Thanks, everyone, for being here this morning. This is our fourth week of our class on integrating work in faith.
!
That it's active and living and that it applies to our day-to-day lives.
We thank you that you've designed us for work, Lord, that you call us into relationship with you, Lord,
and that in that relationship you call us to participate in the cultivation of your kingdom.
And we just pray that the realities of that would be impressed upon us this morning, Lord,
that we would learn more about you and your will for our lives as we discuss these matters together.
And it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Alright, so I thought it would be helpful, again, just to review,
because a lot of what we're discussing is building on the previous week's discussions.
So I'll go through the first few weeks' material, and then we can dive into our topic for today.
So, in our first week, Kumlay covered an overview of the design of work and highlighted four main points.
First, work is good. It's something that God did and does, and therefore, by definition, is a good thing.
And second, we were created to work.
God created us in his image, and since he works and it is good, he created us to mirror his work in creation.
And we're so designed in this way that Tim Keller says that working is as essential to human flourishing as food and water.
Third, God calls people to a variety of work, which we'll expand on a little bit more today.
And lastly, work comes with God-given limits.
Because we are not the owners of our work, we're called to join in God's work under his authority,
and our work comes with limits in that way.
So, in our second week, we expanded on a couple of these points by diving into the concept of work as a calling.
And there were a few key truths that we highlighted in that class as well.
We said our calling is twofold.
To bring out the wonder of God's design through cultivation of the created order,
and to be an instrument of God's providence serving the needs of our neighbors.
So, we recall Dorothy Sayers' definition of work, that it's a gracious expression of creative energy offered in service to others.
So, we also extended a point from week one.
We said that because our salvation doesn't depend on our work, we can view all work as equally important,
as we all participate together in the cultivation of God's kingdom.
So, intellectual and physical work, secular and spiritual work, paid and unpaid work,
material and cultural work, like building bridges or building families,
these are all forms of labor in which God has called or commissioned certain people to participate for the sake of his kingdom.
And all of these forms of work are equally valid and valuable in the eyes of God.
Knowing these, we talked about discerning a calling in wisdom,
and that it identifies, in doing that, we identify ways that God is calling us to use our God-given gifts to meet a God-ordained need.
We talked about a term that Keller calls a ministry of competence.
And some of the best ways that we can step into the calling that God has for us is to identify things that he's equipped us well to do,
to meet a need that he's identified to us.
We also talked about discerning this in prayer.
We didn't have time to focus on this quite as much, but in our discerning in wisdom,
we also want to consider what we're doing in prayer and engagement with faithful brothers and sisters,
because sometimes God calls us to do things that defy the wisdom of the world.
So just because we're not good at something doesn't mean that God wouldn't call us to do it anyway.
And being engaged in a community that can help us discern that in prayer is a good thing.
So all of this was a discussion of the goodness of work.
And then last week, Kunle introduced the brokenness of work.
He discussed how sin and brokenness in creation can lead to frustration and despair in our work.
And this happens for a couple of reasons.
First, work can become fruitless, meaning that in all our work,
we'll be able to envision far more than we can accomplish,
both because of a lack of our ability and also because of the resistance
that we might experience in the environment around us.
And second, even when work is productive or fruitful, it can become meaningless
and it can leave us feeling empty even after we've achieved our aspirations.
Kunle also shared some helpful tactics to reorient ourselves
when we struggle with fruitlessness or meaninglessness.
He noted that adjusting our expectations of work
and maintaining a view of the resurrection and eternity
can be helpful as we persevere in the face of brokenness in our work.
We should expect resistance to productivity
and feelings of dissatisfaction sometimes because of the curse.
But by recognizing that God still provides in the midst of all of this
and has promised redemption and restoration in the end through Jesus,
we can rest in the fact that our labor is not in vain, as Paul says.
So all of this was an examination of how sin and brokenness in creation affects our work.
But today we want to look at how sin and brokenness in our own hearts
impacts our experience with work.
