SPEAKER_00: In this series, we are looking for Christ-centered solutions for everyday problems.
SPEAKER_00: I hope the messages in this series are encouragement to you.
SPEAKER_00: Try to follow Christ every day.
SPEAKER_00: Does a joy uh fill your heart as you watch this caravan of kiddos exit through that door and make their way to children's church?
SPEAKER_00: An environment where our kindergartners, first, and second graders have the opportunity to hear the life-changing truth that is found in God's word.
SPEAKER_00: An environment where our kindergartners, first, and second graders open God's word and they encounter the one, they learn about the one who is the capital T truth, Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_00: And here's what I want us to understand this morning.
SPEAKER_00: That's not only the purpose of children's church, right?
SPEAKER_00: That's the purpose of God's church who gathers in this sanctuary and in sanctuaries across our community and world at times like this on a Sunday morning.
SPEAKER_00: We have the opportunity to open God's word together and to hear his life-changing truth that is written for us.
SPEAKER_00: Hear that again, congregation.
SPEAKER_00: This is an opportunity and a privilege to gather with God's people and to study God's word together.
SPEAKER_00: Because in the pages of God's word, we hear the story, we learn about, we have the opportunity to encounter face-to-face with the one who is the capital T truth, Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_00: And in this room, we're going to encounter Jesus as we continue our current series, Life Hacks.
SPEAKER_00: All because in this series we are applying Christ-centered solutions to everyday problems.
SPEAKER_00: We're bringing Jesus, who lived on this earth 2,000 years ago, who now reigns in heaven at the right hand of God the Father.
SPEAKER_00: We are bringing that very same Jesus to bear upon the problems that you and I face on an everyday basis.
SPEAKER_00: That is the life-changing truth of God's word at work in your life and in the life of your family and in the life of our church.
SPEAKER_00: And I want you to remember these biblical Christ-centered life hacks are not a quick fix.
SPEAKER_00: What did we say in week one?
SPEAKER_00: We talked about how these biblical Christ-centered life hacks often will require repetition.
SPEAKER_00: It's going to involve a process in our life.
SPEAKER_00: It's going to demand that you adopt a new habit.
SPEAKER_00: And so one sermon on one specific problem isn't enough.
SPEAKER_00: It's something we have to work on.
SPEAKER_00: So let me just remind you of what we talked about in weeks one and two, because I hope you're still working on it.
SPEAKER_00: I hope you're still processing what God is calling you to.
SPEAKER_00: So in week one of the series, we tackled the biggest problem that each of us face: the human heart.
SPEAKER_00: Do you remember the prophet Jeremiah's assessment of the human heart?
SPEAKER_00: Prophet Jeremiah said that the human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked.
SPEAKER_00: The human heart utters all sorts of lies and it hardens us towards the presence of God.
SPEAKER_00: That's a pretty big problem.
SPEAKER_00: That's why we need a Christ-centered solution.
SPEAKER_00: Another prophet, the prophet Ezekiel, described that solution when he talks about God promising the gift of a new heart.
SPEAKER_00: A heart that is what?
SPEAKER_00: Tender and responsive.
SPEAKER_00: Tender.
SPEAKER_00: That means you're aware of God's presence in the world.
SPEAKER_00: You're aware of how God is at work in your life and you're responsive.
SPEAKER_00: You hear God's voice, you read God's commands, and you obey.
SPEAKER_00: You follow through.
SPEAKER_00: And then we talked about, remember, we talked about this suggestion, this prayer called a daily review or a daily examine?
SPEAKER_00: That at the end of the day we ask God first, show me where you were at work, help me to be tender to your presence.
SPEAKER_00: And then God help me kind of review my responses throughout the day.
SPEAKER_00: Did my responses throughout this 24-hour period reflect the character of Christ?
SPEAKER_00: Demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit?
SPEAKER_00: Were they led and guided by the Holy Spirit?
SPEAKER_00: How's your heart?
SPEAKER_00: You got to keep working on it.
SPEAKER_00: It's a really big problem.
SPEAKER_00: And then last week in week two, uh, we broached the problem of time.
SPEAKER_00: And remember, our core problem when it comes to time is how we prioritize time.
SPEAKER_00: Too often we choose what is urgent over what is important, what's optional over what's essential, the immediate over the ultimate, what's a waste over what is wise.
SPEAKER_00: It's a big problem.
