Missionaries in the Marketplaceنموونە

Day 1: I Am a Full-Time Missionary in the Marketplace

One day, I was invited to give a talk at an entrepreneurship and innovation event. After the event, a Christian professional approached me. He had noticed I was also a Christian through my presentation, and said:

“I’ve been working at this big company for 32 years. But now I’ve decided to serve God, so I’m leaving my job to study theology.”

I felt uneasy and asked him:

“And what have you been doing at that company for the past 32 years? Weren’t you serving God there?”

We often learn in our churches that there are different roles in the Kingdom of God: either you leave everything behind to be a missionary, or you pray, or you give to support the work.

But today, on this first day of the devotional, I want to share that these ideas aren’t entirely biblical. We need to recover a biblical understanding of what it truly means to do missions.

When we look at the main passage of the Great Commission, the word “go” in the original language is in motion—a gerund—meaning it could be translated as “going.” Jesus gave this command to His disciples, which includes you and me. Jesus is not calling us to go; if we are with Him, we are already going. God is a God on a mission. If we are with God, we are already on mission with Him and for Him.

Your career or business doesn’t exist only to pay bills or fund missionary projects. You’re not God’s ATM. Giving is certainly an important part of our Christian life, and we do it with joy and generosity—but offerings are only one part of our mission.

Today’s reflection is the foundation for the next days of this plan and is quite simple: beyond tithing, financial giving, and serving in our local church, we need to understand what Jesus truly wants. And He wants us to give our whole lives to the Father’s mission.

Let’s pray together:

“Jesus, I recognize that in You, I am a full-time missionary. Help me reflect Your Kingdom in all I do, especially through my professional vocation. May the way I work, my ethics, how I treat others, the quality of my work, and my relationships all bring honor and glory to Your name. I surrender 100% of my professional plans to You, Jesus. Use my career and business as a missionary project. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”