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The Right Use of the Present Life | John Calvin · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reformed Thinking, your shortcut to becoming well
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informed. Where we dig into complex ideas,
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aiming for insights that are surprising but also really
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practical. Exactly.
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And today we're diving into, well, a pretty compelling
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question. It's something Christians,
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especially in the Reformed tradition, have thought about
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for centuries, right? A tradition that really
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emphasizes God's sovereignty, His guiding hand in everything,
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and how we rely on Him. So the question is this how do
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we rightly use the blessings, you know, the practical things
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of this life? Without letting them sidetrack
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us from our our true purpose, Yeah.
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We've gathered some really insightful sources.
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We're drawing quite a bit from the classical theologian John
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Calvin. Trying to uncover what it really
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means to live according to God's design.
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You know, the world that's full of things.
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Our goal today, our mission, is to get some clarity on handling
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the everyday stuff. Like food, clothing.
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Right. Even our jobs or occupations.
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How do these practical bits fit into a larger life that honors
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God? By the end of this deep dive,
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you should have some SOLID principles.
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Yeah, principles for finding a balanced approach, maybe
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avoiding some common pitfalls. And hopefully finding some
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genuine contentment, some real direction in what you do
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day-to-day. This isn't just, you know,
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theory. It's meant to be a kind of
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blueprint for your daily choices.
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In the material we're looking at today, it really does give a a
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pretty comprehensive framework for Christian living.
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Drawn heavily from scripture. Absolutely, and it tries to
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strike a careful balance. It doesn't shy away from the
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tough stuff like temptations or mistakes.
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It offers guidance but also, well, comfort for believers.
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Yeah, we'll look at how this this older wisdom and timeless
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scriptural rules come together to shape a faith.
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It's active, you know, vibrant. It's more than just rules, isn't
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it? Oh definitely, It's really a
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different way of seeing the world and and your place in it.
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I may the Divine measure for earthly life a balanced path for
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God's gifts. OK, so let's let's start with
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this core idea for God's people, this present life.
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It's like a pilgrimage, a jerk. Exactly.
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Think of yourself as a traveler. You're moving across a landscape
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heading towards a heavenly city. That mindset, it changes
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everything, doesn't it? How you view the physical world
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around you. It really does.
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It means everything we encounter, everything we use
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here, It should either help us on our way.
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Or at least not hold us back, not hinder.
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Us, right? We need to make sure our
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temporary comforts don't become like permanent anchors, things
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that pull us off course. Paul talks about this in First
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Corinthians. He does.
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He advises us to use this world as if not using it.
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Which doesn't mean ignoring it or pretending it's not there.
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No, not at all. It's more about holding its
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pleasures, its possessions lightly with a kind of
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detachment. So whether you're buying
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something or selling. Or celebrating, or even
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mourning. It suggests this awareness that
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these experiences are well passing.
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Transient. They're meant to serve a
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greater, a more lasting purpose. Yeah, so maybe you buy a new
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shirt or invest in a house. It's not that the thing itself
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is the ultimate goal. Right.
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You recognize its usefulness, its utility, but within this
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temporary life. What seems really key here is
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how this perspective just reorients your whole engagement
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with material things. Remembering that the ultimate
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goal isn't in this world. But through it on the way to
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something much greater. And you know what often gets
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missed and what our sources really highlight is that this
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pilgrimage mindset, it doesn't mean a life without any delight,
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not at all. In fact, it pushes back against
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that common idea that, you know, godliness means just scraping by
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bare minimum survival like that. Inhuman philosophy, Calvin
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mentioned. Exactly the kind that would
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limit using God's creation just to what's strictly necessary,
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like only plain bread and. Water.
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But the sources say that's not right.
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No, they clarify, God created things for our good, for our
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benefit, not not to trip us up or undo us.
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So he actually intends for us to find delight and good cheer
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beyond just necessity. That's what they argue.
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Think about it. The richness of life.
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Yeah, Food, for example. Yeah, keeps you alive.
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Sustenance. But it also provides delight,
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right? A sense of cheer, that feeling
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of a warm meal or sharing food with friends.
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That's part of it. And clothing.
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It gives us, you know, comeliness, decency, but also
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beauty, a way to express ourselves appropriately.
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What about nature? Look outside the green grass,
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the strong trees, the taste of fruit.
