And so I'm excited that you're here because last week Craig told us from the beginning of the book of Genesis
We see that God is a gardener and that he is created
And in the garden and he's given Adam the ability to continue on creation
So as we are made in God's image, we are made as
Worshipers, so think about this for one second
Everything in the world that you see that the carpet on the ground the chair you're sitting in the the ceiling above us
Everything you see was created out of what was created
You track all that everything you see around you. It's not like God created pipe and drape
It's not like God created chairs. It's not like God created these cool lights
Everything that you see was created out of what has been created
So one of my engineer friends was telling me how steel was made so God created iron
And carbon and when you heat these things up really hot and let it cool and add pressure
What happens is you get steel
And when you get steel you can build stuff with steel
And so skyscrapers can be made because steel can be made because carbon exists and because iron exists
And because hot stuff exists and because air pressure exists
You're tracking with that so everything that has been made helps us continue in the work of creation
So what we do is out of what's been done
Everything that we work in is because work has already been made possible
So that's what that's what craig meant last week when he says you too are a gardener
You're working out of what has been created you create out of what has been created and so
Work is a good thing. God made you in his image. Therefore you work
Therefore if you have been out of work for a while you felt it didn't you
Like if you've been unemployed for a season of life where you wanted to be employed
But you were unemployed for a long season like at some point didn't your soul start to hurt a little bit
You're like hey like my parents basement is awesome, but I need up out of here like yesterday
Like I've beat this video game so many times
That god helped me can I make a career out of this because I'm a career gamer at this point
Like after a while of being unemployed, didn't you start to feel that did it start to hurt a little bit?
Didn't you start to think man? I I need to do something
And I don't mean that just in a job
I just mean you needed something in your life to pursue and move forward because god made you in his image
And he is a worker therefore you work and when you're out of work you feel it and in the same way when you're overworked
You feel it
Isn't it true if you've been in that 80 hour week that 90 hour week when you found yourself over
Worked crazy worked and all of a sudden your soul was aching and you're like I know I was created to work
But this overwork stuff has got me wondering if I should continue to do this as a person because I'm dying
So god worked and then rested so when you don't rest you're not walking in his image and when you don't work
You're not walking in his image and these are the the sides that we find ourselves in so if you've been unemployed
You've struggled if you've been overworked you've struggled
um
But listen as our lives are brought more and more under the lordship of christ
As our lives are brought more and more under what it means to be a mature follower of jesus
We will see more and more how every little detail of our life can be redeemed and can be used for the redeemer
And for the one that has changed us and affected us so as our lives come under christ
We can see everything in our lives being done unto christ as our lives comes under christ
We can do everything in our lives as unto christ
Work takes a huge portion of our time
So when we talk about what is god's perspective of work it matters because a business insider
I saw this this week said that if you live to the average age of an adult and if you start working at age
22 after you have a degree or whatever
And you work 40 hours a week for that time period until the average
Retirement situation happens you will spend 22 years of your adult life that you're awake working
22 years anybody in the room 22 years old anybody anybody
Okay, some people around
Um, can you imagine like that time span is how long we will spend in our lives
Working so wouldn't you think it would be important for us to get god's perspective on this because there are temptations on
Both sides to overwork to underwork
It's it's a view work wrongly. So if you have a bible tonight
I want you to look at colossians chapter 3 and i'm going to do my best to show you god's perspective on what it means to work
As worship
So craig told you last week what it means to work
I want to tell you what it means to worship as you do your work. So colossians chapter 3
We're going to start
in verse 22
Colossians 3 22
I will read this to you and then i'm going to
Jump in and try to
Explain this to you in a couple different ways. So verse 22 says this colossians 3 22 it says slaves
Obey in everything those who are your earthly
Masters so before you get too caught up in that if we were to pull that into our context
This is the employee role
Don't think 18th 19th century slavery here that that is completely different than what the scripture means by this think employee
Think one who works under an authority one who works under a supervisor
So employee slave obey and everything those who are your earthly masters listen to this
Not by way of eye service as people pleasers
But with sincerity of heart
fearing the lord
So work under authority
But work under the fear of the lord. So verse 23 whatever you do
Work heartily work from the heart work from the deep source within you work heartily as
