重新定義價值,而非取代替換
週一嗎哪2025 年10月13日
By Chris Simpson
重新定義價值,而非取代替換
BEING REPURPOSED, NOT REPLACED
對我們大多數在職場的人來說,工作-我們所做的事-是我們身分的重要部分。那麼,如果我們努力將信仰融入職業責任,將會造成什麼影響呢?我們可以在耶穌基督,挑選祂最親密追隨者的過程中,找到這方面的最佳範例。
當耶穌呼召彼得和安得烈時,祂並沒有剝奪他們的身份。「耶穌對他們說:『來跟從我,我要叫你們得人如得魚一樣。』」(馬太福音4章19節)耶穌沒有說:「忘掉你所知道的一切。」相反地,祂肯定了他們作為漁夫的這份職業,並且重新定義了這件事:「來跟從我,我要叫你們得人如得魚一樣。」本質上,耶穌是在說:你過去所被塑造的一切:你的技能、你的直覺、你的日常辛勞,我都能使用。但是從現在開始,目的是為了永恆的事。
耶穌並沒有將他們的身份取代替換,而是將其重新定義價值。這正是耶穌今天呼召我們的方式。我們經常以為,跟隨耶穌就意味著,要放棄我們迄今為止的職業、訓練和人生故事;就好像要成為祂的門徒,一切都需要從零開始。但是這並不是福音。基督的呼召並不是要我們,丟棄我們的過去、技能和經驗,而是要我們將這些全然交託獻上。這不是要我們變成另一個人,而是要讓耶穌恢復我們原本的樣子。
神以祂至高無上的主權,安排了你的經驗、你的恩賜、你的人脈、你的教育,甚至是你的掙扎。拋棄這些不僅是浪費,更是對祂的不忠。這好像意味著,神從來沒有在你身上動工,預備你在祂的國度裡能有所貢獻。然而事實是,神持續在動工。一直如此。
我在美國特勤局工作時,親身見證了這一點。這項任務的要求很高:確保環境無虞、維護生命安全、預測威脅所在。我非常認真地執行這項任務。但是我開始意識到,神並沒有呼召我要離開這項任務來服事祂,而是要我透過我的信仰,來執行這項任務。
有一天,在柬埔寨的叢林深處,我們正在為第一夫人(總統夫人)的來訪做準備。那原本應該只是某一次,例行性的現場勘查。但是神有別的計畫。那天成為了,我和另一位來自紐約的特勤人員,建立起以福音為核心關係的起點。這段源於職業連結的對話,演變為多年的指導、代禱與門徒訓練,直到最後,神呼召我的朋友兼同事,回到他永恆的家為止。這一切的發生,並非與我的職業無關,反而恰恰是透過我的職業而展開。
這就是耶穌基督的做事方式。祂不會浪費在你的生命故事中,任何一個片段。那些你以為是世俗、無關緊要,或者「只是你的工作」的東西,實際上可能正是耶穌要用來,呼召他人歸向祂的工具。所以,不要以為跟隨耶穌的邀請,意味著要拋下所有熟悉的一切。這意味著,你要將你本來的樣子,以及你所擁有的一切,都交在祂的手中,並且相信祂會將這些重新定義價值,以彰顯祂的榮耀。
你被賦予的恩賜,帶有目的。你現在被安放的位置,帶有目的。如果將你的呼召與你的情境區分開來,就是誤解了這兩者。基督的呼召,並非要你拋棄你的故事,而是要宣告,這一切都有了全新的目的:同樣的雙手,同樣的本能。然而……全新的使命,全新的主宰。
@2025 Christopher C. Simpson 致力於在全球職場上,培養勇敢且得勝的基督信仰,這份熱忱源於
他對福音轉化力量的深刻信念。在擔任國際CBMC總幹事之前,Chris在公部門貢獻了長達二十八年
的卓越職業生涯-曾經擔任美國海軍陸戰隊的指揮官;在美國特勤局服役,負責保護七位美國總統,
並且在複雜而高危的國際任務中領導精銳團隊。Chris與他的妻子Ana(尼加拉瓜裔)居住在佛羅里
達州博卡拉頓。
反省與問題討論
第一、你的職業生涯在哪些方面,預備了你帶下神國度的影響力-或許當時的你,並沒有意識到呢?
進階問題:你目前擁有的技能、人脈或職位,可能是如何特地為了福音的影響力,而預備的呢?
第二、耶穌重新定義了門徒職業的價值,而不是取代替換。這會如何挑戰我們,對於在職場上「服事神」的假設呢?
進階問題:你是否曾經感受到,有壓力要將信仰與工作分開呢?你覺得為什麼存在著,信仰與工作的分隔呢?
第三、回顧你自己的故事,你在哪些地方看到,神一直在「恢復,而非拋棄」你的過去呢?
進階問題:因著你的信仰,你現在會用不同的眼光,看待你職業生涯中的哪些部分呢?
第四、在你的行業或公司裡,具體來說,要如何「透過信仰進行你的任務」呢?
