by Michael Chetelat The success of a man s earthly assignment is contingent upon his heavenly alignment. INTRODUCTION: A man s occupation and vocation should be a demonstration of his consecration. If you had permission to do what you really wanted to do, what would you do? (John Eldredge) God, I will do anything You want me to do. (Norm Miller) You were created to work What is God s purpose for you in the marketplace? (Patrick Morley) I. A MAN S DESIGNMENT God has wonderful purposes in mind! A. God s General Design of Man 1. Man was Designed to Reflect God s Image (Imageo Deo) Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:26 27) 2. Man was Designed with Dignity, Honor and Glory O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? Yet you made him a little lower than the heavenly beings (or God) and crowned him with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:1-5) Who am I that the Lord of all the earth should care to know my name? (Casting Crowns) 3. Man was Designed with Remarkable Wonder For it was You who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother s womb. I will praise You, because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well. My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began. (Psalm 139:13 16) 4. Man was Designed with a Purpose in Mind For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) P.O. Box 44071, Baltimore, MD 21236 ChristianBusinessNetwork.com
We are God s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them to be our way of life. (Ephesians 2:10 NAS/NRSV) B. God s Special Design of Men 1. Men are Uniquely Designed to Be Something: a. Providers The LORD God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it and watch over it. And the LORD God commanded the man, You are free to eat from any tree of the garden (Genesis 2:15) If any man does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (1 Timothy 5:8) b. Protectors But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. (Matthew 24:43 - ESV) c. Mentors Impress [God s commands] on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (Deuteronomy 6:7) Train a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6) Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4) d. Managers The Lord said: Who then is the faithful and sensible manager his master will put in charge of his household servants to give them their allotted food at the proper time? (Luke 12:42) [An elder is] one who manages his own household competently, having his children under control with all dignity. If anyone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of God s church? (1 Timothy 3:4 5) e. Leaders The husband is head of the wife as also Christ is head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. (Ephesians 5:23) But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:3) 2. Men are Uniquely Designed to Desire Something: We ultimately do and pursue what we desire most! 2 P age
May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. (Psalm 20:4) Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4) It is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13) What makes you come alive? What stirs your heart?... In the heart of every man is a desperate desire for a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue. (John Eldredge, Wild at Heart) Why does God create Adam? What is a man for? If you know what something is designed to do, then you know its purpose in life. A retriever loves the water; a lion loves the hunt; a hawk loves to soar. It s what they re made for. Desire reveals design, and design reveals destiny. (John Eldredge, Wild at Heart) a. Desire The Drive of Passion There is nothing so inspiring to a man as a beautiful woman. She ll make you want to charge the castle, slay the giant, leap across the parapets A man wants to be a hero to the beauty. (John Eldredge, Wild at Heart) b. Desire The Avoidance of Pain Jabez prayed to the God of Israel, Please do good things for me and give me more land. Stay with me, and don t let anyone hurt me. Then I won t have any pain. And God did what Jabez had asked. (1 Chronicles 4:10 New Century Version) c. Desire The Pursuit of Pleasure I feel his pleasure when I run. (Erik Liddel, Chariots of Fire) You want something but don t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. (James 4:2 3) Reflection Questions: 1) What does God desire for us? I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10) By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit fruit that will last. (John 15:8, 16) May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. (Psalm 20:4) For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. (Psalm 145:16) He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless. (Proverbs 2:7) 3 P age
2) Can we possibly desire anything better than what God desires for us? Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:7 11) 3) How do we apprehend the fullness of what God desires for us? Happy is a man who finds wisdom and who acquires understanding, for she is more profitable than silver, and her revenue is better than gold. She is more precious than jewels; nothing you desire compares with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left, riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant, and all her paths, peaceful. She is a tree of life to those who embrace her, and those who hold on to her are happy. (Proverbs 3:13 18) With me [Wisdom] are riches and honor, lasting wealth and righteousness. My fruit is better than solid gold, and my harvest than pure silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice, giving wealth as an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries. (Proverbs 8:18 21) 3. Men are Uniquely Designed to Accomplish Something: a. To Compete and Win (Men and their Sports) Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:24 27) b. To Fight and Conquer (Men and their Movies) Braveheart, Gladiator, Remember the Titans, Facing the Giants, Die Hard, Lord of the Rings Fight the good fight for the faith (1 Timothy 6:12) I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7 8) He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless. (Proverbs 2:7) c. To Build and Create (Men and their Hobbies) Explore, build, conquer you don t have to tell a boy to do those things for the simple reason that it is his purpose. (John Eldredge, Wild at Heart) 4 P age
d. To Explore and Discover (Men and their Adventures) Adventure, with all its requisite danger and wildness, is a deeply spiritual longing written into the soul of man. (John Eldredge, Wild at Heart) e. To Prosper and Succeed (Men and their Careers) We strive for success, driving our minds and bodies harder and farther, hoping that because of our sweat and sacrifice (Robert S. McGee, The Search for Significance) Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (Joshua 1:8) Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. (Psalm 1:1 3) We have been created to work, and you will never find complete peace on earth until you discover what God has called you to do Work has a blessing because we are created in such a way that a man will feel most alive, most useful, and most happy when he is doing what he was created to do. (Patrick Morley, A Man s Guide to Work) II. A MAN S ASSIGNMENT God has wonderful plans in mind! A. To Populate and Exercise Dominion over the Earth God blessed them and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth. (Genesis 1: 28) The LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there He placed the man He had formed The LORD God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it and watch over it. (Genesis 2:8, 15) B. To Bear Lasting Fruit You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. (John 15:16) C. To Make Disciples of All Nations Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Matt. 28:18 20) D. To be Faithful in Our Current Assignment Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to. (1 Corinthians 7:17, 24) 5 P age
E. To See Every Good Work as an Assignment from God We are God s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them to be our way of life. (Ephesians 2:10 NAS/NRSV) F. To Run with Perseverance the Assignment Marked Out for Us Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1 2) G. To Serve Others by Faithfully Exercising Our Spiritual Gift-mix Each one should use whatever gift-mix he has received [from the Holy Spirit] to serve others, faithfully administering God s grace in its various forms. (1 Peter 4:10) H. The Son of Man s Assignment I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. (John 17:4) If you are a Christian in the marketplace, you are ordained to that position Regardless of whether you re a businessman or a minister, your work is a calling a task given by God. When we see our daily work in that light, we understand that God assigns meaning and dignity to what we do at work. (Patrick Morley, A Man s Guide to Work) It is not our assignment to create a Christian business culture. Our assignment is to represent God within the work culture to bring salt and light into the workplace. (Patrick Morley, A Man s Guide to Work) III. A MAN S ALIGNMENT God has wonderful priorities in mind! A. Desire God First! Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:23 26) B. Delight in God First! Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4) C. Love God First! Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. (Deuteronomy 6:4 5) D. Seek God First! Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33) E. Put God First! I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. (Psalm 16:8) 6 P age
IV. WHAT A MAN S WORK SHOULD NEVER BE A. An Idol (that which dictates the affairs of our life) Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior. (Psalm 24:3 5) No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. (Matthew 6:24) B. Our First Love One of the teachers of the law asked Jesus, Of all the commandments, which is the most important? Jesus answered, The most important one is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. (Mark 12:28 30) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21) C. Primarily a Means of Gaining Identity and Self-worth Though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them. (Psalm 62:10) No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. (Matthew 6:24) Then Jesus said to them, Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. (Luke 12:15) Usefulness or Relationship? (Oswald Chambers My Utmost for his Highest, August 30th) The trap you may fall into in Christian work is to rejoice in successful service rejoicing in the fact that God has used you. Yet you will never be able to measure fully what God will do through you if you have a right-standing relationship with Jesus Christ. If you keep your relationship right with Him, then regardless of your circumstances or whoever you encounter each day, He will continue to pour rivers of living water through you. A Life of Pure and Holy Sacrifice? (Oswald Chambers My Utmost for his Highest, September 2nd) God s purpose is not simply to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us grapes so that He may squeeze the sweetness out of us. Our spiritual life cannot be measured by success as the world measures it, but only by what God pours through us and we cannot measure that at all. D. Primarily a Means by which we Provide Only for Ourselves Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3 4) E. Primarily a Means by which we Amass Earthly Wealth and Store Up Earthly Treasures 7 P age
