"With the tip of the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the LORD touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the LORD disappeared" (Judges 6:21).

How does God call people into his service? There is a clear pattern in the way God called men and women into service for Him. Almost every major leader was called while he was in the midst of performing his everyday vocation. Peter was a fisherman, Matthew, a tax collector, Luke, a physician, Paul, a tentmaker, Moses, a shepherd, Jesus, a carpenter, and so on.

When God called Gideon to free the people of Israel from the oppression of the Amalekites, he did so while Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress. Like Moses, Gideon argued with God saying his family was nothing special, so how could he be used of God to save Israel? Gideon acknowledges God by preparing an offering to Him. The angel does an interesting thing with Gideon's offering. He takes the tip of his staff and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. Like Moses, God chose to do a miracle with the instrument that symbolized Gideon's work life -- a staff. Why would God do this? It is because God wants you and me to know that the tools he has given each of us are the tools He wants to demonstrate his power through. However, in order for that to happen, we must yield our tools to Him for miracles to be manifested through them.

Have you yielded your tools to the Lord? God wants you to have an overriding ministry objective to your work life. He doesn't want you to leave your work; He wants to work through your work. Allow Him to do that today.