for the lord
And not for men knowing that from the lord you will receive the inheritance
As your reward for you are serving the lord christ you catch that you are
Serving the lord christ and whatever job you have whatever you are doing underneath all of it
You are serving the lord christ verse 25 for the wrong doer will be paid back for the wrong he has done
For there is no partiality
So that's colossians chapter 3 22 through 25. So based on that what I want to do tonight is give you two
overarching truths that are pretty obvious and you may say really you had to say that
I'm just going to assume nothing and we're going to give you two really big overarching
Truth and in three ways that we can work as unto the lord. So colossians 3
22 first overarching truth is this
it says
God
Has called you to work and may call you to work specifically. So god has called you to work
Generally and may call you to work
Specifically so what I mean by that is work is
Mandated from the lord as a good thing. He has called you to work
But be careful my generation of 22 year olds that raise your hand
The specifically portion of the program may or may not happen
So if you will give me a moment to make fun of my generation
I would love to take that moment and since I have a mic we're going for it. Okay
My father-in-law is one of the godliest men I know
My wife's dad
And for the last 30 years he's been an electrician
When he was 20 years old he started to an apprenticeship to become an electrician
He's been electrician now
He's like second in command of the whole company as an electrician if you were to go to him and say
Uh don rush were you called to be an electrician? He would say what are you talking about?
I was called to get a job
Because I was married and we were gonna have a family
So could you repeat the question?
You know, but you were you called like did did you feel like the lord come upon you during a quiet time and say electricity?
And did you drive by the poles and go like you're not afraid of heights you should do that for a living
He goes no no no
Um, I got a job because I'm a man and had a wife and I provide for my family
So god has called you to work
Period and may call you to work specifically. So be careful my generation because we are adventure
seeking
entitled driven
Identity absorbed people that think somehow god has a very specific unique one person for me to marry
And a very specific unique one calling for me to live and one life for me to instagram
And one life for me to facebook and tell the world about how good my 30 minutes of cup of coffee and quiet time and life
and dreams and
I can go on and on but we basically put our best foot forward
constantly
And we don't view work as process
We view work as I went to college and now I expect to get a job
That is pretty well paid pretty high at the top of the level and I'm willing to live in my parents basement until that job comes knocking
So so often people say I don't want to work there because I don't feel called to that
You're called to work
Now you may get specifically called to do things in your career. Maybe specifically called into ministry
Maybe the lord does speak electricity to you. Maybe he speaks engineering. Maybe he speaks architecture. Maybe he speaks teacher
Maybe maybe maybe but doesn't change the mandate of working
You're called to work
We were doing our prep work for this. We said the process is huge
So in other words, uh, my generation if you've never had that awful
unbelievably miserable crap job, I don't trust you
That job that was the worst of the worst of the worst where um, you just went around all day
And like you had to spray round up on weeds for 40 hours for a major business if you haven't had that job
I don't know if I like you that much
If you haven't had the job that you're embarrassed to tell your friends about because it was just so awful and you came home and
Like had to throw your clothes away after your shift every day
Then then i'm not sure you've actually gained the character and the insertion of
Character that you need in your life through those jobs
It isn't not a beautiful process when you can look back and go. Yeah, I've worked
Uh, this job and I've worked that job and I've walked through the whole process. Um
My friend Eric who's in the crowd. I didn't tell him I was going to tell this story
Um, but he has a degree from the University of Idaho. He got married and the only job he could find I was
Walking with him through this process. The only job he could find was being a janitor at washington state university
And he was going to clean stevensson hall. That's where freshmen live. That's not a great place
But he was called to work
So he went to work and he honored the lord in that work and he got married and honored the lord by preparing
A place for his wife and I tell you this I've never appreciated and liked my friend more
The knowing he was willing to do whatever it takes to work
And under that served the lord in that work now fast forward a little while later
He has an incredible job where he wears a button-up shirt to work every day and it's killer
And I feel like the lord honored that because he worked
So don't buy into the lie that you have to have everything right at first
You are called to work and you may be called to work specifically and your specific calling may come after your other job calling
You may be spraying roundup or cleaning toilets when you hear the lord whisper the specificity and you go praise god get me out of here
That's good. But may he find you working when he gives you specific work. Does that make sense?
