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Building a Biblical Worldview in Your City (Insights in Psalms)

1/1/2013

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"There is a flow to history and culture. This flow is rooted and has its wellspring in the thoughts of people. People are unique in the inner life of the mind -- what they are in their thought-world determines how they act. This is true of their value systems and it is true of their creativity. It is true of their corporate actions, such as political decisions, and it is true of their personal lives. The results of their thought-world flow through their fingers or from their tongues into the external world. This is true of Michelangelo's chisel, and it is true of a dictator’s sword" (Francis A. Schaeffer, "How Should We Then Live?"). 

A person's worldview influences how he relates in the world. A community's worldview influences its culture. In Eccl. 1-6,  balancing pleasure and achievement maintains a proper worklife balance in building up God's kingdom. In Eccl. 7-12, you build a biblical worldview in your city by maintaining a balanced life of fearing God and responding appropriately to authority. Then you can save and bless your city with wisdom and skill. You gain success by investing in multiple opportunities as you build a biblical foundation through making disciples. 

Balance Life By Fearing God
A good name, day of death, mourning, sorrow and wise man's rebuke was better than fine perfume, day of death, feasting, laughter and song of fools. The wise was in the house of mourning, but fools in the house of pleasure. Extortion turned the wise into a fool and a bribe corrupted the heart. The end of matter and patience was better than its beginning and pride. Stay calm do not ask why the past was better than the present. Do not be destroyed by being overly righteous, overly wise, overly wicked and a fool. A man avoids all extremes by fearing God. The wise were more powerful than ten rulers in the city. Do not pay attention to every word  people say. Please God to escape the woman who would ensnare and trap.  Men searched for many schemes with only one upright man among a thousand (Eccl. 7:1-29).  Balance life by fearing God and listening to wisdom.

Enjoy Life By Obeying Authority
Obey the king's command as the wise know the proper time and procedure for every matter not knowing the future. It was meaningless for men to hurt themselves by lording it over others or receiving praise. When a sentence for  a crime was not quickly carried out, peoples' hearts were filled with schemes to do wrong. It went better for men who feared God than the wicked. It was meaningless for the righteous to get what the wicked deserve and vice-versa. Nothing was better than to enjoy life and his work (Eccl. 8:1-17). Enjoy life by obeying and responding appropriately to authority. 

Save Your City With Wisdom
The wise and the wicked could not predict the future. Each of them would be forgotten after death. Be clothed always in white, anoint head in oil and enjoy life with one's wife. Do everything with one's full strength. The race was not to the swift, battle to the strong, food to the wise, wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned since no man knew when his time would come. A poor and wise man was not remembered when he saved a small city from a powerful king. Even though wisdom was better than strength, his words were ignored. Listen to quiet, wise words more than a ruler's foolish shouts. Wisdom was better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroyed much good (Eccl. 9:1-18).  Save your city with wisdom through the filling of the Holy Spirit. 

Bless Your Land With Skill 
A fool lacked sense and showed his stupidity. Calmness laid great errors to rest in the midst of a ruler's anger. Fools were put in many high places while the rich occupied low ones. Overcome a dull ax with more strength but skill brought success. A charmer received no profit when a snake bit before being charmed. A fool multiplied his words and his work wearied and consumed him. A wise man's mouth was gracious. Blessed was the land whose king was of noble birth and whose princes ate at a proper time for strength and not for drunkenness. Laziness and idleness caused the rafters to sag and the house to leak. Do not revile the king in your thoughts since those words could be reported (Eccl. 10:1-20).  Bless your land with calmness, skill and timing. 

Gain Success By Investing in Multiple Opportunities
Reap a harvest by casting multiple portions of bread upon the waters. Whoever watched the wind or clouds did not plant or reap because people could not understand God's work. One cannot know whether morning or evening sowing would succeed. Enjoy every day and remember the many dark days. God brought judgment on meaningless youthful pleasures (Eccl. 11:1-10). Gain success by investing in multiple opportunities, taking calculated risks and working hard while being accountable to God.

Build a Biblical Foundation By Making Disciples
Youth should remember their Creator before experiencing trouble and poor health from old age. The Teacher searched and wrote right and true words like goads and firmly embedded nails given by one Shepherd. He warned him of adding anything else. No end came from making many books. Much study wearied the body. The whole duty of man was to fear God and keep His commandments. He judged every deed and hidden thing, whether good or evil (Eccl. 12:1-14). Build a biblical foundation by sharing truth and making disciples.

The components of building a biblical worldview in your city include:
1. Fear God 
2. Obey and respond appropriately to authority  
3. Develop wisdom by being filled with Holy Spirit 
4. Develop skill in your vocation 
5. Invest in multiple opportunities
6. Take calculated risks 
7. Work hard being accountable to God
8. Build a biblical foundation by sharing truth 
9. Make disciples in all cultural spheres
 




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How to Manage Work Life Balance (Insights in Psalms)

12/20/2012

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"Try to give your agenda to God. Keep saying, 'Your will be done, not mine.' Give every part of your heart and your time to God and let God tell you what to do, where to go, when and how to respond. God does not want you to destroy yourself. Exhaustion, burnout, and depression are not signs that you are doing God's will. God is gentle and loving. God desires to give you a deep sense of safety in God's love. Once you have allowed yourself to experience that love fully, you will be better able to discern who you are being sent to in God's name" (Henri J. M. Nouwen).