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. (Matthew 6:19) But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:9 10) Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5) V. WHAT A MAN S WORK SHOULD ALWAYS BE A. An Altar A Primary Means by which we Serve God Servants, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:22 24) Your occupation is part of your call to service. (Patrick Morley, A Man s Guide to Work) B. A Primary Means by which we Please God His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful with a few things, therefore, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master. (Matthew 25:21) Therefore we make it our aim to be well pleasing to Him. (2 Corinthians 5:9) The Servant s Primary Goal (Oswald Chambers My Utmost for his Highest, March 17 th ) We make it our aim... to be well pleasing to Him. 2 Corinthians 5:9 We make it our aim... It requires a conscious decision and effort to keep our primary goal constantly in front of us. It means holding ourselves to the highest priority year in and year out; not making our first priority to win souls, or to establish churches, or to have revivals, but seeking only to be well pleasing to Him. It is not a lack of spiritual experience that leads to failure, but a lack of working to keep our eyes focused and on the right goal Any goal we have that diverts us even to the slightest degree from the central goal of being approved to God (2 Timothy 2:15) may result in our rejection from further service for Him I must learn to relate everything to the primary goal, maintaining it without interruption. My worth to God publicly is measured by what I really am in my private life. Is my primary goal in life to please Him and to be acceptable to Him, or is it something less, no matter how lofty it may sound? C. A Primary Means by which we Glorify God I have glorified You on the earth by accomplishing the work You gave Me to do. (John 17:4) Honor the Lord with your wealth and possessions and with the first produce of your entire harvest; then your barns will be completely filled, and your vats will overflow with new wine. (Proverbs 3:9 10) Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God s glory. (1 Corinthians 10:31) 8 P age
On the job, your faith should season every action and word so that God will receive praise, glory and honor. (Patrick Morley, A Man s Guide to Work) D. A Primary Means by which we Provide for Ourselves and Others Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his deed. (Proverbs 19:17) But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (1 Timothy 5:8) Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3 4) E. A Primary Means by which we Amass Heavenly Wealth and Store Up Heavenly Treasures Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:20 21) Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Luke 12:32 34) VI. WHAT A MAN S MINDSET SHOULD ALWAYS BE Co-Crucifixion Obedience Holy & Pleasing Sacrifice Worship I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20) Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:5 8) Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God this is your spiritual act of worship. (Romans 12:1) Every vocation can be holy to the Lord, if we look to Him day by day for His help. For the Christian, all of life is spiritual. (Patrick Morley, A Man s Guide to Work) 9 P age
CONCLUSION: Do You Worship The Work? (Oswald Chambers My Utmost for his Highest, April 23 rd ) We are God s fellow workers... 1 Corinthians 3:9 Beware of any work for God that causes or allows you to avoid concentrating on Him. A great number of Christian workers worship their work. The only concern of Christian workers should be their concentration on God. This will mean that all the other boundaries of life, whether they are mental, moral, or spiritual limits, are completely free with the freedom God gives His child; that is, a worshiping child, not a wayward one. A worker who lacks this serious controlling emphasis of concentration on God is apt to become overly burdened by his work. He is a slave to his own limits, having no freedom of his body, mind, or spirit. Consequently, he becomes burned out and defeated. There is no freedom and no delight in life at all. His nerves, mind, and heart are so overwhelmed that God s blessing cannot rest on him. But the opposite case is equally true once our concentration is on God, all the limits of our life are free and under the control and mastery of God alone. There is no longer any responsibility on you for the work. The only responsibility you have is to stay in living constant touch with God, and to see that you allow nothing to hinder your cooperation with Him. The freedom that comes after sanctification is the freedom of a child, and the things that used to hold your life down are gone. But be careful to remember that you have been freed for only one thing to be absolutely devoted to your co-worker. We have no right to decide where we should be placed, or to have preconceived ideas as to what God is preparing us to do. God engineers everything; and wherever He places us, our one supreme goal should be to pour out our lives in wholehearted devotion to Him in that particular work. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. (Ecclesiastes 9:10) Don t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive. (John Eldredge, Wild at Heart) A Man and HIS Work 10 P age