And I just want to lay out a few points from the very beginning for clarity,
the things that I hope we will all walk away with today after our discussion.
If God's design for work is, as Sayers puts it,
a gracious expression of creative energy offered in service to others,
then sin can make work selfish, meaning it's not in service to others.
Sin in our work reveals our idols to us and it distorts the expression of creative energy.
And identifying and resisting our idols can help us, again, reorient to God's good design for work.
So those are the things that we want to work through today.
Let me just pause after the review for any questions, comments.
Okay, so we'll dive in then.
So we've established that one of the primary features of being called to work
is that we're called in service to others.
That means that meaning and satisfaction and work come from God
when we are operating in service to Him first
and in service to His creation second.
This is the design of work as modeled by God's cultivation of and care for His creation.
But when sin entered the equation, we saw that the ground was cursed
and with it our work.
And it's not just the ground that was cursed,
it's also our hearts that were corrupted by sin.
And one of the consequences of this
is that work becomes a means of serving our own self-interests
rather than a means to cultivate and care for God's creation.
So we don't have to look much further in Genesis
to see an example of the outworking of this.
Genesis 11 describes the story of the Tower of Babel.
I'll just read that for us quickly, starting in verse 1.
Now the whole earth had one language and the same words,
and as people migrated from the east,
they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.
And they said to one another,
Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.
And they had brick for stone and bitumen for mortar.
Then they said, Come, let us build ourselves a city
and a tower with its top in the heavens,
and let us make a name for ourselves,
lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.
And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower
which the children of man had built.
And the Lord said, Behold, they are one people,
and they have all one language,
and this is only the beginning of what they will do.
And nothing that they propose to do
will now be impossible for them.
Come, let us go down there and confuse their language
so that they may not understand one another's speech.
So the Lord dispersed them from there
over the face of all the earth,
and they left off building the city.
So we said last week that work can at times
become fruitless and pointless.
But in a worldly sense, when we look at Genesis 11,
the labor of the people in Shinar
was neither fruitless nor pointless on its face.
What could be a more obvious application
of fruitful cultivation than making bricks and mortar
and building a tower?
Right?
And what could be more meaningful
than using this technology to build a society
where people can live in safety
and they can thrive together?
Right?
I'm sure this was part of the thought process,
but despite the fruitful endeavors of the people
toward what I'm sure seemed like a meaningful goal,
we know quite well that their work was not pleasing
in the sight of the Lord.
Why?
Even when work feels fruitful and meaningful,
there's a danger lurking in the shadows
when work becomes selfish,
when work is not ultimately in service to the Lord first,
even if it is, in a way, in service to others.
So in verse 4, look at verse 4, it says,
they say to themselves,
come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower
with its top in the heavens
and let us make a name for ourselves
lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.
So you could envision an alternate scenario
where the people say, come,
let us build a city and a tower to the glory of the Lord
and let us proclaim the wonders of his handiwork
so that the cultivation of his kingdom
might progress in his good timing.
And in the alternate scenario,
the product might have been exactly the same,
a tower with its top to the heavens, right?
But what we learn is that when the attitudes
and intents underneath our labor
are not oriented in service to the Lord and his kingdom,
it ultimately leads to the detriment of what we're doing.
The people were building their tower in their city
out of pride and anxiety
to make a name for themselves
so that they may not be dispersed
across the face of the earth.
And their efforts to build the tower were successful,
but their city development was stalled
and their ultimate fear of being dispersed
was realized,
not just in the physical component,
but in the relational component
when their languages were confused.
So I think this harkens back to some of the discussion
from last week that Kumli got into,
that the book of Ecclesiastes highlights
the futility of work
and indeed all things,
when life is divorced
from the presence of the Lord,
from the presence of the creator
and giver of all things.
In chapter four there,
the teacher Koheleth says,
then I saw that all toil
and all skill and work
come from a man's envy of his neighbor.
