Most of us spend a large percentage of our time working (for mom’s of young children its probably somewhere near 100%).  In light of this I think its worth taking some time to think through how God would have us view our work- how we can put Him at the center- how the gospel should transform our work.

I have come across several different articles and posts on this subject recently and thought I would posts some of the highlights in the next couple of weeks.

The first comes from Justin Taylor and an article he wrote for the New Attitude website entitled “Thank God for Work Pt. 1“.  The whole article is worth reading but here are some highlights.

Have you ever seen a TGIM (Thank God It’s Monday) bumper sticker? I haven’t.

As Americans—and Christians usually aren’t much different—we spend many years and thousands of dollars getting an education, all to prepare us to get a job. Then once we get a job, we spend many years and thousands of more dollars awaiting the soonest time that we can retire! In the meantime—we live for the weekend.

As Christians we should view work differently, because God views work differently. Work is a gift from God and can be a source of meaningful fulfillment—and at the same time, it can make us weary and full of frustration.

In seeking to define work biblically Taylor gives the following points.

1. God Himself is a worker

2. Man was created in the image of God the Worker and was created to work

3. Man brought about a curse upon the blessed task of work

4. Jesus had a vocation prior to his public ministry

5. Christian freeloaders are worse than unbelievers and should starve instead of receiving handouts.

After noting how the Reformation sought to change unbiblical views of work promoted in middle ages Taylor closes with the following paragraph.

We need to recover the reformational understanding of vocation: all of life—in every sphere and in every calling—should be lived to the glory of God and in obedience to his Word. Abraham Kuyper wrote, “there is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, ‘Mine!’” If that’s true (and it is!), isn’t it worth our time and effort to think through how to glorify God in the area of work to which he has called you?

Here’s the info for tomorrow’s corporate worship.

Text-

 Judges 5

Songs-

Almighty God

All in All

O Great God

Here is Love

It is Well

Before the Throne of God Above

The following video is a short snippet of John Piper commenting on (or maybe I should say cursing) the prosperity gospel. It made me think of Galatians 1.

Paul Tripp continues to work his way through Psalm 27 and this last week he addressed the faulty dreams and plans we often form for ourselves. The bulk of the post is below. Enjoy!

“…that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and seek him in his holy temple.” (v.4b)

Now, admit it, you love you and you have a wonderful plan for your life. Somehow someway we all are too focused on our own lives. All of us get captured by what we want, what we feel, and what we have determined we need. Everyone of us is a dreamer. We’ve all been given the amazing capacity to envision the future and to plan toward it. A dream is imagination, coupled with desire and projected into the future. There are things that you’d love to have as part of your life. There are things that you’d like to accomplish. There are locations you’d love to experience. There are relationships you’d like to enjoy. There are situations you’d like to avoid. Every day you get up and you work toward some kind of dream.

But dreamers don’t just dream their dream, they also dream to be sovereign. In some way, at some time, all of us have wished that we’d enough control over our lives to guarantee that the things we’ve dreamed, we’d be able to experience. We’d like to control people and situations just enough to ensure that the “good things” we’ve dreamed would actually come true. What does the Bible call all of this? The Bible calls it worship.

What this means is that there’s a war of dreams that rages in our hearts, and in the middle of the fog of this war it’s so easy to get it wrong. It’s so easy to think that because I have my theology in the right place, because I am biblically literate, and a functioning member of a good church, that my life is shaped by worship of the Lord. But, that may not be the case at all. On closer inspection, it may actually be the case that underneath all of those things is a life that’s driven by personal success, or material things, or the respect of others, or power and control, etc. I am deeply persuaded that there’s a whole lot of idolatrous Christianity out there. The most dangerous idols of all are those that fit well within the culture of external Christianity.

It’s here that Psalm 27 is so helpful and convicting. What’s David’s dream for his life? What’s his plan? Well, it sounds so spiritual as to be impractical, but it gets right to the heart of why we were created in the fist place. David says, in Old Testament language, “I want to spend my life in worship of the Lord. I want to dwell in his temple and gaze upon his beauty.” The shekinah glory presence of the Lord filled the holy place of the temple, like a cloud. It was a physical picture of God dwelling with his people. David was saying, “I want to be where God is. I want to do what I was created to do.”

No, David isn’t some super-spiritual mystic. David gets it right. His quest is for a life that’s shaped and directed by a daily worship of the Lord. David knows who he is: a creature created for worship. David knows who God is: the only “thing” in the universe that’s truly worthy of worship. His dream is the best dream that you could ever dream. Far from being impractical, this dream, if lived out at street level, will bring purity and peace to your life.

What’s your plan for you life? How close is your plan to the plan God had for you when he gave you life and breath? Is there, perhaps, something in your plan that competes for the place that only God should have?

May your plan for you be identical to his plan for you!

In our Grace Groups yesterday we discussed God’s sovereign decree in ordaining all things to come to pass- even the sinful deeds of men. Admittedly this is difficult territory that at the end of the day we can never completely map out.

Here is the bottom line that must guide us on this issue: We must affirm what Scripture affirms and deny what Scripture denies. We must go where Scripture goes and stop where Scripture stops. We must see implications and conclusions only where Scripture gives them and allows them.

