Just finished Gene Edward Veith’s God at Work. Veith gives us an excellent summary of Martin Luther’s unique approach to the doctrine of “Vocation.” The modern world needs this material. Vocation has become a secular term, i.e. “vocational training,” etc. But, until recent decades “vocation” was a religious word. It comes from the Latin “to be summoned,” and God is the One summoning. He summons us to fulfill the purpose for which he made us.
In other words, the search for vocation used to be a search for God’s calling. What does God want me to do…carpentry, ministry, law, education, or mother/housewife? The answer is not a palliative for self-fulfillment. Rather, the summons is always a call to serve. But, the irony is that serving always eventually terminates in self-fulfillment because “He that loses his life (in service) will gain it.”
Parents who want to guide their children into God’s summons need this book. Pastors that want to guide their flock into God’s summons need this book. People who want to know the joy and satisfaction of knowing they are doing what God created them to do need this book.
I heartily reccomend.