This also is vanity
and a striving after the wind.
C.S. Lewis puts it differently
in his book,
Mere Christianity.
He says,
now what I want you to get clear
is that pride is essentially competitive.
It's competitive by its very nature.
Pride gets no pleasure
out of having something,
only out of having more of it
than the next man.
We say people are proud of being rich
or clever or good looking,
but they are not.
They are proud of being richer
or cleverer
or better looking than others.
So we can enjoy great fruitfulness
and meaning from our work
building a taller tower,
a better bridge,
a nicer family,
a morally just society,
and we can be doing
all of these things
out of interest
in excellence
and service to human beings.
Or we can be doing them
to differentiate
and elevate ourselves.
In the latter,
our labor is almost certain
to suffer in the long term
and ultimately
to disappoint us
when it does not give us
the thing which we
are seeking out of it.
So that's
a way that work
can become selfish.
We also want to discuss
idols,
but I want to stop
for comments,
questions,
reflections.
Yes?
Is it wrong to be,
like let's say you
accomplish something
outward,
is it wrong to just
kind of sit and enjoy
like even if it's a small win?
It's not necessarily
kind of a place of pride,
it's just like,
hey, I worked really hard,
so I'm happy this went well.
Let me repeat your question
so I understand it
and for the recording too.
You're asking,
if something goes well
at work,
is it okay
to enjoy it?
Is that the,
yeah?
I think that's a great question
and I think the answer
is yes
and it depends,
right?
I think part of what
we want to do today
is go through
an exercise
of examining
the motivations
in our own heart
for how we're
approaching things
at work.
And so I think
at its face,
enjoying that
something went well
is absolutely
a great thing,
right?
Like God gives us
blessings and opportunities
to engage in the work
that he's called us to do
and what a great thing
it is
when because of
his grace in our lives,
the things that
he's called us to
are in fact
bringing tangible fruit
and cultivation
to the world
in a way that
helps people
and brings us
satisfaction
in the work
of his kingdom,
right?
I think where the danger
comes is when
what we're enjoying
is not the cultivation
of his kingdom
but our own
personal successes
for our own
sort of pride
and we want to get
into that a little bit
more today
but that's a great
question.
Yeah, Peter.
To comment on that,
I think that might
go back to the
C.S. Lewis quote
about pride
and I think it goes
down to a difference
of, you know,
pride and being
proud of something.
Like I can be,
you know,
proud of my child's
accomplishments
as much as I can
be, you know,
proud or happy
that, you know,
the Lord helped me
accomplish something.
But when you get
done with that
monumental task
and it gets done
and you're like,
oh, thank you,
God, I, you know,
we got through it
and sit back
and relax
and be happy
that it's complete,
it can slip
into the whole
pride thing
of,
huh,
I'll bet you
Jamie could
have done it
as well.
Yeah.
No, I think
that's a great
point.
I think if we,
again,
I think what we
want to get into
is sort of an
examination of
our own motives
and if we're
finding
enjoyment
in,
not in the
achievement
of the thing
for the sake
of the Lord's
kingdom,
but in the
achievement
of the thing
for the sake
of being better
than another,
as Peter is
saying,
then I think
we get into
some ways
that we need
to be examining
ourselves.
Yeah, Susan
or Ivor.
I'm past this,
but I think
the big mind
field is when
you're looking
for work
and here
you have to
sell yourself
and write
your resume
as if every
good thing
that ever
happened to
your life
is a tribute
to your
capabilities.
And I
understand
the whole
thing about
credentials
and that's
not the
part that
bothers me
is just
it's a
mind field.
It's a
mind field.
I think
it's really
hard to
think your
way through
that as a
Christian.
Yeah, I
think that's
a great
word,
Susan,
just the
idea that
we have
to,
in the
way our
current
society works,
the way
that we
search for
a job
is by
meditating on
all of the
good things
that we've
done so
that we
can condense
it in a
resume.