SPEAKER_00: We need a Christ-centered solution.
SPEAKER_00: And we found that solution in that story about the two sisters, Mary and Martha.
SPEAKER_00: And in that story, what we learned is that there is really only one true priority in life, and it is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_00: He is the one who is always what?
SPEAKER_00: Essential.
SPEAKER_00: Time with him is always time wisely spent.
SPEAKER_00: And so I just asked you at the end of last week's sermon, you know, let's set some priorities in our life.
SPEAKER_00: Let's set the priority in our life.
SPEAKER_00: Did you follow through?
SPEAKER_00: I remember that first idea was just to establish a daily and a weekly rhythm for you and your family.
SPEAKER_00: Like to clear the calendar.
SPEAKER_00: And then put the priority of Jesus on the calendar and then let everything else kind of fill in the blank space around Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: And then the second step was to evaluate your calendar and commitments.
SPEAKER_00: We may have to say no, we may have to back out, we may have to cancel some plans because Jesus is the priority.
SPEAKER_00: Again, I urge you to continue to apply those Christ-centered solutions because they are so practical and they are life-changing truth for you and for your family.
SPEAKER_00: But we need to move on today to a third problem.
SPEAKER_00: Third problem is this.
SPEAKER_00: I want us today to talk about the problem we face when Monday morning rolls around.
SPEAKER_00: The problem we face when we go to work.
SPEAKER_00: Whether we work inside the home or outside the home, or our work because of our season in life is our volunteer opportunities.
SPEAKER_00: Let's talk about Monday through Friday.
SPEAKER_00: TGIF.
SPEAKER_00: Are you familiar with that acronym, TGIF?
SPEAKER_00: I remember that acronym first because of the uh Friday night block of programming on ABC when I was a kid.
SPEAKER_00: Do y'all remember that?
SPEAKER_00: Perfect strangers, right?
SPEAKER_00: Um Family Matters and uh Full House.
SPEAKER_00: That was TGIF programming.
SPEAKER_00: And those four letters, TGIF, stand for what?
SPEAKER_00: Thank goodness it's Friday! Thank goodness it's Friday.
SPEAKER_00: But those um four letters, that acronym, not only make a declaration, they actually I think ask us a question.
SPEAKER_00: And here it is.
SPEAKER_00: Why am I so thankful when Friday rolls around?
SPEAKER_00: Isn't it just another day of the week?
SPEAKER_00: Another night on the calendar?
SPEAKER_00: Why am I so thankful when Friday rolls around?
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're thankful because you know I get to turn off the laptop and go to the game.
SPEAKER_00: Or you think, I'm thankful on Friday afternoon because I get the opportunity to put down the briefcase, hang up the backpack, uh, take out my golf clubs, pull out my fishing pole.
SPEAKER_00: Now I get to spend my time how I want to.
SPEAKER_00: Or you think about that you get to exchange your suit for a pair of shorts?
SPEAKER_00: You're thankful because on Saturday morning you don't set an alarm.
SPEAKER_00: Ultimately, I think all of us are thankful when Friday rolls around because we have this opportunity on Friday evening to shift, to shift from the frenzy and the demands of the work week to the promise of relaxation on the weekend.
SPEAKER_00: But you know what?
SPEAKER_00: It never seems like Monday is that far away, does it?
SPEAKER_00: Monday's always looming in the background.
SPEAKER_00: The weekend is never long enough.
SPEAKER_00: And sooner than you know, like just like snap of the fingers, Saturday, Sunday are over, and Monday's here.
SPEAKER_00: And on Monday morning, um we exchanged T G I F for these four uh letters.
SPEAKER_00: I made this up, O-N-I-M.
SPEAKER_00: O-N-I-M.
SPEAKER_00: And it stands for, oh no, it's Monday.
SPEAKER_00: Oh no, it's back.
SPEAKER_00: Oh no, it's here again.
SPEAKER_00: Why do people say it's oh no, it's Monday?
SPEAKER_00: Maybe for a student, you're going to school and you look ahead for the work that is required this next week and you say, oh no, it's Monday.
SPEAKER_00: I have three tests and two quizzes and a paper that's due.
SPEAKER_00: You say, oh no, because the workload over the next five days feels really overwhelming.
SPEAKER_00: Or you say, oh no, it's Monday because you know, the moment I walk through the door at the office, I'm gonna see my boss face to face.
