Many of us may have entered medicine with the intention of serving God by serving others, but the most godly career choices may not always be apparent. Alan Johnson answers some key questions relating to medicine, ambition and guidance in this issue. Opportunities to use medical skills in the mission field abound: Ted Lankester and Rosie Beal-Preston present a comprehensive list in Wanted!
But we need to be careful about what motivates us. In the last year, God’s been trying to teach me a lot. I use the word trying, not because the omnipotent Creator of the universe has been found wanting in some way, but because I haven’t been listening. I’ve been so busy doing things ‘for’ God, that I’ve forgotten who he is, and what he has done (and is doing and will do) for me. I’ve been so keen to serve him and to please him that I’ve caught myself slipping into a works mentality. Stubborn as a mule, I’ve closed my ears, gritted my teeth, and pressed on. On reflection, however, I do not think this is the kind of ‘pressing on’ that Paul refers to in Philippians 3:12, where he says that the goal of pressing on is to ‘win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus’.
In the immediately preceding verses (Phil 3:3-11) Paul emphasises his abandonment of any works or status that might be to his profit, and confesses his utter dependence on Christ’s righteousness and resurrection power. His ultimate concern is to gain Christ, to be found in him, to know him. This is Paul’s starting point. As a result of knowing Jesus personally we will then want to know the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings as well. However, to be a ‘martyr’ in our own strength as a means of gaining his approval is pure legalism. We cannot earn God’s love in any way! But rather, by God’s ongoing grace we can know his power at work in our lives and the obedient service that flows from a close relationship with him.