And I
think there
is a
right recognition
again of the
way that
God has
designed work
and the
way that he
has designed
us to work.
And I think
it's okay to
recognize that
he's equipped
us in
particular
and unique
ways and
that in
his sovereignty
there are
particular needs
in the
world that
he's calling
us to
fill.
And so
I do,
but I
think your
point is
right that
it's a
minefield for
us to
continuously
recognize that
these achievements
we're putting
on paper for
our resume
are achievements
that God
has equipped
us to do
for the sake
of his
kingdom and
not for our
own personal
advancement.
Yes,
yes.
I've heard.
I was taught
from a very
young age that
we're supposed
to take pride
in our work
in order to
do the best
job we
possibly can.
Sarah,
yeah?
Just one
comment.
I agree,
and I think
also the use
of the word
pride can be
like various,
but I just
was remembering
back to like
John Hinkson's
session on
sub-creators,
and then how
Kumlay opened
up this series
of work on
creation.
If we go back
to Genesis
131,
God set kind
of an example
for us to
look at the
work and feel
satisfied.
He says God
saw everything
that he had
made, and
behold it was
very good.
And so I
think there's
a model for
us to kind
of observe
the work
that God
has done
through us,
and making
sure that we
keep things in
the right
place, but
to feel
satisfaction, I
think, in the
work that's
done is good
and right,
and if I'm
speaking for
my own self,
it's difficult
to discern.
Often there's
like a dual
intention in a
lot of these
feelings that we
experience.
And so just
to acknowledge
that and enjoy
that and feel
the satisfaction
with an eye
on keeping
our intentions
pure and
listening to the
Holy Spirit for
conviction in
those moments,
I think it's
both and for
those things.
Yeah, I think
that's a great
point.
You know,
sin corrupts
everything,
which is why we
always have to
be on guard
with our own
idols and our
own motivations.
But I think
it's a great
point that when
we say being
proud of our
work, like Ivor
says, I think
there's a degree
of taking
satisfaction in
our work and
kind of, you
know, stepping
back and looking
what God has
equipped you to
accomplish and
beholding the
beauty and the
goodness of what
it is, right?
And I think when
we say we're proud
of our work,
there's an element
of that in it
that is a good
thing.
But I think
Sarah's right
that using the
word pride can
have different
connotations.
and when we
say we're proud
of ourselves
in the work
that we've
done, then it
becomes a
little bit more
dangerous.
Sammy?
Pride, however,
does not make
people successful,
right?
That's absolutely
correct.
Yeah, pride does
not make people
successful, I
think.
Pride and in
that we do not
make ourselves
successful, right?
God makes us
successful.
humble ourselves
before the Lord.
Yes, I think
that's a great
word.
We absolutely
should always be
humbling ourselves
before the Lord.
Yeah, thank you.
Okay, so this is
really helpful and I
think we want to
take some time to
talk through
idols.
It's a little bit
of an expansion on
what we're already
talking about here,
so let me keep
going.
We said our
first point is
that sin makes
work selfish rather
than a labor in
service to others,
but this leads to
the subsequent
point, which is
that work pursued
for our own ends
reveals the idols
that we have set up
in our own hearts
and these idols
can wreak havoc in
our work in a
variety of ways.
So let's look at
Exodus 20 quickly
to talk through the
concept of idols for
just a second.
Exodus 20 says,
you shall have no
other gods before
me.
You shall not make
for yourself a
carved image or any
likeness of anything
that is in heaven
above or that is in
the earth beneath or
that is in the water
under the earth.
You shall not bow
down to them or
serve them.
So most of us are
not carving images
and bowing down to
them, but the Bible
is clear that we set
up idols in our
hearts in such a way
that making an idol
is not just a
physical process.
Keller describes it
in this way.
He says,
making an idol means
imagining and trusting
anything to deliver
the control,
security,
significance,
satisfaction,
and beauty that only
the real God can
give.
