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Use your L.I.F.E. for God

ALTHOUGH ONE OF MY PASSIONS IS SKETCHING, I did not have the faintest idea that I would have a career as an architect. I did not have much of career guidance from my parents and friends, but God led me. Upon graduation from university, I had imagined serving God through public service and worked for the first three years in the Housing and Development Board before moving on to the private sector.

My early working years were a constant juggling of time serving God in the church, starting a family and developing my career. Through these times, God guided me to see myself working in a small partnership, setting aside time to serve Him in whatever capacity. A classmate of mine, Luke Goh, approached me to partner him in his newly set-up architectural practice.

Its mission included serving God through the firm and this coincided with what God had placed in my heart.

Very quickly we were given opportunities to use our architectural skills to serve the Christian community as well as mission projects overseas. We not only used our design and project management skills, but found opportunities to use our Christian training to serve Him through discipleship, teaching, evangelism and mobilising labourers for the work in God’s kingdom. Architecture is not just business or livelihood but an expression of service for God.

There is so much to gain as we give to the Lord our skills, time and resources. Through the projects we have served in, we have met many dedicated believers and were inspired by the experiences and testimonies they shared.

We are called by God in our capacity and we can start serving Him in any capacity. We do not need to be in a full-time pastoral type of ministry. It is expressed in the acronym LIFE – “Labour, Influence, Finances & Expertise” – that I read from a book entitled In His Majesty’s Service by a businessman who sees that life must be translated from success to significance.

I can relate to these points by committing myself and my firm to serve God. We can use our Labour – our hands and energy – to serve God and people through a commitment to participate in mission projects; our Influence – our network and relationships that would allow us unique opportunities to serve God by reaching out to these segments of people; our Finances – giving financially to support projects and to sponsor people and ministries as God directs; and our Expertise – using our skills and Christian business values to influence others as we share with them the true meaning of success and significance.

Crucial to serving God in our calling is our attitude – our readiness, trust and obedience. We may laugh at our inadequacies and shrink from our fears, but if we put our five loaves and two fish in God’s hands, He will see that they will be multiplied. Throughout our years as a firm, we know God to be faithful and always ahead of us and providing for us in ways we cannot imagine.

The opportunities to serve God as His agents are unlimited as we focus on the eternal values while serving God as a calling.

Andrew Loh, an architect by profession, is Lay Leader of Charis Methodist Church.

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