I got a little fired up on that. I'm sorry
I got a little fired up on that. I'm sorry
Amen, all right. Yeah
You know what I'm talking about. Okay point number two
When you think about overarching truths
Point number one, you may you're called to work. You may be called to work specifically point number two in a general sense
Is listen, there's no divide between the sacred and the secular
There's no divide between the sacred and the secular
So in other words the sacred people are not those who work in the church
As professional christians and then the secular people are those who've got to figure it out in the marketplace and go through
Life that way. No, no, there is no divide between the sacred and the secular
There is simply sons and daughters of god
Working out in the world
How he is working in them to work out in the world. So in other words sons and daughters of god
Bringing his work to their work
That that's the picture. There's no oh well. Well, I need a secular job or I need a sacred job
There's no compartmentalization in this in other words every work has dignity every job has
An ability to be done as unto the lord
If you think back in the book of acts
Do you remember when the church explodes and the apostles are doing everything and they have this moment where they decide
Listen, we can't serve tables and preach the word
So we're going to get other people to serve tables so that we can preach
The word and they basically push themselves out of one job to do a more specific job
I was reading an article by dorthy seyer
And she says this about work in regard to sacred and secular because if you're not careful you would think man
Serving tables that job is underrated and preaching the word is overrated
And so that that's got to be more important to the lord than the other job and she says this
She says let the church remember this
That every maker and worker is called to serve god in his profession or trade not outside of it inside not outside
The apostles apostles complained rightly when they said it was not appropriate that they should leave the word of god and serve tables
Their vocation was to preach the word
But the person whose vocation it is to prepare the meals beautifully might with equal justice protest
It is not appropriate for us to leave the service of tables to preach the word
There's dignity in these jobs
There's a way that these jobs can be done is acts of worship
We serve god in our profession or trade not outside of our profession or trade
We serve them in it not outside of it. So in other words, the only non-option is to do nothing
And the only non-option sorry the other non-option is to do something half-heartedly
So the two options that the usa these are non-options is to do nothing and to do something half-heartedly verse 23 says do these
With heartily with a sincere heart as unto the lord. So based on that picture
I want to give you three ways that we can figure out
How it is that we can do our jobs
For the lord that we could do our jobs as if we are doing them for christ himself
I was reading something this week and and this guy said it's as if you were a made in a hotel room and you made every bed
Thinking that christ himself was going to be the guest in that bedroom tonight
That you do that work as unto the lord
So how is it that we can do our work as unto the lord as verse 24
Tells us so these are the three things that I came up with if you're a note taker
Now is your chance
uh point number one
When your principal number one is you can do your work as unto the lord is when you recognize your identity
Is in a person not a position
If you've been around resonate very long, you know that we talk about identity
All the time and we talk about it all the time because we hope you get it and live in it all the time
Paul tells you your identity is in a person
Not a position your status is in jesus you belong to christ
You were bought with the price and you may have an earthly boss
Yes, but you have a heavenly master even bigger than that
So your identity is in a person not a position and why this is huge
Is because when you take your life under the lordship of christ when you bring your life under the gospel
It's powerful because it levels the playing field
There's no hierarchy in this
The gospel levels the playing field for everyone verse 25 says there's no partiality in this
The gospel gives everyone the same standard. So in other words when you find finding your identity in jesus
It frees the supervisor from self-importance
And it frees the supervisee from self pity. It levels the playing field
So if you're a supervisor in the room if you have people under your authority the gospel
It frees you from self importance
Because your identity is in christ not in your position. So you cannot think man. I deserve this. I'm entitled this
I have people under me because I deserve to have people under me and I've worked hard for this
And so they need to get me coffee and do my chores and do my
Copies because I I've earned it. I don't know your your identity is in a person not a position
So be careful of getting too self congratulatory be careful of your position
Being where you find your identity and if you're under someone's authority, which everyone in the room is under someone's authority
It frees us from self pity
He goes oh man, when am I going to get noticed? Oh man, when am I going to get the promotion?