SPEAKER_00: And just to be honest, my boss is really unreasonable and really unlikable.
SPEAKER_00: I don't want to be around that person.
SPEAKER_00: Oh no, I have to see him.
SPEAKER_00: Or you say, oh no, because of your coworkers or your classmates.
SPEAKER_00: And you're just tired of all the gossip and the snide remarks and the rude comments.
SPEAKER_00: You're tired of going to a place 40 plus hours a week and just being surrounded by meanness, being surrounded by people who are just negative all the time.
SPEAKER_00: Or, oh no, it's Monday.
SPEAKER_00: Because, you know, I'm gonna spend 40 plus hours over the next week at a job and behind a desk and working on an assignment or completing a project or finishing up a task, and in the back of your mind, you know, I'm gonna spend 40 plus hours on all of these things, and I don't even know if it matters.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know if it even gives any value.
SPEAKER_00: And maybe in the back of your head, you know, uh when it comes to work and in an office environment, you know, it does matter to my family because I'm gonna earn a paycheck, and it matters to them to have a roof over their head and food in the refrigerator and clothes in the closet, gas in the tank.
SPEAKER_00: It matters, there's value to them, but you maybe in your heart you're thinking, does it matter to God?
SPEAKER_00: And does it matter to anyone outside of the four walls of my home?
SPEAKER_00: For those reasons and so many more.
SPEAKER_00: Um, according to the Gallup uh polling group, only 20% of people in the United States, people who work outside the home, strongly agree with the statement that they like what they do every single day.
SPEAKER_00: Think about that.
SPEAKER_00: 20% of people in our country strongly agree I really like my job.
SPEAKER_00: I really enjoy going to work.
SPEAKER_00: That means 80%, 80% of you say to yourself on Monday morning, oh no, it's Monday, oh no, I have to go back, oh no, I have to go to school, oh no, I have to sit in my office, oh no, I have to go to that meeting.
SPEAKER_00: And maybe that's why, according to the CDC, that um 9 a.m.
SPEAKER_00: on Monday morning is the peak time for cardiac events in the United States.
SPEAKER_00: We're aware of this.
SPEAKER_00: And so many of us we we think of work, uh, we put it under the heading of a necessary evil in life, don't we?
SPEAKER_00: Work is the necessary evil.
SPEAKER_00: Work is the drudgery that I endure, uh, the pain I put myself through so that I can get to all the things in life that make me happy, that give me fulfillment, that I learn and I love to enjoy.
SPEAKER_00: All of us are just kind of living for the weekend, Monday through Friday.
SPEAKER_00: We can't wait for Friday evening and Saturday morning to roll around.
SPEAKER_00: But that mindset where we just endure work so we can enjoy the weekend presents all of us with a really big problem.
SPEAKER_00: Statistics and scripture are in agreement on this.
SPEAKER_00: Listen, statistics, what sociologists have learned by surveying and doing interviews and what God's word declares, the truth above any other lower T case truth, are in agreement on this.
SPEAKER_00: Meaningful work, meaningful work is a critical part of a fulfilling life.
SPEAKER_00: Meaningful work is a critical, vital part of a fulfilling life.
SPEAKER_00: That means work isn't a necessary evil.
SPEAKER_00: Work is necessary and it's good.
SPEAKER_00: So that same Gallup poll that I mentioned earlier determined that whether or not a person likes their job is the most determinative factor in whether or not that person experiences overall well-being in their life.
SPEAKER_00: In fact, on that same poll determined this: that people who enjoy their job are actually twice as likely to be thriving in their overall life as people who don't enjoy their job.
SPEAKER_00: So that's the statistic.
SPEAKER_00: And maybe some of us we don't want to take statistics very seriously, and we're like, I don't know if I trust this polling company.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know if they've got an agenda that wants people to think that they should have a job.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know where we land on that, but I think maybe we're all in agreement that God's word is true and we should trust God's word and we should let God's word guide us and shape our lives.
SPEAKER_00: Proverbs uh 12, 24 says this.
SPEAKER_00: It says the diligent find freedom in their work.
SPEAKER_00: The lazier oppressed by work.
SPEAKER_00: Hear that first phrase again.
SPEAKER_00: The diligent find freedom in their work.
SPEAKER_00: Freedom and work aren't uh two words that we generally bring together, are they?
SPEAKER_00: Instead, I think of work, generally, we think of work as what?