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They give beauty to our eyes, pleasant smells, the.
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Sources mentioned Scripture too, right?
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Psalm 104, yes. Wine gladdening the heart, Oil
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making the face shine. It shows a divine appreciation
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for more than just mere subsistence.
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Even things we might think of as luxuries.
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Gold. Silver.
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Even those gold, silver, ivory, marble God gave them an inherent
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loveliness, an attraction beyond just their basic function.
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So it's OK for our senses to appreciate that beauty, that
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pleasantness. It's not wrong, no.
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The kind of surprising thing here is that God, the Creator,
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he actually designed these things partly for our enjoyment.
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He doesn't just tolerate our pleasure.
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He invites us into it as long as you know it stays aligned with
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his purposes. That's a really interesting
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point, that God intends delight. It counters that idea that being
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pious means constant deprivation.
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It does. But OK, if God does intend for
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us to enjoy these gifts, how do we know where the line is?
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How do we stop that delight from becoming, well, destructive
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excess? And that leads us straight into
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what the source is called the double danger.
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Double danger? Yeah, the path of using earthly
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things. It's slippery.
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You can easily fall off on one side or the other.
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Two main errors. OK, what's the first one?
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On one side, you have what's called mistaken strictness.
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Think excessive asceticism. Like monks in a desert.
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Sort of. It comes about when people see
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all the crazy self indulgence in the world, the excess, and they
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react by swinging way too far the other way.
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Setting up really severe limits. Exactly.
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Believing you should only use physical goods when absolutely
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necessary. Reducing life to almost nothing.
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Plain bread, water, and. The sources say that's obsolete.
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Far too severe, and more than that, it actually fetters
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consciences more tightly than does the word of the Lord, which
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is a dangerous thing to do. Binding conscience where God
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hasn't. Precisely, there are historical
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examples like Crates the Theben, A Cynic philosopher.
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What did you do? Story goes, he threw all his
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stuff into the sea. Why?
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Because he was afraid his possessions would destroy him if
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he didn't destroy them first. Wow, that's extreme.
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It is. It reflects a view that material
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things are somehow inherently bad or corrupting.
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But our sources say that mindset.
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It malignantly deprives us of the lawful fruit of God's
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beneficence. It can even rob a man of all his
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senses and degrade him to a block.
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Reducing our humanity. Yeah, it mistakes the creation
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itself for the problem instead of our misuse of it.
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OK, so one danger is this unbiblical, joyless strictness.
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What's the other side of this double danger?
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The other side is mistaken laxity, or, as the sources put
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it, licentious indulgence. So basically letting loose
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completely. Pretty much unbridled,
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unrestrained pursuit of pleasure, of gratification.
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Some people look for excuses for the unrestrained cravings of the
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flesh. Trying to justify just doing
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whatever feels good. Right, they might argue, Oh, we
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have freedom and external things, it shouldn't be limited
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by rules. Just leave it to my conscience.
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But the sources push back on that.
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They do. They clarify that while yeah,
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our consciences aren't banned by rigid super specific legal
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formulas. Scripture does give us general
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rules. Exactly.
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General rules for lawful use. And these rules set boundaries
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for our conduct. They act as a curb against the
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lust of the flesh. Which if you don't keep it in.
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Check. It just overflows, Yeah, without
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measure, yeah. So what we're really aiming for
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is that balanced path. Not depriving ourselves of God's
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good gifts. But also not letting them become
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idols that lead us away. Using them within the wise
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boundaries God himself has set. That's the goal 2 Guarding
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against misuse, gratitude, and an eternal perspective.
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That distinction between the two dangers, strictness and laxity,
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that's really helpful. OK, so if we're trying to walk
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this balance path, what's the the internal compass?
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What keeps us steered away from those extremes?
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How do we avoid slipping into either joyless austerity or just
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unchecked indulgence? Well, our sources point to
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something really fundamental, a core principle.
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Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving.
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Yes, it says a primary way to check those urges of the flesh
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is to really get this clear in your head.
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All things were created for us that we might recognize the
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author and give thanks for his kindness toward us.
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So understanding the purpose behind the gift.
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Exactly. That understanding acts as a
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fundamental bridle against just wanting more and more.
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It shifts your focus from just consuming.
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To actively acknowledging the giver Gratitude.
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And this isn't just some, you know, nice theological idea.