It means turning a
good thing into an
ultimate thing.
So when we turn a
good thing into an
ultimate thing, it
draws our attention
and our devotion from
God and it puts it
in a place where it
doesn't belong.
Aside from the
danger that idols
present in our walk
with God, they also
have disastrous
implications in the
outworking of our
labor.
Idols impair our
wisdom, they corrupt
our fruit, and they
diminish our
satisfaction in our
calling.
I'm not sure how
many of you ever
watch The Office,
the American TV
show, but there's
one character named
Dwight who idolizes
ambition and company
profit.
So he's always
seeking a way to
elevate himself above
his colleagues as the
ultimate loyal
employee.
And there's one
episode in particular,
this is one of my
favorites, when he
tries to increase
company profits by
installing meters on
the stalls of the
bathrooms for the
employees.
Right?
So his efforts, of
course, never come to
fruition, and he's
always left frustrated
because he can't
achieve his goals.
Right?
So if we think back to
Sayer's definition,
work is a gracious
expression of creative
energy offered in
service to others.
Nobody could accuse
Dwight of a lack of
creativity or energy in
his solution for
maximizing profits.
And likewise, nobody
could accuse the
people of Shinar of a
lack of creativity or
energy in building a
tower.
The downfall here in
both of these
situations is that the
creative energy is not
offered in service to
others, but rather in
service ultimately to
themselves, to their
success, to their
notoriety, and their
greatness.
And in so doing, the
normally good goal
isn't realized because
the effort is corrupted
by their misplaced
ultimate goal.
Right?
And I think one of the
points that we really
want to examine today is
that we all do this in
various ways in our
work, not to the level
of sort of hilarity of
installing meters on
the bathroom stalls,
but buried in our
day-to-day activities
are these spoken or
unspoken goals and
expectations that drive
the way we think about
and carry out our work.
And when these goals or
expectations are
elevated above their
rightful places in our
hearts, they become
idols that do what we
said earlier.
They impair our
decision-making and
they diminish our
satisfaction in the
work that we're doing.
So a dedication to
high work ethic and
fiscal responsibility
improperly elevated
becomes an unhealthy
focus on accumulation of
wealth.
So we then find
ourselves tempted or
confused in morally
gray areas of profit
making because of fear
loss of income
opportunity.
And we think if I work
hard, but I don't make
good money, then I'll
never enjoy abundance.
These kinds of if-then
statements are the things
where I think we can
start to probe what is
the thing that we're not
believing?
What are the biblical
truths that we're not
believing here?
A recognition of the
goodness of being in
relationship with others
improperly elevated
becomes an endless
pursuit of acceptance
and affirmation from the
world.
So then we start
placing burdens on our
family and friends that
they can't carry out of
fear of being alone and
isolated.
We think if I don't find
the right friends, the
right spouse, raise the
right kids, then I'll
never enjoy meaningful
relationships and I'll be
alone forever.
If I don't find success
in my work, then all of
my work is for nothing.
If I don't advance in my
job, I'll never have the
opportunity to make a
difference.
These if-then statements
reveal the idols that are
seated in our hearts.
And I think examining them
in our own hearts can be
helpful.
We said that idols impair
our decision-making and
diminish our satisfaction
and our calling.
So guarding against
these or even dethroning
them with the help of the
Lord can prevent or
reverse these effects by
reorienting our hearts
toward God's good design
for work.
So ultimately, I think
what we're trying to do
in reversing this is
illuminating wise direction
in our work and
persevering in the face of
fear or frustration or
disappointment in our work.
So I'm going to stop there
too and ask for comments,
questions, reflections.
There are so many ways that
idols can be set up in our
hearts that it's hard to
sort of comprehensively think
through all of the ways that
this might happen.
But I think it's helpful to
think through just a few
examples.
So I have an example.
I'm an engineer and I can
give some examples from my
own job and how working this
out can kind of look.