SPEAKER_00: Back to the pits, right?
SPEAKER_00: Back to the place you don't want to go.
SPEAKER_00: But God's word says that work can be freeing.
SPEAKER_00: That means work can be fulfilling.
SPEAKER_00: You can enjoy your life not just on Saturday and Sunday.
SPEAKER_00: You are meant to enjoy your life, to enjoy even your work on Monday through Friday.
SPEAKER_00: You see, we can actually have a change in mindset, according to God's word.
SPEAKER_00: From oh no, it's Monday to thank goodness it's Monday.
SPEAKER_00: Praise God, I've got a job.
SPEAKER_00: Woohoo! I get to go to work.
SPEAKER_00: Thank goodness it's Monday, I get to go to school.
SPEAKER_00: Awesome, I get an opportunity to learn, and my own kids are like, ugh.
SPEAKER_00: That new mindset from oh no, it's Monday to thank goodness it's Monday, it's founded upon, I think, this twofold biblical uh truth.
SPEAKER_00: This twofold biblical truth.
SPEAKER_00: We have to understand work rightly.
SPEAKER_00: And here's how we need to understand work rightly.
SPEAKER_00: Work is a gift and a grind.
SPEAKER_00: And child of God, if you want to find freedom and fulfillment and even enjoyment Monday through Friday, when you work outside the home, inside the home, or because your seasoned life, your work is the volunteering in our community.
SPEAKER_00: You need to have this mindset that's shaped by this biblical truth that work is a gift and a grind.
SPEAKER_00: And to help this truth really take heart, take root in our hearts this morning, um, I want us just to consider a few verses that are found in the very first book of the Bible, uh, the book of Genesis.
SPEAKER_00: And the first verse I want to read for us is uh from Genesis chapter 2, verse 2.
SPEAKER_00: Genesis chapter 2, verse 2.
SPEAKER_00: Remember what was our statement?
SPEAKER_00: Work is a gift and a grind.
SPEAKER_00: Genesis 2, 2 says this.
SPEAKER_00: On the seventh day, God had finished his, everybody say that word with me, work of creation.
SPEAKER_00: There are all sorts of debates that surround Genesis 1 and 2.
SPEAKER_00: Seven literal days, seven epochs, seven eras, is it historical narrative, is it poetry?
SPEAKER_00: We have all of these debates about Genesis one and two, and then because we're having those debates, we lose details.
SPEAKER_00: Like Genesis chapter two, verse two.
SPEAKER_00: We lose like an important theological truth that applies to our lives.
SPEAKER_00: Because according to Genesis two, verse two, before a human ever worked on the earth, God worked to create the earth.
SPEAKER_00: For six days, God worked, He created, and that observation is profoundly important when it comes to our conception and our relationship to work.
SPEAKER_00: That before you were ever asked to work, God worked.
SPEAKER_00: You see, uh, there are some of us in this room who coming into this morning, we believed work is a gift.
SPEAKER_00: We believe that, but the reason we believe it is because we think it's a part of an economic philosophy.
SPEAKER_00: Or the reason we believe that work is a gift is because it was a work ethic instilled in us by our parents.
SPEAKER_00: Or some of us we think, man, work's a gift because I have my dream job and I'm making more money than I ever believed possible.
SPEAKER_00: Work is a gift, I can't imagine anything else.
SPEAKER_00: But for people of faith, this statement that work is a gift isn't rooted first and foremost in any of those, in an economic philosophy, in a work ethic instilled, or the possibility of a dream job.
SPEAKER_00: Work is a gift, is a reflection of the nature and the activity of God.
SPEAKER_00: So in the ancient world, um, the idea of a God who works was unique to the people of ancient Israel.
SPEAKER_00: The other religions, so all the other pagan religions actually taught this about their gods.
SPEAKER_00: Um, that whoever their gods were, be it uh Molech or be it Baal or all the gods of Egypt, um, those gods, the reason they created people was for people to work for For them.
SPEAKER_00: It was their job and the role of the people, people like you and me, to make sure the gods had food and the gods had drink and the gods had everything they wanted.
SPEAKER_00: And if the God didn't have it, they would take it from the people on the earth.
SPEAKER_00: That was the stories these ancient people told.
SPEAKER_00: But not the God of Israel.
SPEAKER_00: The God of Israel got to work while all these other gods said, Oh, I'm just here to relax, I'm here to have a life of leisure, I'm here for no one to interfere with my life.
