Transforming Work into Worship: A Divine Calling
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"Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established. It makes me think about work, and I know many of you listen to this podcast on your drive into work in the morning, so this seems especially relevant. We focused several podcast episodes on careers and calling, overworking, laziness, on purpose, personal productivity, all those things we've covered." [00:19:19]
"The Bible handles guilt in two ways, and both are very important, not just one. One is the blood of Jesus that covers all our sin, including how we do our work, and none of us does our work as well as we could. We're always falling short of the ideal. One is the blood of Jesus that cancels our guilt, and the other is to resolve to walk and work Faithfully before the Lord in the freedom of that forgiveness." [00:06:40]
"In the Bible, God makes a total absolute claim on our lives, all of our lives, including all of our work of whatever kind. Everything in our lives is to be done before the face of God in Reliance upon God's grace, according to God's guidance, for God's glory. Listen to these amazing passages: Colossians 3:17, whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus." [00:03:28]
"Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Or Proverbs 3:5 and 6, trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He'll make your path straight. Or Proverbs 6:3, commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." [00:04:21]
"All those texts have one basic message: we belong to God. We're not our own. Everything we do from morning till night is to be done in a godward way, before His face, in Reliance on His grace, Guided by His will, aiming to make Him look magnificent and glorious as our all-satisfying treasure. That's what work is for. That's what all of life is for." [00:05:48]
"Work as for the Lord and not for men. It goes like this: bondservants, obey in everything those who are your Earthly Masters, not by way of eye service as men pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." [00:06:42]
"Paul modifies this command in five ways so we can know there's not much doubt here how Paul thinks about this. There are five modifiers to what he means by 'as for the Lord': number one, not to be done with eye service as men pleasers; that is, you're not just angling to impress others when you do your work. God, not others, is the one you have in view." [00:07:22]
"The opposite of eye service is sincerity. He says, in other words, you really mean the good that your work is aiming to do. The work is not to impress others. The work is what it is. It's for the good of others. Number three, fearing the Lord, in other words, fearing displeasing the Lord, having a reverential desire to please the Lord in the way you do your work." [00:07:56]
"Working heartily, literally from the soul, that is, not halfheartedly, but putting your whole self into it. And number five, expecting a great reward from the Lord, even if man gives you nothing for it. That doesn't matter in the end. What matters in the end is you're going to get totally overabundance poured down, pressed together, overflowing in your lap reward from the Lord." [00:08:30]
"All five of those guidelines for how we do our work for the Lord are given to us not because the Lord needs our work. He doesn't. Acts 17:25, God is not served by human hands as though He needed anything. God doesn't need our work. That's not the point. Paul gave us these instructions because this will bring the greatest joy to us when we work this way and we show that God is our greatest treasure." [00:09:02]
"Thank God, and if we try to walk in faithfulness and obedience without relying on the blood of Jesus for forgiveness and enablement, we will either fail in despair or we will look like we succeed and become proud. It's the two together, the blood of Jesus and the resolve of walking and working Faithfully, obediently, that's the key to the peaceful life of being forgiven before God and being vigilant over our hearts and Minds as we go about our daily task." [00:02:54]
"Now just a few words about Colossians 3. Here's the text that Dylan is exercised about. It's got the phrase in it, work as for the Lord and not for men. It goes like this: bondservants, obey in everything those who are your Earthly Masters, not by way of eye service as men pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord." [00:06:42]
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"The Bible handles guilt in two ways, and both are very important, not just one. One is the blood of Jesus that covers all our sin, including how we do our work, and none of us does our work as well as we could. We're always falling short of the ideal. One is the blood of Jesus that cancels our guilt, and the other is to resolve to walk and work Faithfully before the Lord in the freedom of that forgiveness." [00:06:40]
"In the Bible, God makes a total absolute claim on our lives, all of our lives, including all of our work of whatever kind. Everything in our lives is to be done before the face of God in Reliance upon God's grace, according to God's guidance, for God's glory. Listen to these amazing passages: Colossians 3:17, whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus." [00:03:28]
"Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Or Proverbs 3:5 and 6, trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He'll make your path straight. Or Proverbs 6:3, commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." [00:04:21]
"All those texts have one basic message: we belong to God. We're not our own. Everything we do from morning till night is to be done in a godward way, before His face, in Reliance on His grace, Guided by His will, aiming to make Him look magnificent and glorious as our all-satisfying treasure. That's what work is for. That's what all of life is for." [00:05:48]
"Work as for the Lord and not for men. It goes like this: bondservants, obey in everything those who are your Earthly Masters, not by way of eye service as men pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." [00:06:42]
"Paul modifies this command in five ways so we can know there's not much doubt here how Paul thinks about this. There are five modifiers to what he means by 'as for the Lord': number one, not to be done with eye service as men pleasers; that is, you're not just angling to impress others when you do your work. God, not others, is the one you have in view." [00:07:22]
"The opposite of eye service is sincerity. He says, in other words, you really mean the good that your work is aiming to do. The work is not to impress others. The work is what it is. It's for the good of others. Number three, fearing the Lord, in other words, fearing displeasing the Lord, having a reverential desire to please the Lord in the way you do your work." [00:07:56]
"Working heartily, literally from the soul, that is, not halfheartedly, but putting your whole self into it. And number five, expecting a great reward from the Lord, even if man gives you nothing for it. That doesn't matter in the end. What matters in the end is you're going to get totally overabundance poured down, pressed together, overflowing in your lap reward from the Lord." [00:08:30]
"All five of those guidelines for how we do our work for the Lord are given to us not because the Lord needs our work. He doesn't. Acts 17:25, God is not served by human hands as though He needed anything. God doesn't need our work. That's not the point. Paul gave us these instructions because this will bring the greatest joy to us when we work this way and we show that God is our greatest treasure." [00:09:02]
"Thank God, and if we try to walk in faithfulness and obedience without relying on the blood of Jesus for forgiveness and enablement, we will either fail in despair or we will look like we succeed and become proud. It's the two together, the blood of Jesus and the resolve of walking and working Faithfully, obediently, that's the key to the peaceful life of being forgiven before God and being vigilant over our hearts and Minds as we go about our daily task." [00:02:54]
"Now just a few words about Colossians 3. Here's the text that Dylan is exercised about. It's got the phrase in it, work as for the Lord and not for men. It goes like this: bondservants, obey in everything those who are your Earthly Masters, not by way of eye service as men pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord." [00:06:42]
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