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It gives you a powerful, practical way to check yourself.
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How so? Give me an example.
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OK, consider this. Where's your Thanksgiving if
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indulging in, say, a huge feast or lots of wine makes you dull,
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makes you useless for your duties?
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Duties of faith, or even just your regular responsibilities in
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your calling. Right.
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Like if that big dinner party leaves you too sluggish the next
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day to pray or study or even just do your job well, can you
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honestly say you recognize the giver in that indulgence?
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That's convicting. Or think about this.
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If excess causes your flesh to, as the source puts it, boil over
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into bathed cravings. If it infects your mind with
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impurities, you can't discern what's right or spiritual.
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Where's the recognition of God then?
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Exactly. It's easy for a material excess
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to cloud your judgement, right? Make you less sensitive to
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spiritual things. What about clothing?
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You mentioned that earlier. Yeah, same principle if your
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clothes, instead of just being modest and comfortable, start
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leading to self admiration. Making you look down on others
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who have less. Or worse, if your focus on
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appearance is actually preparing you for disgraceful actions,
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where's the gratitude in that? So, the sources warn, our minds
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shouldn't get consumed by earthly delights or material
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splendor. Because it hinders our ability
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to see clearly, to discern what's right, what's spiritual.
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Paul puts it bluntly. Romans 13.
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Yeah, make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires.
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Which isn't about denying legitimate needs or appetites.
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No, it's about actively choosing not to set up situations where
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your sinful desires are likely to just run wild.
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Because if you give them too much leeway.
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They'll just overwhelm you. They boil up like a flood
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breaking through. No measure, no control.
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OK, so gratitude is a key guardrail.
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What else helps? Well, building on that, there is
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maybe an even more direct path to living rightly, which is
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ultimating a contempt of the present life and focusing your
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thoughts on heavenly immortality.
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Contempt of the present life? That sounds pretty harsh.
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It can sound that way, yeah, but it doesn't mean hating life for
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checking out. So what does it mean?
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It means seeing this present life for what it is, temporary,
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flawed, imperfect, and holding it in the right perspective
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compared to the eternal perfect life to come.
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Seeing the relative value. Exactly this perspective is
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crucial because it helps you detach in a healthy way from
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worldly things. It helps you truly Orient
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yourself toward your ultimate destination.
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Like that traveler again packing light because they know where
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their real home is. Precisely, and from this
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mindset, this Pilgrim mindset, 2 really vital rules come out for
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how we live and use the world. OK, 2 rules, what's the 1st?
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First rule, use this world as if not using it.
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We touched on this earlier with Paul, right, and this attitude,
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it applies broadly to everything, your marriage,
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buying property, eating, drinking, how you manage your
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possessions. Maintaining that sense of
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detachment. Yes, preventing earthly things
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from diverting you, or hindering your thoughts about the heavenly
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life, or stopping your zeal to cultivate your soul.
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So this posture directly fights against what?
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Gluttony. Gluttony.
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Yeah. Spending too much on houses or
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clothes. Unchecked ambition, Pride.
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Arrogance. Even being overly fussy about
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minor comforts. It's so easy to get caught up in
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chasing. The next thing isn't.
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It totally chasing trends, pursuing more and more, only to
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find yourself spiritually exhausted.
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This rule acts like a constant reminder, a reorientation.
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Keep your eyes on the prize. Basically, you know this echoes
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some ancient wisdom too, like Cato.
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The Roman statesman, Yeah. He apparently observed there is
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great care about dress, but great carelessness about virtue.
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People fussing over their clothes but neglecting their
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character. Ouch.
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Right, the sources press us to ask, Are we more concerned with
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how shiny our shoes are than the state of our soul?
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Spending more time curating our online image than cultivating
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actual virtue. That's the kind of question it
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raises. So this rule use this world as
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if not using it. It's not about self denial just
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for the sake of. It it's about prioritizing what
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lasts over what fades. Making sure our temporary
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choices don't over shadow our eternal purpose.
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That's challenging, but also, yeah, kind of liberating seeing
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contempt for this life as a way to actually live it properly
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with the right perspective. OK, what's the second rule from
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this Pilgrim mindset? The second rule is about
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learning to bear poverty peaceably and abundance
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moderately. Handling both ends of the
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spectrum well. Exactly.