SPEAKER_00: You do the hard work, you do the heavy lifting.
SPEAKER_00: In fact, in ancient Greece, um there were laws passed in cities that said, if you were a citizen of this city, you cannot have a job.
SPEAKER_00: You cannot work.
SPEAKER_00: Work is only for slaves.
SPEAKER_00: In fact, the the philosopher Aristotle argued in one of his writings that to have a fulfilling and a meaningful life would be you need to be unemployed.
SPEAKER_00: Because then you had all this spare time to contemplate all of the higher thoughts and higher planes of this world.
SPEAKER_00: And so the God Zeus, who's at the top of their pantheon of gods, you know who Zeus was?
SPEAKER_00: He was a God who didn't work.
SPEAKER_00: He was a God who liked to play, he was a God who liked to relax, he was a God who liked to drink a lot of wine, he was a God who just had a good time all the time and took what he wanted.
SPEAKER_00: He took advantage of people.
SPEAKER_00: That's why the Greeks didn't want to work.
SPEAKER_00: By contrast, God's word tells us that Yahweh, the one true God of Israel, works.
SPEAKER_00: The ancients outside of Israel, they believed because their gods did not work, that work was demeaning.
SPEAKER_00: But the people of Israel, because their God worked before they ever had a job, they saw that all work was dignifying, that work had the potential to ascribe value and bring fulfillment and even enjoyment in a person's life.
SPEAKER_00: And so God, in the creation story, what does he do?
SPEAKER_00: Not only does God work, he invites us to work with him.
SPEAKER_00: He invites us to receive the gift of work.
SPEAKER_00: Later on in Genesis chapter 2, verse 15, we read, The Lord placed the man in the garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.
SPEAKER_00: God places Adam in Eden to work.
SPEAKER_00: To tend and watch over the garden.
SPEAKER_00: So to hear this.
SPEAKER_00: God has placed you in El Doredo, whether you work inside the home, outside the home, or your work because of your season of life, is volunteering and serving in this community.
SPEAKER_00: God has put you like He placed Adam in Eden.
SPEAKER_00: He has put you in El Dorado to tend and to care for and to watch over this community.
SPEAKER_00: And this is a big kind of shift in our mind on work.
SPEAKER_00: You see?
SPEAKER_00: So work according to Scripture is for the sake of other people.
SPEAKER_00: It's not Adam, you're gonna work and it's gonna make your life better.
SPEAKER_00: You're gonna work and you're gonna have more.
SPEAKER_00: You're gonna accumulate, you'll have more money, you'll have a bigger home, you'll have newer cars and nicer clothes.
SPEAKER_00: No, Adam, your work is to what?
SPEAKER_00: Watch over and care for the creation I'm putting you in the midst of.
SPEAKER_00: Uh, to love our neighbor as ourself.
SPEAKER_00: That's when we say work is a gift.
SPEAKER_00: It's our opportunity to partner with God in the world and to fulfill what he's already begun to do in caring for his creation.
SPEAKER_00: And it's easier for some of us because of our occupations to see how that's true.
SPEAKER_00: It's easy, I think, or the line, the connection is clear for teachers and coaches and nurses, people who care for people on a daily basis, invest in them day in and day out.
SPEAKER_00: But it's the same is true for lawyers and um bankers and people who work for the road department and uh people who work in city government and people who are real estate agents.
SPEAKER_00: Um, you name the profession, trainers, whatever you do, you are the fingers of God in the world.
SPEAKER_00: Work is a gift, you get to partner with God.
SPEAKER_00: Do y'all know who the name Martin Luther?
SPEAKER_00: Familiar with the name Martin Luther, the great, you know, start of the Protestant Reformation.
SPEAKER_00: Luther kind of helps us think through how all of these occupations that are too many to name in this room this morning can be the fingers of God in the world.
SPEAKER_00: Um, Luther one day in part of his writings is reflecting upon this verse, Psalm 147, verse 13.
SPEAKER_00: Psalm 147, 13 says this.
SPEAKER_00: It says, He strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your people within.
SPEAKER_00: He strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses the people within.
SPEAKER_00: The bars, that's symbolized in the Psalm 147, the safety, the security, and the well-being of a city.
SPEAKER_00: Of a community of people.
SPEAKER_00: And Luther began to ask himself this.
SPEAKER_00: He began to say, how does God strengthen the bars of a city?