Oh man, when are people going to realize that I make the coffee every morning?
When are people going to realize that I take the trash out?
When are people going to realize that that I get invited into every project and I help a lot?
But no one ever congratulates me poor me none of the gospel frees you from that
Because you've been made known of as a sinner and christ has given you his righteousness
And so now your identity is in a person not a position. So you are free
You don't have to be thanked all the time. You don't have to be congratulated all the time
You don't have to be noticed all the time. You don't have to be celebrated all the time you can rest
In your received identity
Not not your achieved identity
You can rest in what you've received from christ. You don't have to hustle and work and achieve something. So be careful
When you find yourself fighting for your rights at work
Be careful when you find yourself jockeying for position at work. Be careful when you're self
Congratulating more often than you are graciously giving encouragement to others. Be careful when you're wondering why you're not getting noticed
Be careful when you find yourself feeling like you're the one always getting stepped on and getting used
Now i'm not inviting you to get stepped on or getting used
But i'm saying the gospel frees you from self pity
And if you're a supervisor the gospel frees you from self
Importance you don't have to be a people pleaser scripture says paul says don't do it like their eyes are watching you
So you work to please what they see
That that will drive you crazy if you're a people pleaser that will drive you crazy
You will constantly be making sure someone's noticing and constantly trying to move forward and even darker than that
You'll never say you're sorry at your job
You'll never you'll never apologize. You'll constantly be defensive. You can never make a mistake and went up to it
You've got to say someone else's fault. Someone else did this. I need to be noticed. Everyone get away
Did you not see I did this thing? Well, why are you talking about my budget? Why are you messing with me about this?
Why is this going on and you get so defensive and so caught up in achieving your identity instead of resting in your
Received identity. I know that we talk about this a lot, but your identity is in a person not a position
And when you believe that it will free you to go to work and not fight for your rights
It will free you to go to work and be gracious
The second thing based on this text
Is how do you do your work as unto the lord you recognize your identities in a person and when you get that
The next thing that that leads to
Is that your character
Should be Christ centered not culture centered
If you're going to do your work as unto the lord if you're going to see past your supervisor past your task
Past your corporate logo and see all the way through that stuff as see your work is being done unto
Jesus for Jesus as an act of worship to Jesus and that should reciprocate in you a character that is Christ like
not culture like
I know some of you work in really brutal job environments where you go, man, I'm the only believer within miles of my job
Like I don't even know anybody that they could hear me if I started screaming
That was a believer like like I am in a position or a situation where I am all
Alone and the culture around you is starting to influence you more than Christ inside of you is influencing you
But your character should be Christ centered
Paul says in Colossians 3 you shouldn't just be working a certain way because they're watching you
You should be working a such a certain way because I'm watching you and not watching you with a scorecard
But watching you as one God watching us as one who wants to receive worship for our job
God notices
What we talk about at our jobs God notices
Whether or not we're cutting corners God notices
Whether or not we're being faithful with all of our heart to to work at our jobs. Are you working half heartedly?
Are you doing your job only so that your supervisor will congratulate you?
But when your supervisor goes away you have a completely different work ethic
Are you working as a person who has Christ centered character?
So what does it mean to have Christ centered character? It means that you do the best work you could possibly do
You're the best worker. You could possibly be it means you do not work half heartedly
You have a sincere heart Paul says that in your heart is a sincerity for your job and a whole heartedness
Towards your job. Listen, we're Christians and we do a lot of things half heartedly
And Paul says not not this
We do not do this half heartedly. You do the best work you can and I would even take it a step further
You do the best work you can muster and then you invite God himself to give you vision
imagination
Hope and care for your job in the future
So you invite the Lord Lord would you give me a passion and a vision and a purpose God?
Would you give me creativity to move this job forward?
