John 9:4 (NLT) — 4 We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work.

Colossians 4:17 (NLT) — 17 And say to Archippus, “Be sure to carry out the ministry the Lord gave you.”

1. See God’s will in your intentional design.

• Psalm 139:13–14 (NIV84) — 13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
• Your design is intentional: your gender, your ethnicity, your features.

2. See God’s will in your intentional placement.

• Your placement is intentional.
  • Where you were born
  • What time you were born
  • To what family you were born
• Jeremiah 1:4–5 (NLT) — 4 The Lord gave me this message: 5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”
• Importance of vocation
  • Vocation comes from the Latin word for calling.
  • Vocation is the third most defining aspect of our identity.
• Variations of how people see their vocation
  • It is what I HAVE to do to get money so I can live my life. (Unhealthy)
  • It is why I live. (Unhealthy)
  • It is my identity. (Unhealthy)
  • It has no Kingdom purpose; everything I do for God is outside of my vocation. (Unhealthy)
  • **Proper view - ** God has given my vocation to provide for the needs of my family, influence the lost with the gospel, and impact the Kingdom with generosity.
  • When you begin to see your vocation as a ministry and a calling, it begins to bring great fulfillment.

3. See God’s will in your intentional gifting.

• Natural gifts
• Romans 12:6–8 (NLT) — 6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
• Spiritual gifts
  • When the Spirit of God fills us, He manifests Himself through us all differently.
  • 1 Corinthians 12:7–11 (NLT) — 7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. 9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.