SPEAKER_00: How does God promote the safety, security, and well-being of a community of people?
SPEAKER_00: And I think Luther knew in the back of his mind that God could station the angel Gabriel at the gates to strengthen the bars, but he had never seen God do that.
SPEAKER_00: Or God could station a garrison of angels inside the gates, but Luther had never seen God do that.
SPEAKER_00: So he just continues to mold this over in his mind, and he comes to this conclusion.
SPEAKER_00: He says that God strengthens the bars of the city.
SPEAKER_00: He promotes the safety, security, and well-being through good government, through good ordinances, through good order, through every occupation, through people who go to work and do it for God.
SPEAKER_00: Luther knew that every vocation has the opportunity to be the fingers of God in the world, seeking the safety and the security and the well-being of the community in which that person lives.
SPEAKER_00: Let's translate that into contemporary culture.
SPEAKER_00: Let's really bring it home for us.
SPEAKER_00: Psalm 147, right?
SPEAKER_00: Translated into contemporary culture, says that God strengthens the bars.
SPEAKER_00: He promotes the safety, the security, and the well-being of El Dorado through the work of police officers, through the mayor's office, through people who serve on city council, through road crews to repave roads, right?
SPEAKER_00: Like you need good roads so that people can go to stores and not have their tires blown out every all the time, right?
SPEAKER_00: In a city, like a strong city that promotes well-being, it's a just city, right?
SPEAKER_00: And so God, he says the fingers of God can also be like judges and lawyers and paralegals, people who want to see God's justice reign and the right and things made right and fair.
SPEAKER_00: And God promotes the well-being of a city through a good economy, right?
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
SPEAKER_00: For a city to prosper, there has to be an economy that is functioning.
SPEAKER_00: And so you need people to make small business loans, right?
SPEAKER_00: To give people a chance if they want to start a business, bankers.
SPEAKER_00: You get to be the fingers of God.
SPEAKER_00: You do.
SPEAKER_00: In a city that is safe and secure needs homes where families can live.
SPEAKER_00: Realtors help with that and builders help with that.
SPEAKER_00: And we need fuel in our cars, don't we?
SPEAKER_00: To get to school and to get to work and to go to the store and to run errands.
SPEAKER_00: And see, fingers of God, that means guys who uh who work in the oil fields or guys who work at the refinery or work at a gas station or work on cars as mechanics.
SPEAKER_00: They are the fingers of God.
SPEAKER_00: And those who work with children, whether it be a stay-at-home mom or a teacher or a childcare worker, strengthen our bars by investing in the next generation.
SPEAKER_00: Work is a gift.
SPEAKER_00: Thank goodness it's Monday.
SPEAKER_00: Because on Monday morning, God has given me a job, given me the opportunity so I can continue his work in the world and care for this community and make a difference just in even one person's life.
SPEAKER_00: But even though that's the opportunity and that's the gift, it doesn't mean that work is easy, does it?
SPEAKER_00: Work is not only a gift, what did we say?
SPEAKER_00: It's a grind.
SPEAKER_00: And we need to hold those two things together, the gift and the grind, because it sets our kind of um perspective when we step into the day and begin the day.
SPEAKER_00: You know, the story of Adam and Eve, it continues, doesn't it?
SPEAKER_00: They work in the garden, but then sin enters into the world.
SPEAKER_00: And it's all because of sin that work is a grind.
SPEAKER_00: Genesis chapter 3 says this that the ground is cursed because of you.
SPEAKER_00: All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.
SPEAKER_00: It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains.
SPEAKER_00: By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat.
SPEAKER_00: I think many of us we go to work and we're surprised when uh tensions flare up, when problems emerge, and then sometimes the tensions are so high and the problems are so big.
SPEAKER_00: What do we want to do?
SPEAKER_00: I'm never going back there again.
SPEAKER_00: I can't do it.
SPEAKER_00: You contemplate like sending in your resignation without another option.
SPEAKER_00: Like, I can't go there anymore.
SPEAKER_00: And God's word is just like, don't be surprised by it.
SPEAKER_00: You should actually be surprised if everything over the course of a single working day goes according to plan.
SPEAKER_00: Every day there will be thorns, there will be thistles, there will be sweat on your brow because work is a grind.
SPEAKER_00: Sin is not only in the human heart, it impacts the workplace.
