The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers.

2 Kings 15:18 (NIV)

Do you think the work that you do in your life is important? What’s the lens you’re using when you think about that? When we look around, we can see all sorts of jobs that people consider important. Each of us, I imagine, when we were children, had an idea of what we “wanted to be” when we grew up. Sometimes, as adults, we might look back on those childhood wishes and scoff. I wanted to fly or work in Intelligence when I was a kid, so I joined the United States Airforce after high school. What did you want to do?

I know that almost every job that exists today won’t be around in heaven. From doctors to firefighters, politicians, and pastors there won’t be a need for these jobs. Did you know as a Christian you’ve been given gifts from the Holy Spirit to use here on the earth to do a job? These are called spiritual gifts and you can read about them here. Some churches have spiritual gifts tests to help people understand how they can best serve in ministry. Paul told the Corinthian church to “eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy” (1 Corinthians 14:1 NIV).

In the church today I believe that there are a lot of jobs, however, that most people don’t want to do. I attend a small church now, but I used to go to a much larger church with more people. More people typically means more work. If you’ve served in church you might have heard of the 80/20 rule. It’s the idea that 20% of the people do 80% of the work, and I believe it. Something that I have noticed in the large and small church though is that few people want to clean the bathrooms or usher. In the larger church I attended I remember there was no shortage of people volunteering to do work, only a shortage of people who actually showed up to work. Out of that 100 who volunteer, the same 20 are the ones always who show up.

When I think about all of the jobs in the church and in the world one of the jobs that I believe will be in heaven is the usher. The psalmist writes, “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked” (Psalm 84:10 NIV). I think we overlook the importance of ushering and the character required to be an usher. When so many people want to stand in the light and be known, the usher’s job is to quickly, quietly, and orderly guide people to their place. The ushers are doorkeepers who require discernment because not everyone who comes into the house of God is doing so with pure Godly intent. Ushers need to be attentive to the needs of everyone around them. Like the men who were chosen to serve food in Acts, the usher needs to be filled with the “Spirit and wisdom” (Acts 6:4). Some of this might come as a surprise to you because I see a primary characteristic in the usher that is easy to overlook. They are meek.

When I consider all of the gifts of the spirit the one that stands out the most to me as one people might not think much about is “helps.” There’s typically nothing glamorous about cleaning bathrooms, folding bulletins, ushering, directing traffic, etc. However, when any of these things aren’t done we all notice it. We’ve all learned over the past year or so essential work isn’t what we once thought.

All that we can take with us when we die is our character. Therefore, that’s what we need to consider when we think about what we’ll be doing in heaven. Who we were and what we did on earth won’t hold much weight. Look at what Jesus said about John the Baptist.

Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Matthew 11:11 (NIV)

Do you know God? God knows you and He loves you. He sees you as significant because you are. No one is insignificant to Him. He’s with you today, right now, and He wants you to know Him. Jesus died for your sins and mine so that we could be free of guilt, be freed from death, and live eternally with Him. Eternal salvation is just a prayer away.

Pray this prayer with me to accept the gift of salvation today:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer then congratulations! You are on the first step of a brand new life. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to my family, the family of God. There are abundant resources available online for new Christians. You can visit here for more information on what to do next. You can also leave me a comment and I’ll do my best to help you on the next step of this incredible journey.

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