DAY 1:

Reading Time: 8 minutes

INTRODUCTION:

What is the chief end of man? The answer is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. If the ultimate purpose for our lives and what we do is to glorify God, where does work fit in?

Work often feels like a drudgery—something we have to endure in order to pay the bills. In these cases, work is reduced to its utilitarian value and becomes increasingly devoid of any intrinsic meaning. But how does the light of the gospel renew our work in such a way that we become increasingly aware of the deep fulfillment and purpose behind all work, even work that appears at face value to be mundane and repetitive?

How do we glorify God with our work, and what impact does that glory bring to our lives and work environments?

Scripture: Isaiah 6

1In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

4And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

6Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

8And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. How is the earth full of God’s glory?

The earth proclaims God’s glory through the ongoing cultural mandate to work to create, fill, and subdue. Remember the creation mandate in Genesis 1 and 2 to “fill the earth and subdue it”? As we learned in the first lesson, what we create is an expression of God’s glory, and the angels recognize this in Isaiah 6:3—they call to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” Surprisingly, when the angels look out at the earth, they are in awe. And they aren’t looking at a pre-fall earth in all of its perfection; they are looking at the world as it stands, in all of its brokenness. Yet, they still proclaim, “the whole earth is full of his glory.” The fullness and abundance of the earth and its culture that we are called to cultivate bears witness to God’s glorious being.

More importantly, the angels are actually marveling at God. They are not amazed at humanity, but with God’s ability to bring forth His glory and wonder from such a broken and rebellious people. Despite the fall of humanity, despite the sin and perversion that we bring into the world, the glory of God continues to reign on earth. Even in dark moments of pain, death, and uncertainty, “God rules and has always ruled.” This means that in the midst of all brokenness, God can bring about His glory in and through our work as we bring structure and flourishing.

In many ways, the seraphim were asking God: “Who are you that you can take a people so broken, so opposed, so rebellious against you and your character and still in the midst of that rebellion create such wonder in this world?” We begin to see that despite the fall, despite our failures, God is sovereign.

Delight in our work brings God glory amidst the brokenness.

When we work in-line with God’s creational purposes for us, and when our work becomes the expression of our identity instead of the source of it, the product of our hands is nothing less than the very glory of God. When we master our work, and “do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31 NIV), we see His character manifested in the world. When we begin to behold the glory of God, it enlivens us as human beings. It captures the fullness of who we are as creatures made in God’s image.

As we begin to understand this, work becomes not merely instrumental to a paycheck, but an expression of our passion and identity. Just as God’s creative work reveals who He is, so our work tangibly expresses our identity. The product of our hands materialize, like God, the very invisible and internal essence of our being. We reflect who we are—children of God—in the work we do.

2. How can we recognize and praise God for His glory in our day-to-day lives?

Look for God’s glory being proclaimed in all areas of life—give Him credit for the good you see in the world.

Like the angels, we must have eyes to see the glory of God in the world. “The whole earth is full of his glory” (Isa. 6:3), the seraphim proclaim; the problem is that we don’t often see the world from this perspective. But as we’ve learned, the glory of God is not some abstract, ethereal concept; it’s something tangible and experiential. There is not a day in our lives where the glory of God is not proclaimed, whether through humans or through rocks and mountains and oceans. It is present when we enjoy a well-brewed cup of coffee, when much-needed rain helps crops to grow, or when the subway gets us from A to B in a relatively efficient and affordable manner. These circumstances may seem mundane to us—it’s just normal life—but we must have eyes to see it and name it for what it is. To see that, despite the sin and brokenness of the world, God is still sovereign, and His glory is being uniquely displayed in every sector of the world we inhabit. And when we perceive the glory of God, it engages our full being because we are created by glory for glory.

Worship God as you see evidences of His glory.

When we perceive the glory of God, we are engaged with Him on a spiritual level; when we see God’s glory around us, it begins to enlarge who we are as human beings. Glory envelopes our hearts and our motivations. Comprehending what it means to be created in God’s image with a unique capacity to behold His glory leads us into worship.

When we meditate on or experience the wonders of God’s glory, we are unable to resist worshiping God. “The incredible size of the universe and the amazing complexity of every created thing will, if our hearts are right, draw us continually to worship and praise Him for His greatness.” Furthermore, our worship presents a manifold blessing:

1. Our worship honors God. In the presence of God, the seraphim proclaimed: “Holy, Holy, Holy” (Isa. 6:3). They were captured by the awesome holiness of God and were unable to contain their praise.

2. Our worship leads us to awe: the seraphim covered their faces (Isa. 6:2), awe-stricken by a deep reverence for who He is.

3. Our worship leads us to humility and an awareness of sin. “Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined!’” Isaiah 6:5 says. He is overwhelmed with the sense of his own unworthiness and with an absolute conviction of his sin. This act of humility, a response to God’s perfect holiness, leads to Isaiah’s confession of sin.

4. Our worship leads us to service, which we’ll unpack below.

Approach work with a willing heart. Say in response to your calling, “Here I am! Send me.”

As the glory of God becomes more evident to us, it propels us into our calling. It allows us to submit ourselves wholeheartedly to God. Initially, Isaiah is overcome with shame at the awareness of his sin, but instead of hopelessness, an act of grace occurs: “Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for’” (Isa. 6:6-7 NIV). This act of purification prepared Isaiah to be God’s messenger. His shame was taken away and his sin removed.

This happened to prepare Isaiah for the road ahead of him, a difficult journey to be sure, but one rooted in and supported by faith in God and worship of His glory. The Lord asks, “Whom shall I send? (Isa. 6:8). “Here I am, send me” (Isa. 6:8), Isaiah responds. 

Despite the changing circumstances and his own discouragement, Isaiah’s encounter with the glory of God propels him into his calling. The same is true for us. When we overlook the glory of God around us, when we look to the broken world for a sense of belonging or fulfillment instead of the Glorious One, we ultimately lose our sense of purpose. But when we have hearts and eyes open to see God at work in the midst of the brokenness, we unashamedly engage our own calling.

3. Where are you currently feeling encouraged in your work? What people, projects, or responsibilities have been life-giving or affirming?