Our culture celebrates workaholics. Excessive study and work become wearisome and worthless. Even pleasure and achievements have no ultimate meaning. Instead, find satisfaction in God so you can enjoy your beautiful and enduring work as you embrace partnerships, listen to God and live in the present without knowing the future. 

Know the Meaninglessness of Excessive Study
Solomon said everything was meaningless and wearisome because man gains nothing with his labor. Nothing was new under the sun. Men were forgotten in future generations. God laid on Solomon, the teacher, and others this heavy burden of studying and exploring wisdom of everything on earth. What was twisted cannot be straightened and what was lacking cannot be counted. Solomon grew and increased in wisdom and knowledge more than past rulers in Jerusalem. Much wisdom and knowledge leads to madness, folly, sorrow and grief (Eccles. 1:1-18). Know the meaninglessness of excessive study to increase your wisdom and knowledge.


Find Satisfaction in God Instead of Pleasure and Accomplishments
Pleasure and great projects became meaningless and worthless. The only reward for pursuing what he desired was delight in his work. All achievements were meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Wisdom was madness and folly even though it was better than the latter. The fool and the wise have the same fate but both would be forgotten. Solomon hated life because work was grievous and meaningless. Nothing could be taken with him after he died. A fool might control the work he poured effort, knowledge and skill. Work was meaningless since it had pain, restlessness and grief. Only God could reward him with satisfaction. No one found enjoyment apart from God since He gave wisdom, knowledge and happiness to those who pleased Him. God gave the sinner the task of gathering wealth to the one who pleased Him (Eccles. 2:1-26). Find satisfaction in God realizing the worthlessness of pleasure and acomplishments. 

Enjoy Your Beautiful and Enduring Work
There was a time for every activity. A time for birth and death, plant and uproot, kill and heal, tear down and build, weep and laugh, mourn and dance, scatter stones and gather them, embrace and refrain, search and give up, keep and throw away, tear and mend, silent and speak, love and hate, and war and peace. God made everything beautiful in its time. He set eternity in the hearts of men yet they cannot figure what God did from beginning to end. Nothing was better than to find satisfaction and doing good in his work as a gift from God. Everything He did endured forever since God did not add or take away anything. Man revered God for His works since He judged the righteous and the wicked who return to dust. Nothing was better than enjoying one's work (Eccles. 3:1-22). Enjoy your kingdom work since God made everything beautiful in its time to endure forever.

Embrace Partnerships in Life and Work
Solomon looked at the oppressed without comforters since oppressors had power on their side. Labor and all achievements sprang from man's envy of his neighbor. A fool ruined himself with too much work. Better to maintain a margin of tranquility than being a workaholic depriving oneself of enjoyment. Two were better than one because they have a good return for their work. If one fell down or overpowered, his friend could help or defend him. A cord of three strands was not quickly broken. Better a poor but wise youth than an old and foolish king who ignored warnings. It was impossible to please everyone (Eccles. 4:1-16). Embrace partnerships in life and work for protection and balance. 

Listen to God for Contentment
One should guard his steps and listen before interceding when he or she approached God. Use few words and fulfill vows before Him to prevent sin and work from being destroyed. Stand in awe before God instead of many dreams and words. Do not be surprised when the poor's rights were denied since the profit motive caused oppression and injustice. Those who love money were never satisfied with their income. Increased resources caused increased consumption. The laborer slept restfully while the rich stayed awake. One cannot take money with them after they die. It was God's gift for men to enjoy their labor, wealth, possessions and lot in life being occupied with gladness of heart (Eccles. 5:1-20). Listen to God for contentment in your work and lot in life. 

Live in the Present
It was also meaningless if a stranger enjoyed his wealth and high position instead of himself. It was meaningless if a fool's or wise person's appetite was unsatisfied. No one could contend with one stronger than himself. More words resulted in less meaning and profit. Who knew what was good for a man during his short life since no one could predict the future after he died (Eccles. 6:1-12). Live in the present being concise and not overreaching since you cannot predict the future.

Consider how you are managing your work life balance by rating yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest in the following areas: 
1. I know the meaningless of excessive study to increase my wisdom and knowledge
2. I find satisfaction in God instead of pleasure and achievements
3. I enjoy my beautiful and enduring work in building up God's kingdom
4. I embrace partnerships in life and work for protection and balance
5. I listen to God for contentment in my work and lot in life
6. I live in the present being concise and not overreaching since the future cannot be predicted

Ask God to work in those one or two areas where you scored the lowest. 







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    Mark Pomeroy

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    My goal is to ignite the hearts of people by explaining God's word in the Law, Prophets, Psalms and New Testament consecutively, much like the experience of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:32,44). I have been a missionary in Lincoln, NE, for 13 years with Christ For the City Int. and Sync with God.
     

    Sync with God is a highly versatile web app that hosts on-demand, virtual small groups. Sync is designed to connect young seekers in the faith and scripturally-trained mentors, even globally. It offers a safe, engaging interface for Millennials/Gen. Z and is readily adaptable to technical advances well into the future.

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