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Series: God's Will for Your Work
Devotional: 3 of 4

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

The hardest decision I’ve ever made professionally was to step down as CEO of Threshold 360 six years ago. I loved leading that fast growing tech startup. And I also loved creating faith and work content like these devotionals. But I was convinced that I had to put all my professional eggs in one of those two baskets.

I knew neither path was a “higher calling”—I could follow Jesus fully in either role. But I still spent months paralyzed, desperate to discern God’s will for my work.

Part of what freed me was today’s passage, knowing that regardless of which path I chose, as long as my heart was submissive to God today, he would make my paths straight tomorrow. 

As we’ve already seen in this series, Scripture says very little about God’s will for you tomorrow, but a lot about God’s will for you today—namely that he wills us to obey him and walk in the way of The Way, Jesus Christ (see 1 Thessalonians 4:3).

So long as you’re doing that, there’s no such thing as a “wrong” decision. As Tim Keller once said, “for a Christian, there is no ‘plan B.’” Because God’s purposes will always prevail (see Proverbs 19:21). That brings me to the third biblical truth for discerning God’s will for your work… 

Truth #3: There is no wrong way if you are following The Way.

Here’s how pastor Jerry Sittser articulated this idea: “If we seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness…then whatever choices we make concerning the future become the will of God for our lives. There are many pathways we could follow…As long as we are seeking God, all of them can be God’s will for our lives, although only one—the path we choose—actually becomes his will.”

In other words, it is impossible to seek the kingdom of God and miss the will of God. There is no wrong way if you are following The Way.

What decision are you agonizing over at work? Should you stay or leave your job? Go back to school? Say yes or no to a big project? If none of your options violate God’s commands, relax. Pray for wisdom. And unless you hear a clear answer, choose freely and confidently—knowing the Lord will make your path straight.