Are You A Professional or Amateur?
2 Timothy 2:20-26 Amplified Bible (AMP)
20But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also [utensils] of wood and earthenware, and some for honorable and noble [use] and some for menial and ignoble [use]. 21So whoever cleanses himself [from what is ignoble and unclean, who separates himself from contact with contaminating and corrupting influences] will [then himself] be a vessel set apart and useful for honorable and noble purposes, consecrated and profitable to the Master, fit and ready for any good work. 22Shun youthful lusts and flee from them, and aim at and pursue righteousness (all that is virtuous and good, right living, conformity to the will of God in thought, word, and deed); [and aim at and pursue] faith, love, [and] peace (harmony and concord with others) in fellowship with all [Christians], who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart. 23But refuse (shut your mind against, have nothing to do with) trifling (ill-informed, unedifying, stupid) controversies over ignorant questionings, for you know that they foster strife and breed quarrels. 24And the servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome (fighting and contending). Instead, he must be kindly to everyone and mild-tempered [preserving the bond of peace]; he must be a skilled and suitable teacher, patient and forbearing and willing to suffer wrong. 25He must correct his opponents with courtesy and gentleness, in the hope that God may grant that they will repent and come to know the Truth [that they will perceive and recognize and become accurately acquainted with and acknowledge it], 26And that they may come to their senses [and] escape out of the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him, [henceforth] to do His [God's] will.
A few years ago our Bishop preached on being a professional. Through this message I came to understanding that being a professional means that we place Christ out in front and that we represent Him, we are a professional at humility before Him and in our worship of Him and that we seek Him first above all; that we are the living testimony. We should not just claim Christ but we should be living being a disciple of Christ. A few years ago while working in a financial institution a member of the church I attend came in, she, she was not just a member she worked in ministry; she was rude and unkind to the person who serviced her. I thought at the time wow, she didn’t recognize me, but I recognized her and she was a bad representation of the church we attended. This morning a person from the utility company came to my parents’ house, again this person did not recognize me, but I recognized them, because they too were not just a member but served in ministry at church. This individual’s attitude was horrible, and again I thought to myself, wow that is poor reflection on where we worship. But then in my spirit I could hear it is a worse reflection upon me and the kingdom that they are supposed to represent. My heart sunk.
I understand that we all have bad days and things go wrong, in our personal lives, but the question I must ask is, even in those moments do we not realize we are being watched, and measured. We are the representation of God all the time, not just sometimes. What if in these two scenarios that I had been a person that was not a Christian and I had visited the church they attended saw them operating in the church and then saw their behavior outside of church, that would have driven me away from church and God not to Him. My heart is sadden every time I hear a person profess Christ with one mouth and with that same mouth when something goes wrong or they don’t like their circumstance they are cussing, fussing and acting worse than those who never utter the name of Jesus. Professionalism, does not just pertain to our work situation it also pertains to how we live our lives, through Christ. Are we getting the word in us, and spending enough time in the presence of God that He is the one that comes through when we encounter people or are we still shining through, our bad attitude our corrupt communication or cutting and offensive words? When we can teeter back and forth quickly between the things of God and the flesh, that means that our flesh is getting fed a little bit more than our spirit and it still has a strong hold and position. But if the Holy Spirit quickly reminds us of who we are and who we represent than the God in us is being nourished and the skills of being a professional representation of Christ are being cultivated and reinforced.
Does our behavior, attitude, interactions and responses to individual show our lack of professionalism, or that we are a consummate professional that represents our Father God well? Do people encounter us at work, in social setings and at church and see the same individual or do we have a church face and a face that we live by? Are we submitted to God in a way that He is what people see and hear or is the truth of who is in control of our lives coming out? Have we become comfortable in our amateur status as we go about our daily lives and just play at being a professional on Sunday morning? Become to pro not just one day a week, but every day, as it says in a Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.”
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