Dedicated

I finished reading a biography on William Wilberforce a short time ago. Christian biographies are something that always minister to my soul. If you do not make it a habit to pick up a Christian biography every once in a while, I strongly recommend it. This particular one, “Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce” by John Piper was a gift from my mother-in-law.
For those of you who have never heard of the man, Wilberforce served on Parliament in England from the late 1700s into the early 1800s. Wilberforce was a champion of the faith and saw to it that one of the cruelest enterprises known to man was put to an end in his home country of England. I am of course referring to the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Wilberforce however did not see this enterprise ended over night. He felt convictions from the Father early in his life as a believer and saw them out, shortly before his death. Wilberforce dedicated more than half his life to the abolishment of the slave trade and slavery itself. But how did such a man make such a difference, to change the course of an entire nation?
A verse that personifies Wilberforce is Matthew 5:16: “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Wilberforce was convinced that no man had the right to be idle. Upon giving his life to Christ as a young adult, Wilberforce sought to leave Parliament to “dedicate his life to the Lord” by becoming a minister. Thankfully he sought the advice of a very famous theologian John Newton. Newton advised him that his talents could be used by God in the public life. Wilberforce stayed in Parliament but did not function as the other members. Wilberforce knew something that most did not know then, and many still do not know today; if you are in Christ there is no such thing as a secular job. That means as a child of God, all the things you do are done for the Kingdom.
What is it you are doing for the Kingdom? We don’t all have to run out and become ministers (though some should). Most of us need to minister right where we are! Perhaps Wilberforce may have enjoyed more a life of being compensated for studying and preaching scripture, but that was not God’s plan and Wilberforce accepted that. He dedicated and used his status in Parliament to change the course of history for the Kingdom and for his Father God.
There was no easy answer for Wilberforce. The question I am sure he asked was, “How do carry myself in Parliament unto the glory of God?” But he kept asking, and what God revealed to Wilberforce was that he was not put into Parliament to make laws, but to eradicate laws that were offensive to God.
What is your job and whose glory are you doing it unto?