挑戰思考
本週是否有任何值得進行的對話、需要做出的決定,或是可以建立或加強的關係,讓你能夠有意識地,開始活出這些真理呢?這些真理是:神並非要取代替換你的身分,也不是要將你重新安置到其他地方,而是要將你原本的樣子、你所做的事、以及你所在的位置,重新定義價值,讓你能夠積極參與神國度的事工。如果你知道某人似乎很清楚,「在職場上活出自己的信仰」這件事的意義,你或許可以找個時間與他們會面,聊聊他們學到了什麼。
備註:如果你有聖經,想閱讀更多相關的內容,請參考以下的經文 :
創世紀50章20節
50:20 從前你們的意思是要害我,但神的意思原是好的,要保全許多人的性命,成就今日的光景。
羅馬書12章1-2節
12:1 所以,弟兄們,我以神的慈悲勸你們,將身體獻上,當作活祭,是聖潔的,是神所喜悅的;你們如此事奉乃是理所當然的。
12:2 不要效法這個世界,只要心意更新而變化,叫你們察驗何為神的善良、純全、可喜悅的旨意。
哥林多前書7章17節
7:17 只要照主所分給各人的,和神所召各人的而行。我吩咐各教會都是這樣。
以弗所書2章10節
2:10 我們原是他的工作,在基督耶穌裏造成的,為要叫我們行善,就是神所預備叫我們行的。
歌羅西書3章23-24節
3:23 無論做甚麼,都要從心裏做,像是給主做的,不是給人做的,
3:24 因你們知道從主那裏必得着基業為賞賜;你們所事奉的乃是主基督。
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BEING REPURPOSED, NOT REPLACED
MONDAY MANNAOct 13, 2025
BEING REPURPOSED, NOT REPLACED
By Chris Simpson
or many of us in the marketplace, our work – what we do – is a large part of our identity. What impact should it have then when striving to incorporate faith into how we carry out our vocational responsibilities? We find the best example in how Jesus Christ addressed this when choosing His closest followers.
When Jesus called Peter and Andrew, He did not strip them of their identities. “And He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men’” (Matthew 4:19). Jesus did not say, “Forget everything you know.” Instead, He spoke into their vocation as fishermen and redefined it: “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” In essence, He was saying: Everything you’ve been shaped by – your skills, your instincts, your daily grind – I can use that. But now, for something eternal.
Jesus did not replace their identity; He repurposed it. And this is precisely how He calls us today.We often assume that following Jesus means walking away from the career, the training, the story we have lived up to this point – as if being His disciple requires starting from scratch. But that is not the gospel. The call of Christ is not to abandon our past, our skills, our experience, but to surrender them. It is not about becoming someone else – it is about letting Him redeem who we already are.
God has sovereignly authored your experiences, your gifts, your network, your education, and even your struggles. To discard them would not only be wasteful – it would be unfaithful. It would imply that God has not been at work all along preparing you for usefulness in His Kingdom. But He has been at work. Always.
I witnessed this firsthand during my time with the United States Secret Service. The mission was demanding: to secure environments, protect lives, anticipate threats. I took that mission seriously. But I began to realize that God had not called me outof that mission to serve Him – He had called me to filter it through my faith.
One day, deep in the Cambodian jungle, we were preparing for a visit by the First Lady, the President’s wife. It was just another advance site. But God had other plans. That day became the starting point of forming a Gospel-centered relationship with another agent from New York. That conversation, born out of professional proximity, turned into years of mentoring, prayer, and discipleship – until the Lord ultimately called my friend and fellow agent to his eternal home. The whole thing unfolded not in spite of my profession, but precisely through it.
This is how Jesus Christ works. He does not waste a moment of your story. The very things you thought were secular, irrelevant, or “just your job,” might in fact be the very instruments through which He calls others to Himself. So don’t think the invitation to follow Jesus means leaving everything familiar behind. It means placing everything you are and everything you have been given into His hands – and trusting Him to repurpose it for His glory.
You were gifted for a reason. You have been placed where you are on purpose. To separate your calling from your context is to misunderstand both. The call of Christ is not to discard your story; it is to declare a new purpose over it: Same hands. Same instincts. But…New mission. New Master.
© 2025. Christopher C. Simpson is dedicated to fostering a bold and triumphant Christian faith within the global marketplace, driven by a deep conviction in the Gospel’s transformative power. Before becoming President of CBMC International, Chris dedicated 28 years to a distinguished career in the public sector – as a Commanding Officer in the U.S. Marine Corps; and serving in the U. S. Secret Service, responsible for protecting seven American presidents and leading elite teams in complex, high-stakes international missions. With his wife Ana, a native of Nicaragua, and their three children, Chris resides in Boca Raton, Florida.
Reflection/Discussion Questions
1.In what ways has your career prepared you for Kingdom impact—perhaps without you realizing it at the time?
Follow-up: How might your current skills, relationships, or position be uniquely positioned for Gospel influence right now?
2.Jesus repurposed the disciples’ vocation rather than replacing it. How might this challenge our assumptions about what it means to “serve God” in the marketplace?
Follow-up: Have you ever felt pressure to separate your faith from your work? Why do you think that divide exists?
3.Reflecting on your own story, where do you see signs that God has been at work “redeeming, not discarding” your past?
Follow-up: What part of your professional journey do you now view differently because of your faith?
4.What would it practically look like to “filter your mission through your faith” in your industry or company?
Challenge for This Week
Are there conversations to be had, decisions to be made, or relationships to be established or strengthened this week through which you can intentionally start to live out these truths? That God does not want to replace your identity, or re-place you somewhere else, but to repurpose who you are, what you do, and where you are to be actively engaged in His Kingdom work?
If you know of someone who seems to have a good understanding of what it means live out his or her faith in the workplace, you might want to set a time to meet and talk about what they have learned.
NOTE:
If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages:
Genesis 50:20; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 7:17; Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 3:23-24
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