Last Saturday, at our Vocations 4Life Seminar in Brisbane, I was once again overwhelmed by how so few of us really know how God has made us. I love helping people discover God's divine purpose in their lives. It's amazing to see the graces of Jesus at work in each of us to shape not only ourselves but others too.

There will always be rising-realities to encounter, those unforeseen things that interrupt your perfect day and which you have to contend with on a daily basis. That's life! Some of these interruptions could be described as ‘grace-growers', sent to sandpaper you into the polished vessel of God's grace and mercy; some of these are stumbling blocks, to deter you and cause you to abandon your vocational calling in God, or limit you in realizing your part in God's divine purpose. But, praise the Lord, some of them come about because God permits them for our good. Yes, God allows them and in the midst of the turmoil, difficult and sometimes uncertainty, He deliberately intervenes! The Holy Spirit is able to ignite, direct and work with you through the rising realities of your life. Listen to one of these God interventions that occurred to a young friend of mine, Rebecca.

When I finished school I didn't know what direction to take. I got a job working in a newsagent so that I could earn some money while I worked on looking for the career path that God wanted me to take.

I did Ben's ‘Vocations 4 Life Seminar' and found that I was a Prophet-Pastor (I had creative - relational grace-drivers) with an Outgoing Optimistic, Correct Creative personality disposition. One day working at the newsagent I really believed that God said to quit, so I literally quit then and there. Within a week or so, through other God-directed intervention I had secured an apprenticeship as a hairdresser. I had confidence stepping into this position because I knew that my vocational grace motivation and my personality were ideally suited to this career.

God had wired me up to love being with people (my outgoing part gets to talk all day and I get paid for it!) and my prophetic grace and creative aspect of my personality just loves the freedom to create colours and styles for my clients. I have finished my apprenticeship and I love my job. I am glad I recognised God's ‘kairos' intervention in my life and had the assurance to obey His direction.

This story gets even better, she's now very happily married to a great young man, has a lovely young family and now owns the business she once worked in.  That's engaging with your inheritance in a kingdom way.

You don't always know the times and seasons you are in, but God does. Chronos time (i.e. chronological or linear) is outworked as 24 hours in a day, but then there is Kairos time. Just as God stepped into Rebecca's day and orchestrated a change of direction for her, He can and will do the same for you if you let Him. These God-orchestrated, intervening moments intersect your normal chronological time clock. Suddenly things happen; change, speed up or even slow down.

God speaks into your situation or arranges things so that His purpose and yours take on a different kingdom perspective and urgency. These moments can impact the world that you live in and other people's lives can change as a result of this moment.

Many people turn off or resist hearing about the church and even Jesus Christ, yet if you start talking of kingdom values and a lifestyle based upon Christ, there comes an openness and willingness to listen. Everyday in so many fragmented ways people are embracing the good of God's kingdom, but quite often we can't see it because we aren't looking for it in the way that we should. It can be missed even when you are looking straight at it. Jesus said that the kingdom of God IS like yeast that IS worked throughout the dough (Matt 13:33). (It's already happened and is advancing according to God's timeframe.) Not easily seen, but if you are looking for it, you will see the evidence of its presence. Why? Because friend - the kingdom IS.

In many cases each day, people are connecting with and moving in and out of God's kingdom breaking in around them. So we need to observe it, learn to read it and then find ways to connect and collaborate with it in the lives of people and creation.

The kingdom is at work; it is definitely fragmented, marred and distorted in their world, but it is there. Connect with it, engage with the good of God, and seek to bring the light and love of Jesus into their world in whatever way the Holy Spirit shows you.

For instance, a woman desiring to be a good mum - that's kingdom. A man wanting to provide for his family - that's kingdom. A student refusing the pressure of drugs - that's kingdom. Someone passionate about the environment and not exploiting creation for profit - that's kingdom. A child wanting a hug - that's kingdom.

As you seek God's divine purpose in all your ways, the Holy Spirit brings you more and more into the fullness and richness of the image and nature of Jesus Christ. This is the image that all creation is longing to see burst forth like the waters cover the sea. (Rom 8:19-21)

God is not random. He is intentional about creating a community of faith because on your own, you can't be the fullness Paul speaks about in Ephesians 1:23 and 4:12.