And then when there's a training going on for your job
You sign up and you go to that training and you're a listener and you absorb information
And you figure out how can I leverage my life to move this company forward for the good of the company
As as I'm worshiping and doing this job as unto the Lord
So you absorb information you get more experience and you do the very very very best
You can because through all of it through the supervisor through the tasks through the jobs through the logo
Through the home through through everything that you see
You see all of it is being done as unto the Lord
You see all of it is being done as unto the Lord and your character reflects that
This this
Colossians 3 literally says work
Do your job as out of your soul
Like that it would be heartfelt
That you would push those carts back to the place that they go at walmart out of your soul and you go that's not possible
Paul says yes, it is
Whatever you do can be done as unto the Lord that it would be heartfelt
This means you don't cut corners. This means you don't leave early
You don't take advantage of the system. You don't figure out how many days off can I have and use all of them?
You don't figure out
Take vacation. That's not what I mean
But I was talking to a lady that said that her job as a teacher you have 10 sick days as a teacher
And she said when she's not sick. She doesn't take a day off
And then one time she had to get a surgery and she needed like six weeks off
And she went to her principal and said hey, I'm having the surgery on these six weeks off
Her principal said you you only take days off when you're sick
So you take all six weeks that you need and I will pay you as if you were here
But she said there's other co-workers there that they go. Oh, I have seven days left of six
So I'm going to take days off even when I'm not sick just because I can take days off because I get them
And she's like no, that's not that's not the standard and I was at a christian high school
She was telling me the story. So she's talking to her teachers like that's
That's not what this means. So you don't cut corners
You don't you don't try to leverage everything for your
Glory you don't dishonor your boss when he's not in the room you don't gossip about your co-workers
You don't seek to hurt others you you don't walk in this you have a christ-like character
Now this doesn't mean you have to have a john 316 coffee mug
This doesn't mean underneath your button-up shirt needs to be a christian t-shirt
That you hope that in the light just right like they could see past your tie and read like this bible verse
That's not what I'm talking about
This doesn't mean that you don't go to lunch in the lunch room because you go outside and pray and fast
During lunch that that's not what I'm talking about
I'm talking about I'm inviting you to have a christ-like character that is seen by all people as it is done
unto the lord
The other the other side of this is as you start working as unto the lord
You start being a good employee and you start moving forward because god gives you favor and grants you that
Godly characteristics says that as you gain influence in your organization
And as you gain money for that influence in your organization
And as you gain access to more resources than an organization that you continue to have the same mindset
You had at first and not think god got me to this place now. I don't need him anymore
That's a temptation you're gonna find yourself and you're gonna go man
I was a great employee working as unto the lord, but now as the boss
That I make more money and have more influence and have more resources. Well, it's a little harder now
I can't keep doing that
I don't know you have you have godly characteristic all the way through this process
And the last thing
When you think about
What what does it mean to do my work as unto the lord?
It means you have an identity
That was given to you you receive that identity
So you walk in that identity and you go to your job and you have a christ-like character about you in your job
And then lastly what paul teaches us is working out of the heart
Eventually lands in the spot that you love others at your job
Like the lord has loved you
That your work being done as worship means that you rest in your identity
You recognize that you receive that you didn't achieve that
And then you walk with christ-like character through a culture that is not showing christ-like character and you walk in that
And you find yourself praying for co-workers you find yourself loving co-workers
You find yourself being a peacemaker to co-workers because you realize that what god has done to you you do unto others around you
You know what else this means
This means that you walk into your job realizing that god alone
Can forgive you of sin
So you don't walk in expecting other people to be these forgivers of you and and you you expect everybody to be these
Uh god-like figures to you. No. No god has forgiven you so you can forgive others and they don't have to forgive you necessarily for
For whatever it is that the issue is about but but what god has given you you can give others
God alone has given you peace so you can be a peacemaker god alone has given you forgiveness
So you can be a person of forgiveness god alone has given you identity so you can serve others
You initiate in your workplace
You get to know people in your workplace. You're genuinely interested in them because you love them
You care about them. You're gonna spend 22 years with them if that career keeps going
And after someone spends that amount of time with you. Do they know that you love them and that you were for them?
Because that is what god has given this unto you
I know this seems really really basic, but if you love people around you
Um, then people that your job should like you
Like I know that's that's crazy talk, right?
