Us and Work: Finding beauty amongst the thorns
Notes
Transcript
Slow
Elder Nominations
Big Idea: God has given us the opportunity to show His goodness through our work in His creation. We should depend on His redemption as we pursue the opportunities He gives us.
Big Idea: God has given us the opportunity to show His goodness through our work in His creation. We should depend on His redemption as we pursue the opportunities He gives us.
Our Purpose
Our Purpose
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,
17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Bringing the goodness of God out of creation
Limits & Opportunity
Work acknowledging God’s provision and presence
Farmer
Waiter
Teacher
Work acknowledging our purpose
Winning isn’t beating other people as much as it is doing work well
Respecting the nature of who we are even as we use creation
To do work well, we need to understand the challenge we face.
Our Challenge
Our Challenge
Frustrations
16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”
17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Why? To show separation but also to show our need for God’s redemption
Laziness
12 Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
13 The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!”
14 As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed.
15 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.
16 The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly.
Diligence
25 The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.
26 All day long he craves and craves, but the righteous gives and does not hold back.
Generosity
You have to view work and generosity from the lens of God’s redemption.
God’s Redemption
God’s Redemption
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight
9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ
10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
Personality
Opportunity
Grace vs Effectiveness
As a couple - doing more than you can do on your own
As body, mind and spirit
As a worker - doing things to the glory of God and the love of others
As a farmer
As a teacher
As making profits
As a giver
What can I/we do to be generous this year? How can we share the blessings of God this year?
With our children?
With our church?
With others?
Being in the Word - Bible Reading Plans
Invite worship team
Community Group questions
Where do you see your work showing the goodness of God?
Where do you find frustration in the efforts of your life?
How can you cultivate a spirit of generosity in your life?
How can you grow in your awareness of God’s redemption and purposes in the midst of your efforts?
What will you do this week to work to the praise of His glory?