But at this point, what I'm
hoping is for discussion
and engagement.
So I'll talk about it a little
bit, but interrupt me at any
point if you want.
So we talked about these kind
of high level things, right?
I can be setting up an idol,
pursuing wealth, you know,
relationships, success in my
work or advancement in my job.
These are high level things,
but getting into the specifics
for our day to day is I think
where it can be helpful.
So as I said, I'm an
engineer.
Most engineers really like to
build things.
But the more complex the thing
is and the riskier it is to
the user, the more documentation
is required.
And documentation typically
isn't the first love of
engineers to my knowledge.
But it is good and necessary.
But there's one big if-then
statement that I think we all
have to be on guard against when
we're engaging in our
documentation and that's if
nobody reads this document,
then the work doesn't matter.
Right?
This is a real issue for me
because lots of engineers work
on lots of products that never
see the light of day because
for whatever reason the
product was not deemed viable
in the market.
And so often when we're
documenting things, it's well
recognized that some of the
documents, not all, but some
of them may never get reviewed
by anyone.
So we said work is a gracious
expression of creative energy
offered in service to others.
So if I make documents that
nobody will read describing a
product that will never get
made, does the work no longer
matter?
Should we as engineers bother
putting any of our creative
energy into making these
documents good?
Mixed up in the question I think
is some of what we've discussed
both from this week and last
week.
There's an idle at play here.
If others do not see and
approve of my work, then what I
do has no meaning and thus no
value.
Yes, Iver?
I would disagree with that
because you are letting management
know that this product is not going
to work.
I agree.
Yes.
So the idea that in our
documentation we're letting our
management know that the product is
not going to work.
work.
So even if whatever customers
don't see the instructions that we
wrote, the regulatory bodies don't
see the reports that we wrote,
whatever it happens to be, they do
still have value.
And I think that's the point that we
want to get to, Iver, is that the
idle, the thing that we tend to
believe in those moments is the
lie.
Right?
Like, I'm going to do this and
nobody's going to read it and so it
doesn't matter.
That's not true.
Yeah, Peter.
Well, the fatal flaw in that thought
process is that nobody's going to
see it when, of course, you know,
you're working for the Lord and so
the Lord's going to still see it.
Yes, that is exactly right.
So the Lord is still going to see it.
And I think, I'm going to start
jumping around now in my notes and so
it's going to get a lot less
organized, so I apologize.
But that highlights something that's
really important.
And this is for me personally, like,
as I was writing this, this is, I
needed this this week, right?
Because I'm working on a lot of
documents right now that I'm like,
I don't know where these are going to
go, but they are important.
And I needed this reminder.
And Kunle shared the Tolkien story,
Leaf by Nigel, last week.
This idea that there's an artist who
has a vision of a tree.
And this tree is big and beautiful and
glorious.
And it's in his mind.
And he takes, he takes up the task of
trying to put it on paper.
And he labors for so long and he labors so
hard.
And the only thing he got out of it was
this little leaf.
And he despairs over it.
And in the end, when he dies and he's in
heaven, he's, he finds the tree in all of
its beauty, in all of its glory.
And he recognizes his role in, in just
bringing out just the little bit of beauty
now that's a reflection and a signpost of
the beauty that is to come in the very end.
And so that is, and that gets back to what
Peter is saying about this example of
documentation.
I'm saying somewhere there is a glorious
filing cabinet that's full of all of the
reports that nobody saw with all of the
knowledge that I forgot, comprehensively
documented with clarity and precision.
And I'll have my one little page in there
that was just my little contribution.
And it will be glorious.
And so I think even if nobody ever saw it,
the Lord would see it.
And what I want to guard against a little
bit is, is we want to engage in the work
well, not out of fear of judgment from the
Lord for doing it improperly, but out of a
hope of what the Lord is doing in the midst
of our feebleness and our, our just finiteness in,
and in, in, in our sin in the world.