So, we affirm that…

• God is absolutely sovereign over evil, ordaining it and using it according to His good purposes.
• God is in no way guilty of evil, the author of evil, or to be blamed for evil.
• God rightfully holds man responsible for evil and judges him for the evil actions and choices he makes.

There are many verses we could consider- I would guess that most of us would affirm quickly that Scripture teaches that God is righteous and in no way to be blamed for evil (see Habakkuk 1:13 and James 1:13-14). We would also have little trouble seeing that God holds man responsible for sin and rightly judges him for it.

What we may not have seen clearly before and what may be of more difficulty in our thinking is the concept that God is sovereign over evil and even ordains evil. Here are a few passages to consider.

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. -Genesis 50:20 (ESV)

20 For it was the LORD’s doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, just as the LORD commanded Moses. -Joshua 11:20 (ESV)

11 Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” -2 Samuel 12:11-12 (ESV)

23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. -Acts 2:23 (ESV)

11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. -2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 (ESV)

These three Scripture truths are very difficult to reconcile in our finite and fallen minds. There is a point where we must realize we cannot question God- He is the Creator, we are the creation- He is the Potter, we are the clay. In the end we put our faith and trust in our great, glorious and holy God.

At the same time it can be profitable (to an extent) to investigate, think, and study these issues. Here are a couple of resources that you may find helpful.

If you have Wayne Grudem’s “Systematic Theology” or the condensed “Bible Doctrine” he has a helpful discussion on this in the chapter on God’s providence.

Is God Less Glorious Because He Ordained that Evil Be? A sermon transcript from John Piper discussing Jonathan Edwards view of God and evil. Very helpful and full of good quotes from Edwards.

Desiring God blog posts on God’s relation to sin (Pt. 1, 2, 3, 4)- these quote extensively from John Frame on this topic. This is also very solid and well thought-out writing.

D.A. Carson on providence and evil- A longer piece containing two chapters from D.A. Carson’s book “How Long O Lord.” They look quite good. Carson is a careful thinker and works hard to stay close to the text of Scripture.

Saturday, March 8th the Graspointers welcomed Shepherd Rex Lynn to their family. Shepherd was 6.98 pounds at birth and 20.5 inches. Praise God for His good gifts.

Psalm 78:5-7

5 He established a testimony in Jacob
and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,
6 that the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
7 so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments;

Here are the details for our gathering this Sunday.  Don’t forget tomorrow is daylight savings.

Text-

Judges 4 

Songs-

Heavenly Father, Beautiful Son

Immortal invisible

Praise to the Lord

O Great God

Jesus, I Come

Mighty is the power of the cross

Knowing You

Here is an extended quote I came across today in Paul Tripp’s book “How People Change.” Definitely worth considering!

On page 134-135…

In John’s case, the problem was that he was simply too content.  He had reached a plateau in his relationship with God.  He had a strong faith and was involved in his church, but there were Thorns in his life that just weren’t going away.  For example, John had an explosive temper.  he regularly blew up in traffic and got mad at his wife when they worked together around the house.  He could barely control his anger at the officials at his children’s athletic events.

John also struggled with debt.  He always had his eye on the next new tool or “man-toy.”  He drove a late model luxury car and lived in a house he couldn’t afford.  Despite several raises and a reasonable budget, John’s materialism had led him into debt.

John had problems in his relationship with his wife, Meg.  Rather than a relationship of servant love, tenderness, and unity, their marriage had the feel of military detente.  They didn’t fight a lot; they just lived separate lives and ended each day sleeping in the same bed.  Meg didn’t feel close to John, so she surrounded herself with friends with whom she shared her joys and sorrows.

There are many Johns in our Churches- people who know the Lord but whose lives clearly need change.  Yet they live in the Christian community with no sense of urgency or evidence of a personal agenda for growth. As Christians, they are far too easily satisfied.

God calls you to be dissatisfied.  you should be discontent, restless, and hungry!  The Christian life is a state of thankful discontent or joyful dissatisfaction.  That is, I live every day thankful for the many things in my life that would not be there without his grace, but I will not settle for a partial inheritance!

In this sense, it is right for me to be discontent.  It is right for me to want nothing less than all that is mine in Christ.  He does not want us to enjoy only a small portion of the riches he has given us.  He calls us to wrestle, meditate, watch, examine, fight, run, persevere, confess, resist, submit, follow, and pray until we have been transformed into his likeness.

This life of self-examination and joyful discontent should not be confused with a life of paralyzing self-condemnation.  God does not call us to self-loathing, but to a willingness to examine our lives in light of our hope as new creatures in Christ.  That hope is not only based on the promise of forgiveness, but on his promise of personal deliverance and restoration as well.  The same grace that has forgiven me is now in the process of radically changing me.  I should not be satisfied until that transformation is complete.

And then on page 137…

Real hope is not rooted in my performance, my maturity, my theological knowledge, or my personal perfection.  It is not rooted in the quality of my character, my reputation, or my success in ministry.  My hope is Christ!  He is in my life forever, looking on me with tenderness and compassion.  He will progressively transform me until the job is complete.  That is the hope that helps us to persevere with the Thorns in our lives.

This Wednesday Mark Dever will be speaking at Immanuel Baptist Church in Sacramento.  Mark is the senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church, leader of 9Marks ministries and the author of several books.

I have learned much from Mark and look forward to hearing him in person.  If you can make it the service is at 7pm at Immanuel Baptist Church Wednesday the 5th.