Like people should like you you should walk into your building and in some ways be a breath of fresh air
You should get invited to meetings and people go man. I'm glad this guy's here. Yeah
So-and-so is here like no one's name is so-and-so, but you know what I'm saying
Like your name. Oh chris is here. Yes. Love when this guy's here actually like him
That you have a posture of love towards the world that you're a peacemaker
Verse 25 says wrongdoers are gonna get repaid so you don't have to go through your job
Being the ones seeking vengeance and justice all the time
You don't have to worry about that you show people love you show people christ
You work as an act of worship and then you watch how people respond
I submit to you that if you start walking in this at some point
There's going to be people to look at you and start asking questions
There's going to be people around you that at some point in this journey
If you walk in this identity walk in this character walk in this love at some point in the journey
They're going to look at you and say man. What is it about you?
You are different
You don't join in on the gossip. You don't join in on cutting corners. You don't join in
On jockeying for a position. What is it about you?
And it is in those moments where your work being done as worship
Can invite other people to the worship or the one who is showing you how you can do your work as an active worship
So it is in those moments when someone says what is it about your life? You are evidentially different
You walk in a certain way that is different than the rest of us and over lunch somebody comes to you and says
I like talking to you when I have struggles like talking to you when I have issues because there's something different about you
And it is in those moments
man that you can say I
I love this job
And I love the people at this job because I have a god who's loved me
And what he has accomplished for me. I'm working this job. Believe it or not like as I'm doing it unto god
And I go to this church. You can come be a part of this church. I know this guy Jesus
I can tell you about Jesus listen preachers are not going to win the world
People working as acts of worship all throughout culture infiltrating culture being leaders in culture
Hearing co-workers say what is it about you in culture? Those are the places those are the people those are the spots
Where god is going to be
moving forward in cities
Because people are working in all different elements of life. Paul says whatever
So you say I love engineering. I love teaching. I love babysitting. I love staying home with my kids. I love
Mops group. I love whatever it is you do Paul says
That counts under whatever so whatever you do Paul says do it as unto the lord
Not as a people pleaser, but as one who is serving christ himself and from that place
You will find
That others are going to invite you into their lives and invite you to tell them why it is you do what you do
And you may think man josh, you don't know my job. I make I make copies for a living
You don't you don't know my job. I push carts at walmart. You don't you don't know my job
I'm a janitor here. You you don't know my job. I I stay home with my kids. You don't know my job
I I do this. I don't know the specifics of your job. But I know that based on colossians chapter three
The holy spirit of god is trying to teach us
That god is as accessible to you as you want him to be
So you invite him to stand with you at the copy machine while you're dropping 500 copies of that document
You don't even care that much about he will meet you there
God is accessible as much as you want him to be accessible. You can treasure
Christ in this trivial
You can fellowship with christ in the mundane. You can pray as you push carts
You can you can sing worship. Maybe out loud if you work by yourself. Don't be a weirdo in the cubicle singing worship
Or in the school or whatever
But you can have some things going on in your head and your heart
Recognizing that god is the provider that god is good that god is the giver of all good things
And that he is as present to you as you want him to be
I was radically affected in college by a book
And by brother lorence called practicing the presence of god brother lorence worked at a monastery and his job was to do dishes
That's all he did all day was dishes
I think at some point I would start going to lunch and I would start hating lunch
Because I would look at all those dishes going you guys have to do those dishes so clean your dishes
I don't even like you guys anymore
And his joy was to get all the dishes at lunch because he could sit in front of the sink and invite
Jesus to meet with him as he did dishes
And he would journal about and eventually his journals became this book
And there's some things that he wrote in there that are almost like inappropriate to speak. There's one day he wrote in his journal
He said today while I was doing dishes my thoughts of you lord were so delicious. Yes. He said the word delicious
He had delicious thoughts
I don't know if he was thinking about food or whatever, but he's doing dishes and he said man
My thoughts of you today lord were so delicious. I don't even want to share them with other people because they would think I'm crazy
And I'm reading going yeah, but you shared it and I kind of think you're crazy because you said delicious
He invited the lord into dishes
He practiced god's presence
He would he would try to go a whole day without not thinking about the lord
Does that make sense like he would try to go the whole day and see if he could go all day
And make it the whole day without losing thought of the lord
And I think so often we're on the other side. We're like man, if I can think of the lord three times today, that's pretty good
And brother Lawrence goes if I lose thought of him three times today, I'm going to be frustrated
I want to be near him. I want to walk with him. I want to see him in the dishes. I want to be around him at all times you can
And
Behold god's glory and the most boring of things
You can treasure christ's and the most trivial of things you can make copies for the glory of god
You can go on coffee runs for the glory of god
You can push carts back to the cart place at walmart for the glory of god if you are willing
To allow your mind and your heart to see him as provider
See him as available. See him as accessible. See him as the one that gave you identity
See him as the one whose character you're reflecting and see around you those who you can love
You walk in that
You will find yourself worshiping the lord as you work
And you will find the lord doing work in you and through you at your work
Jesus has done work for us to make us believers and is because of the work of christ that we are believers
Now we work as unto christ because of the work he has done to make us christians
So as christians we live one life whether we're at home or work our church or worshipers
That is the hope
So as we close today, I want to ask you um based on these three
principles um
Are you being tempted to cut corners and not show christlike character at your job?
