This week, a variety of obstacles have pretty much cooled his "dream" and made it feel to him like it's impossible to achieve it anytime soon. So he called another friend to ask if he had anything that might give him a job.

 

So he calls me today telling me about this, and he has a job offer. It's for the company Budweiser...and his job would be called "Contemporary Marketing Manager". You know what his job description would be? It would involve going out to the bars every night, partying it up with people, and charming everyone on the scene. He'd hand out free beer, and get this, they are asking him how much he wants to make.

 

I've heard of this happening many, many times to people. But the most famous time is recorded in the Bible, when Satan made the extreme offer of "the world" to stop Jesus from living "the Life". "The devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."

 

My buddy is in very good company tonight, with a very big decision to make. Pray that he, and all of us, as it becomes our turn to face this choice between life or death, God or the World, a paycheck or a passion...pray that he makes the same choice as Christ. Which goes like this...

 

"Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" 

 

I think it goes without saying that Jesus said 'no' to the short-term, materially-rewarding, easy-as-pie choice that would have given him the world and a paycheck, and instead took the long-term, eternally-rewarding, costly choice that gave him life for the world and a passion.

 

When you make this difficult choice, GG, I have no doubts whatsoever that what happened to Jesus next will also happen to you: "Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him."