R.C. Sproul

And I would say the hardest thing for any manager in America is to fire somebody.

There are very few people that are so callous that they enjoy causing a person to lose their employment.

And so often we do that because we realize it's the responsible thing to do.

Paul had to fire John Mark.

Because John Mark, when he accompanied Paul and Barnabas on the missionary journeys, was following everything up.

And he was not really in the right place.

And so Paul fired him.

And what happened?

He goes home, probably harboring resentment against Paul and thinking that he's been unjustly treated.

And so in his spare time, he decides to find some meaningful employment and sits down and writes the gospel of Mark.

That was his vocation.

That was his gift.

We don't do people a favor by keeping them in jobs for which they are not gifted.

Have you ever lost your job?

Or do you worry about losing your job?

I think we all do to a certain extent because our livelihood so often depends upon our employment.

And nobody that I know of enjoys being unemployed.

But when that happens, we need to ask the question, where is the providence of God in all of this?

What is God saying to me at this juncture in my life?

Maybe what, humanly speaking, is an injustice and wasn't fair was God's mercy to give me an opportunity to serve Him