These are some questions I wrote down. Uh, are you being tempted to achieve your identity instead of resting your received?
Identity are you getting a little too wrapped up in the corporate ladder trying to climb too fast to achieve something?
Instead of receive what god's already given you. Um, who at your workplace? Do you need to show love to?
Who's that guy you go man? I don't even like that guy josh. Why'd you have to bring this up?
I want to go to work tomorrow and like I hope that my desk magically moves away from that guy
And you're telling me I need to love him
I'm not saying you need to like him not even saying you need to trust him
I'm saying that that love is something that you can control and give towards him
So where is it that you're tempted to cut quarters? Who is it that you need to love?
Where are you trying to achieve your identity instead of receive your identity?
Can we leave today recognizing
That you may have a supervisor
But above that you have a god who is your supplier and who is your salary?
And who in the end who is your supreme master? So can we see through the process to see our work being done into the lord?
So in your programs when you came in we wrote out a prayer
That's in your programs and I want to read that to you as you close as we close you can read it along if you have your program
and the hope
Is that tomorrow morning you could read this as a prayer to prompt you as you go into your work day?
You could cut out the top of this and put it on to your mirror in the morning
You could put it in your car and on the dashboard if you wanted to pray this like you pull into the parking lot of your job
And you stop for a moment and you show up early enough to like sit in the parking lot for a minute and pray
Before you head into your workplace that that you would be able to have eyes to see the work you do as an active worship
So you can read along with me as I pray this and as I pray this the band's going to come up
We're going to close
So the prayer says this
It says dear lord jesus
I begin this day
profoundly grateful for your already finished work
And you're relentlessly redemptive never ceasing work in my heart
God helped me to work more heartily at all things
Because of your finished work on the cross your present work in the world and your future work in the new heaven and new earth
Please continue to free me from doing anything for the approval of people
Out of the fear of people or to gain power over people
I work for you lord jesus
Not for mere men
Help me to do all things as unto you loving my co-workers without manipulation
Doing my job without self-congratulation and serving your people without unrealistic expectations
I praise you lord that the gospel is the end of any sense of wage earning
Merit occurring advantage producing relationship with god
I work for you because you first worked for me
May I serve you today because you ever live to serve me as my advocate and intercessor
Father I pray that over our church
Gotta pray you would show us
People in our jobs that we could we could love gotta pray you would show us places in our job where we're not displaying your character
Gotta pray you would show us
Places in our job where we're cutting corners and we're achieving our identity instead of resting in a received identity
God tonight maybe through these next few songs
We write down names of people that you want us to love
God maybe tonight as we worship we we write down places where we confess that we've been
Cutting corners and and cheating and not showing your character
And god we confess that we've been overworked
And we've been finding our identity and what we achieve instead of what we receive from you
God in these three areas may we give our lives to you
And may this prayer prompt us tomorrow to go into our workplaces and worship you in in the process
But we love you. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen
