God is always at work, through all manner of people, whether they follow Christ or not. That is part of what the Scriptural teaching on “vocation” reminds us. Vocation is about service. God upholds the creation as people serve one another. In their book Family Vocation authors Gene Veith and Mary Moerbe summarize how this works:

[God’s] usual way of giving gifts is through other people exercising their particular tasks that God has called and equipped them to do, that is, through vocation.—Family Vocation (Wheaton: Crossways, 2012), p.22

The authors note that “God is always calling us to love him and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matt 22.37-40; Mark 12.29-31; Luke 10.26-28).” Thus, “the purpose of every vocation is to love and serve one’s neighbor.” (Family Vocation, 27)

It’s worth noting, then, a recent articulation of this from the oft-maligned entertainment world. Whether he knows it or not, in this brief segment from Jimmy Fallon’s opening night as host of “The Tonight Show,” actor Will Smith places “entertainer” as a vocation:

I highly recommend Family Vocation, as it explores not just the surface teaching on this, but the depths of what service means, and that is known particularly in Christ.