Full Time Job

Before I  formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.

Jeremiah 1:5

When people reach the age of retirement, they usually pursue a leisurely lifestyle, but I know one couple who chose a different path. They became the guardians of their young grandchildren. 

Children had been in their home and part of their lives for fifty years. They had on-the-job training in giving youngsters love and discipline. 

However, listening to their story, I realized their confidence in taking on the guardianship role wasn’t based on what they knew; it rested on Whom they knew. They firmly believed God had set them apart to do this job.

Jeremiah wrote about being set apart to serve God. He said, Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born I set you apart (Jeremiah 1:5). It seems God had a purpose and plan for Jeremiah’s life even before he was conceived. 

I think that is true for each of us. Before we were born, God set us apart to serve him in a unique way. I don’t know about you, but I feel pretty special knowing God trusts me with such an assignment. 

Jeremiah’s God-ordained assignment was to be a prophet to Israel. The assignment for the couple I mentioned was to love and care for children. Your assignment is to ________________ (Fill in the blank).

As we perform the work God has set us apart to do, we can get tired or discouraged. God made a promise for Jeremiah to recall in the tough times. He said, ‘They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you’ (Jeremiah 1:19). 

We too can depend on that promise. As we serve him, God is with us.

Thank you, Father, for giving us a purpose and being with us.

Carol