SPEAKER_00: It impacts your office and your school.
SPEAKER_00: So, how do we accept the gift and endure the grind?
SPEAKER_00: That's where the really the Christ-centered solution comes to bear.
SPEAKER_00: Colossians chapter 3, verse 23 says this.
SPEAKER_00: Work willingly at whatever you do as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.
SPEAKER_00: Work willingly at whatever you do as if you were working for the Lord rather than for people.
SPEAKER_00: So when you're working with a client, meeting with a student, working with your own kids, remember the work you're doing is for the glory of Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: And Jesus is better than the best boss.
SPEAKER_00: Right?
SPEAKER_00: And so if a conflict emerges, he's gonna listen to you.
SPEAKER_00: If you don't have the strength to go on, he'll give you the strength that you need.
SPEAKER_00: And you can endure this grind of work because Jesus is right there with you.
SPEAKER_00: So, how maybe then we'll close this way.
SPEAKER_00: How can you apply this Christ-centered solution?
SPEAKER_00: If work is a gift and a grind, how do I bring Jesus into that gift and grind, right?
SPEAKER_00: Remember, he's your boss, and here's how you can do it.
SPEAKER_00: You consecrate the day to him before you go.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus, I know you've given me this job, and it is a gift from you.
SPEAKER_00: I'm working for you.
SPEAKER_00: What if you imagined your desk at school, your table at home, wherever you do your work?
SPEAKER_00: What if you imagined that place to be a holy place?
SPEAKER_00: A place that's set apart for one of God's children to do work in the world, to tend for and to watch over God's creation.
SPEAKER_00: Say, I don't necessarily know that I'm equipped for this job, but God gave it to me.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know if I necessarily would always pick this job, but God brought me to it.
SPEAKER_00: I don't necessarily know if I enjoy this job every single day, but for some reason God gave me this gift, and I want to accept it and know that I'm working for Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: This was his gift, and he will be with me in the midst of the grind.
SPEAKER_00: Wouldn't it be great if tomorrow morning instead of saying, oh no, it's Monday, you thought, thank goodness it's Monday.
SPEAKER_00: Thank goodness I get to go to work.
SPEAKER_00: Thank goodness I get to partner with God as I teach, as I work in the wool fields, as I see patience, as I care for my own children.
SPEAKER_00: No matter what your job is, you get to partner with God.
SPEAKER_00: Not for your welfare, for the welfare of the world around us.
SPEAKER_00: Let's stand together and pray.
SPEAKER_00: Almighty God, we thank you that you have given us this door.
SPEAKER_00: You open the door so that we can partner with you in the world.
SPEAKER_00: That work is a gift in our life.
SPEAKER_00: And so I pray and I just ask you right now where you're standing.
SPEAKER_00: Would you thank God for the work he's calling you to do in this season of life?
SPEAKER_00: Whether you work inside the home, outside the home, you're a retiree who's serving, volunteering.
SPEAKER_00: Thank God for how you get to spend your hours Monday through Friday.
SPEAKER_00: For school.
SPEAKER_00: The hurdles and the pain you anticipate and you know will come.
SPEAKER_00: Holy Spirit, remind us that it doesn't make the gift any less good.
SPEAKER_00: And now, Father, we consecrate the work week ahead.
SPEAKER_00: You have given it to us.
SPEAKER_00: We will use it for your glory, your good in this world.
SPEAKER_00: In Christ's name I pray.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: And that Christ-centered solution as we think about work.
SPEAKER_00: Be reminded of this.
SPEAKER_00: As you say, thank goodness it's Monday, thank goodness I get to go to work.
SPEAKER_00: Christ first worked for you, right?
SPEAKER_00: He is our Lord and Savior who fulfilled the Father's work on this earth.
SPEAKER_00: And then at the cross said, It is finished.
SPEAKER_00: I've finished the work.
SPEAKER_00: I did what you've called me to do.
SPEAKER_00: I've announced the kingdom of God.
SPEAKER_00: And when you accept the free gift of Christ and his salvation, that's when the work you have Monday through Friday can be that offering to God.
SPEAKER_00: When God redeems the work that you've been called to do in this world.
SPEAKER_00: During this time of invitation, it's a time to continue to pray, to worship, or to make that choice, that decision, to follow Jesus Christ for the first time.
SPEAKER_00: Will you say yes to God, however, He is leading you this morning?
SPEAKER_00: Let's sing.