You decide your career, but discover your calling. A career makes you money in order to survive, and a calling is what God has intended for you to do and accomplish. There are five differences between calling and career:

1. Choice

Colossians 3 says that whatever you do, do it as though it was for the Lord and not for humans. God wants you to use the gifts and talents He gave you to accomplish both your calling and whatever you choose to do for a living. The only criteria that matter for a career are: it makes money, it is fully legal, and it is not hurting no one. Prayer and fasting is not always needed. Just ask these questions, and if it’s a yes to them, then do it. A calling though is fixed and appointed by God for your life.

2. Natural/Supernatural:

A career is natural, and it will flourish through education, training, connections, etc. A calling is supernatural, and it REQUIRES anointing and a life of prayer and fasting. The criteria for a career are not needed for a calling, as a calling does not need to meet the needs of a career. A career can flourish with absolutely no supernatural or spiritual intervention, but a calling can never be fulfilled without the supernatural. Likewise, God does not call the qualified, but qualifies the called, meaning that no amount of education or training are able to fulfill a calling on their own.

3. Fluidity:

A career can change many times throughout one’s life, but a calling is the same from the day of birth to death. You can change your career whenever you want. Career is fluid depending on season, economy, and trends. Choosing a major in college is a prime example of this. God created your calling when he knit you together in your mother’s womb, and it never changes, whether you are in Potiphar’s house, or in Pharaoh’s house.

4. Motivation:

A career is what you do for money, and a calling is what you do for eternity. A career is ambition driven, whereas calling is mission oriented. Career is your platform to which calling is your purpose. This platform is not just to make money and gain a cushy retirement, but it is to be leveraged to fulfill the purpose of your calling. Looking at Esther, her platform was queen, but her purpose was to save the Jewish people from destruction.

5. Inspiration:

The problem with inspiration is that it does not save souls. In light of eternity, inspiring others to feel better about themselves is the worst and most selfish thing you can do. We are here to SAVE not INSPIRE! Because of the reality of life after death, it is CRUCIAL that you use your platform not to inspire, but to save! Your platform dies with you. Only your purpose will outlive you.

“Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,”
2 Timothy 1:9

This blog was written by Vladimir Savchuk.

Pastor Vlad is the lead pastor of Hungry Generation Church, an author of “Break Free” and “Single, Ready to Mingle” and a founder of free online school “Vlad’s School.” To download free e-books, sermon series, small group study guides go to vladimirsavchuk.com