Susan.
Alex, I just want to add to that.
We mentioned with, like, that we're very poor
judges of our own, the efficacy of our own work.
So you, from my own limited perspective, it does seem like
nobody's going to ever see this.
I would say that your co-workers may notice what energy you give to this.
And they may know that that's kind of unusual.
And we don't know what power it is you have in, in being, in having
integrity and things that maybe other people don't know.
So we're just, I think that's, yeah, a great word, Susan.
I think there is an element of when we work unto the Lord, as unto the Lord and
not for man, there is an element of being salt and light in the world and being
sort of set apart as followers of Christ.
And, and I think what we're trying to, I think what we're trying to highlight in
those moments is the hope that we have for our work, that our work, our labor is
not in vain.
It matters because it's part of the cultivation of God's kingdom.
And it's part of his care for creation, even if in our limited view, we don't
really see how that, how that plays out.
Sarah?
Just share some additional like perspective.
I feel like what you were sharing is like this moment of discouragement in your
work.
And then we point back to what is true, right?
And so I feel like for me in these, these highs and these lows of work, often it's
the high and the low where the idolatry has crept in for me.
And so when I'm feeling like, oh my gosh, what am I even doing on my computer?
Like I'm just tapping a million keys.
You know, what does this even mean?
And I have my existential crisis.
Often that's when sin has crept in, right?
And so we anchor on, this is my calling actually, and it matters because God has
said, go and be sub creators, go and do the work that I have called you to do.
And today, this is your work and, you know, do it.
And, and I, and it is bringing me glory.
The fact that you are doing what I have called you to do and, you know, and keeping
that anchor of perspective while examining our hearts, you know, for the, the idols
that may have crept in and reminding ourselves what is true, you know, and, and how it matters.
But I think ultimately keeping an eye on like God's glory and what he has called us to.
And that I think salt and light is an outpouring of us diligently following our calling and, and,
and listening to the Holy Spirit.
And, um, yeah, but anyways, I guess, sorry, I'm rambling a bit, but what I was sharing is
like, I feel like it's the highs and the lows where the examination and the idols and the,
um, the temptations creeps in most.
Yeah.
To kind of succumb to what you're saying.
Yeah.
That's great.
Yeah.
Hopefully it wasn't too off topic, but the Exodus reading made me think of the idea that in the
desert, there's sort of two, uh, settlements.
There's sort of the, the organizing community around the golden calf or organizing the community
in the sort of temporary cap encampment with the tabernacle at the center.
And so if that's sort of a metaphor for ourselves, we can kind of work on bringing our hearts of
the golden calf and sort of try to focus on the, the tabernacle, the center of our hearts.
But if it's also sort of a metaphor for our work, um, as you sort of work on ridding your
heart of the golden calf, if you're sort of living in a community that's organized around
the golden calf, that tension's kind of sort of increases as the golden calf is eradicated
and it's hard to, uh, to see that the center of your community is, is troubled.
I don't know if that gets too off topic.
No, it doesn't get off topic at all.
Actually, it's a, it's a really helpful point, um, that, uh, we, I, I, we didn't have time
quite to get to today, but I would really encourage anybody who's interested in that to go read
what Keller has written in his book because he has a lot of discussion on what he calls
corporate and cultural idols.
Um, and we talk a lot about at the individual level, uh, you know, the idols in our hearts
and how we look at our hearts and understand, um, how idols are influencing what we're doing.
But there, there are these sort of cultural and corporate influences that are at play, uh,
in, in, in the ways that sin is, is, um, is sort of corrupting the world and, um, and it matters,
uh, for us what sort of community that we're in because of the idols that, that are at play
in, in the various types of communities.
So, um, I'm not doing it justice.
Keller has some really great content on, on that.
Um, but I think it highlights the importance of being rooted in biblical community, no matter
what cultural context you're in.
Um, because that's where the truth that, that battles or dethrones these idols is going to
be constantly and regularly communicated and reinforced in our hearts.
