With the tip of the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared. - Judges 6:21

Do you know how does God call people into His service? There is a clear pattern in the way God calls men and women into service for Him. Almost every major leader has been called while he or she was in the midst of performing his or her everyday vocation. When Jesus called His disciples, they were all in the midst of their career - Peter was a fisherman; Matthew was a tax collector; Luke was a physician; Paul was a Pharisees; Moses was a shepherd. Even Jesus was a carpenter before He was called to minister to the people of God.

When God called Gideon to free the people of Israel from the oppression of the Amalekites, Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress. Like Moses, Gideon was fearful and he placed his arguement before God with reasons that his family was nothing special. He was doubtful that he could be used by God to save Israel. When Gideon finally realised that God was with him and God had promised victory, he began to acknowledge God by preparing an offering to Him. The angel did an interesting thing with Gideon’s offering. The angel of God took the tip of Gideon’s staff and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. When God called Moses to lead His people out of Egypt, God chose to perform miracles through Moses’ staff. Why did God choose to use the staff in both cases of Gideon and Moses? Why didn’t He simply send the angel to perform the miracles and deliverance? The staff is an instrument of symbol. It signified the holder’s vocation and work life. God wants us to know that the tools He has given to us are the tools He wants to use to demonstrate His power. However, in order for that to happen, we must yield ourselves and our tools to God for the miracles to be manifested through them. The tools in our lives today could be our knowledge, our skills or even our natural born talents.
God wants you to have an overriding ministry objective in your work life. He gives you tools in order for you to perform your best for Him, to be the light and salt of the world through your works. He wants to manifest His glory through you in your workplace. Know that you represent God in your workplace and you can stand in the gap for your colleagues and bosses. And when you do, you open the door for the presence of God to do good works through you in your marketplace to bless others around you.

Question yourself:

• Do I know what are the tools that God has placed into my hands?

• Am I prepared to yield myself and my tools totally to God for His glory to be manifested in my workplace?