Satisfaction in Him
Pastor Rollan Fisher
From the article: “The Big Quit and our cultural search for meaning.”
According to The Washington Post, “a record 4.3 million people — about 2.9 percent of the nation’s workforce — quit [their jobs] in August.” And, Gallup polling suggests that nearly half of working Americans are actively considering finding a new job.
More than half of respondents from one survey said they would trade higher compensation for workplace flexibility. Having worked from home throughout the last year, they are hesitant to give up the time with friends and family, the luxury of not commuting, and a more home-centered vocational life.
At the same time, working in certain industries is more difficult. For example, in the food industry, there are a “staggering 1.2 million jobs unfilled… right when customers are crashing through the doors, ready to eat, drink, and finally socialize.” Many point to the increased hours required, the unemployment benefits which exceed even increased compensation, and the stress of maintaining COVID-related policies in the workplace. And as more employees leave this industry, remaining workers with their hands even more full.
Even so, the biggest reason for workers leaving work could be because they can. Between government stimulus, rising home values, and money saved during COVID, many Americans are simply, to borrow words from David Leonhart of the New York Times, “flush with cash.” This is exactly the opportunity they’ve been waiting for to make a change.”
WHY people are looking for change is they want to feel satisfaction - a sense of significance and purpose.
Focus: We will finally submit to Jesus when we acknowledge his Kingdom’s worth and eternal value in our lives.
Hidden Treasures
The Great Pearl
Kingdom Nets
Matthew 13:44-50
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. 47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Hidden Treasures
The treasures that will ultimately satisfy our souls are not merely natural, but are found in God.
Matthew 13:44
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Simply following your heart to find the treasure you are looking for can lead you astray.
God has written his law upon every human heart leaving testimony of his character and ways.
This is what people refer to as their conscience.
Because a human conscience can be seared by the continual suppression of righteousness (meaning we know the good we ought to do but choose what is wrong anyway - this is the definition of transgression), we must continually reference the word of God to reestablish our baseline for truth.
Following your heart alone will not lead you a life full of satisfaction and God’s approval.
Jeremiah 17:9-10
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”
“Burnout hits when our work fails to live up to expectations of it.”
Surveys show that Americans work more hours than any other industrialized nation. That becomes an incredibly important factor when work is not seen as meaningful, i.e., not part of something bigger than ourselves. In certain extreme cases, work takes the place of God. We look to it as the source to fill our emotional, vocational, and relational needs.
That’s unsustainable. To the extent that the so-called “Great Resignation” is a cultural reset, it can be a good thing. On the other hand, it will not be a good thing unless it is a reset of more than work hours, policies, and minimum wage. It has to be a reset of our understanding of what work is for, something that would require rethinking what humans are for.
Any search for a perfect, all-fulfilling job will be fruitless. Many young people are learning this right now. However, rather than rethink their search, some are opting out of work altogether. This is a mistake, not just because savings eventually run out and bills inevitably pile up, but because we were created, in part, for work. Work existed before the fall, and is therefore inherently connected with our worship and dignity as image-bearers.
To be clear, work is not our full identity, but it is inseparable from who we were created to be. Even knowing this can help eliminate the stress of where to work; it’s easier to make rational choices when one’s entire sense of self doesn’t hang in the balance. And yet, because our work is one way that we worship God, it’s meaningful even when mundane. It’s worthy of our highest efforts when, in mirroring our Creator, we bring order out of chaos, provide for our fellow creatures, and cultivate His creation.”
-JOHN STONESTREET & KASEY LEANDER
The Great Pearl
What we must reason with is the fact that to find the great pearl of the Kingdom, it will take everything.
“The Enigma of Arrival” is the title and theme of a novel by the Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul. What is it about arrival that is mysterious? Simply that one’s imagination of a destination, even a place for which one has prepared and striven, will never quite be one’s eventual experience of the place.
-Wall Street Journal 11/11/21
Matthew 13:45-46
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Serving Jesus in the Kingdom of God is an all-in proposition.
It is only by going all-in on Jesus’ Lordship that we find the pearl of great price.
“If God is the Creator of the entire universe, then it must follow that He is the Lord of the whole universe. No part of the world is outside of His lordship. That means that no part of my life must be outside of His lordship.”
-R.C. Sproul
So what is worth my time, energy and efforts?
Columnist Whizy Kim of Refinery29 puts it this way: “[We] want to believe that our jobs can not only provide financial stability, but also emotional and spiritual nourishment... In a time of increasing secularism, work remains our steadfast religion. Burnout hits when our work fails to live up to expectations of it.”
Only Jesus and his Kingdom can satisfy our souls because only he provides perfect:
Relationship - No other relationship can perfectly form, shape and fill us with the love that we so desperately need. It’s a love that comes from and we are created to give God alone.
Purpose - God made us for a purpose and only fulfilling that purpose will satisfy us.
Meaning - All of life’s daily challenges and successes only find significance in fulfilling that eternal Kingdom purpose for which we are made. Everything else takes, and even what it gives will not ultimately last.
Kingdom Nets
God calls you into his kingdom for his kingdom purposes that will ultimately fulfill and satisfy you.
You must understand that calling originates with God and is both realized and satisfied in that which Jesus has created you to do.
Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Taking the mystery and lack of commitment out of it:
How do I find the true call of God on my life?
1. Do what you have opportunity to do through honorable, gainful employment (Romans 12:16)
2 Thessalonians 3:10-12
For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.
2. Pray to see what God would have you to do (Proverbs 3:4,5).
3. Develop skills to do what you desire to do for the glory of God (Philippians 2:13).
Matthew 13:47-50
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.”
G.K. Chesterton, What's Wrong with the World
Matthew 7:12-23
12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. 13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. 15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
“Especially in this cultural moment, how Christians work is part of our witness. Christians can demonstrate God’s goodness by the joy and vibrancy we bring to our vocation. We can show His love, concern, and provision for people by how we manage people in love and service. We can dignify God’s design for human beings in how we work and in how we rest.
All told, it could be that “The Great Resignation,” or as it is also called, “The Big Quit” is, for Christians, an even bigger opportunity.”
-JOHN STONESTREET & KASEY LEANDER
Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher.