Saturday, July 26, 2008

Work from God's perspective

1) work is a command (Gen 2)

work became toil because of sin

do it with right attitude

a) obedient and submissive (employee)

b) fair and just (employer)

2) work is a means to our transformation

we are tested, tried, transformed through our work stress and pressures

To love your boss, we need the Cross in our hearts

3) work is a platform for my ministry

- do you feel God's pleasure for what you are doing now?

- one common ministry (the ministry of reconciliation)

the real test is the focus of our hearts (do we seek first the kingdom of God?)

(are our hearts on things eternal or temporal?)

Is our work our calling?

one side of the pendulum - catholic distortion(exalted the sacred and sees the secular as support for the all impt sacred)

the other side - protestant distortion (exalted the secular by saying our work is our calling but cannot be true if your work is prostitution or selling illegal drugs)

Note: the call divorced from the caller is meaningless

If God is not our focus, our work is meaningless (no longer a calling but the work has replaced God)

Ultimate result of the call is the satisfaction of God

Purpose - our primary calling - a call to be (a call to Someone, to relationship, to fellowship, call to the Caller who is God)

Function - our secondary callings - calls to do (these may and can shift over time)

in order to know your calling, do what you are already doing and God will lead you to the next step.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

The Delight of Discipline

There are 12 judges in the book of Judges
A OT judge is someone who brings people into a right relationship with God. Each judge is a picture of Jesus' deliverance ministry (the enemies then, are all enemies that are within us now)

The judge Shamgar (Judges 3:31) used an oxgoad to defeat the Philistines
(Philistines were iron makers who strove with Israel since the time of Isaac that is at the wells of strive and oppression - they depict the soulish emotions of the flesh)
An oxgoad is a farming instrument of discipline for the ox to keep it in line

2 Sources of Discipline
1. God's discipline (receive it) - pain brings obedience.
Holiness now, happiness later Heb 12:5ff

2. Self-discipline (reign over ourselves)
To have self-discipline is to get the grip of (take hold of) oneself

The bridge between potential and performance is discipline

How to have self-discipline
1. Be a Word-driven person (not driven by emotions)
Obey then feel good
Buffet the body not buffet it
Have mind over mattress
Practice makes permanent

2. Build a house of excellence (be the best you can be)

discipline -> decision -> desire
(Discipline helps us to make right decisions that will lead us to have right desires)