Right.
So, so I, I think, I, I'm not sure if I understood your, your point or your question correctly, but,
um, but I, I think it's really helpful to, to identify.
Um, I'll just say in, uh, in a quick conclusion, um, that nobody does what we're talking about
perfectly.
Right.
Um, um, sin corrupts everything, um, including our hearts.
And I, somebody said it earlier, but like our motivations are always going to be kind of
mixed and pulled in different directions.
And the point in this is that we should always be running back to the Lord for his help in
humility and dependence, because he is the one who equips us to do the work that he has
called us to do.
So being less selfish and dethroning our idols doesn't make us more acceptable to God.
You know, this isn't the way that we make ourselves justified before the, uh, justified
before the Lord, but it's, um, it is work that he has called us to do, uh, as we engage
in our walk with him to just, um, be sensitive to the ways that the spirit is, is calling us
toward, uh, sanctification on a daily basis and calling us to, to engage in the work, um,
that, that he's called us to.
So, uh, there's a couple minutes left.
And so I do want to just leave room for any other questions or comments that have come up
from the discussion.
Okay.
Well, if there's nothing, then, um, I can close this in prayer, um, and, and we can head
downstairs.
Thanks everybody for, for coming today.
Uh, let's pray.
Lord, uh, we do just, uh, put all of this before you, um, and confess that, um, we are not sufficient
for the work that you've called us to do, but Lord, in your grace that you have equipped
us to, um, to engage in the work, Lord.
And we, we confess that, um, our selfishness and our idols do, uh, they, they corrupt our hearts,
Lord, and they, um, they distract from the work that you've called us to do.
And we just ask that by your spirit, you would be, um, you would be sanctifying us, um, day
by day, Lord, to make us, um, and mold us into the image of your son.
Um, and that you would give us a hope, um, in the difficulties of our work, that, uh, our
labor is not in vain, um, but that you are using and redeeming all of our labors.
Uh, for the sake of your kingdom, Lord.
And we just pray that we would, uh, find hope and joy and satisfaction in that.
And it's in Jesus Christ's name we pray.
Amen.
All right.
Thanks everyone for coming.
Um, I think we will not meet for the next two weeks.
Um, next week is Easter.
And then the week after that, Kunle and I are both out of town.
So, um, in three weeks we'll, we'll meet again.
So thanks for coming.
Sure.
Actually, I think you needed this class today.
Hmm?
I think I needed this class today.
Did you?
Good.
Yeah, the last time I went to work, I, uh, uh, had a patient.
And so, uh, originally I was, uh, working with just one, one patient that had an empty bed.
And, uh, another, uh, nurses, you know, had a busier, uh, and she's like, hey, maybe you can take my one patient.
That way, you know, I can just focus more on this other busier patient.
I, uh, and I told her, no, I don't think that's a good idea.
Yeah.
I'm a senior at that place.
Mm-hmm.
There's certain things that I've been trained to do that other nurses haven't been trained to do.
Right.
That in itself leads to worries about pride.
But I was like, no, I, you know, what happens if somebody comes in there and then we're switching the patient back again?
Yeah.
And, you know, you end up with three different nurses for one patient in a 12-hour shift.
Yeah.
There's no, well, a patient did end up coming in who not only was a really, really sick neuro patient, but also had peritoneal dialysis.
Mm-hmm.
Which everybody in neuro, you know, neck up, they, they, they don't know how to take care of anything else.
And there was definitely some toadstepping on the crime.
Yeah.
Nobody else could have taken care of this patient on the floor.
Yeah.
So.
Yeah.
Yeah?
No, I, I definitely needed this.
Yeah, well, I'm glad to hear that.
Thanks so much for, for sharing that.
It's an encouragement.
These are brilliant.
And I hope everything worked out well anyway with the, with the, yeah.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
We, we, we, we got the stuff going.
Okay.
Good.