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For those with limited means, it means patiently doing without
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not giving into this immoderate, consuming longing for things you
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don't have. And the sources see this as a
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real sign of spiritual growth. Indicator.
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Yes, they say that someone who hasn't made at least some
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progress here, well, they have scarcely anything to show for
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being a disciple of Christ. Wow, strong words.
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It really tests where your contentment lies.
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Is it tied to your circumstances or rooted in something deeper?
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Makes sense and. Think about the practical side.
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Someone who bears poverty impatiently, always complaining,
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always wanting more. They'll likely misuse abundance
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if they ever get it. Probably, the source says
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they'll betray A contrary disease.
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If you can't handle humble conditions without bitterness,
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you likely won't handle wealth with grace.
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Like the person who hates simple food.
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We'll probably abuse fancy food if it comes along, because their
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desire isn't really for the sustenance or gratitude to the
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giver, it's for the experience, the indulgence.
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Or someone ashamed of simple clothes.
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We'll. Probably boast about expensive
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clothes if they get them, because their satisfaction comes
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from the outward display, not inner peace.
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Who's the example for this? Paul again.
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Paul's the prime example here. Philippians 4.1 right?
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He says he learned the secret of being content in any and every
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situation. How to be filled and to hunger,
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to abound and to suffer want. That remarkable adaptability,
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that contentment, no matter the external circumstances, that's a
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hallmark of a life lived with this eternal perspective.
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It frees you from being ruled by your circumstances.
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It really does. It shows your satisfaction comes
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from a source beyond what you happen to possess or lack at any
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given moment. 3 Stewardship and accountability.
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Managing God's entrusted gifts. OK, so we've got gratitude as
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the compass, this Pilgrim mindset setting the direction.
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But how do we actually handle the stuff God gives us?
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What's the framework for interacting with it day-to-day?
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Right, the nuts and bolts. And here's a really crucial
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understanding that comes through in the sources.
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Scripture gives us a clear guideline, which is all
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blessings, everything we have, possessions, abilities, time.
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They're given by God's kindness. They're meant for our benefit.
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But here's the key part, the part we often forget.
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They're entrusted to us. Exactly, they aren't just ours
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to do whatever we want with, we are stewards.
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And stewards have to give an account.
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We must one day render account of them.
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That phrase from Luke's Gospel render account of your
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stewardship should be constantly ringing in our ears.
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So we're not the ultimate owners, we're managers,
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responsible managers of what God has given.
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That applies to everything, right?
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Your money, your time, your talents.
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Even your physical body, your relationships, it's all in a
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sense on loan, a trust from God. And we're accountable for how we
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use it. That perspective, it really
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changes how you see your resources.
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Definitely when you think about buying something, it's not just
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can I afford this? It becomes, how does using what
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God has entrusted to me in this way align with His purposes?
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It brings this sense of purpose and responsibility to even
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small, mundane decisions. It's like managing a big estate
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for someone else. You have access to the
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resources. But you manage them according to
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the owner's wishes, knowing you'll have to report back on
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how you handled everything. And since the Lord requires this
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accounting. He also points us towards
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certain virtues he approves of and vices he rejects, and how we
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use these gifts. OK, what virtues does he
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commend? The sources list abstinence,
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sobriety, frugality and moderation.
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Let's unpack those a bit. Abstinence.
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Self-control and consumption. Knowing when enough is enough,
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when to say no. Sobriety.
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Clear headedness, not letting anything cloud your mind or dull
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your spiritual senses. Keeping perspective.
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Frugality sounds a bit old fashioned.
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Maybe, but it just means simplicity, avoiding waste,
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unnecessary extravagance, using resources wisely.
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And moderation. A balanced use of everything.
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Not too much, not too little. Finding that middle ground.
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So these virtues help us live thoughtfully, purposefully with
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what we have. Right.
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They cultivate that steward's mindset.
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And on the flip side, what does he reject?
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He rejects excess pride, ostentation and vanity.
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Kind of the opposites of the virtuos.
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Exactly. Excess is that immoderate
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indulgence, taking more than you need or what's good for you?
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Pride, self admiration, looking down on others, often fueled by
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positions or status. Ostentation.
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Showiness, using what you have just to impress people or puff
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yourself. Up and vanity.
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Superficiality being preoccupied with outward appearances over
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inner character. So these vices, they pull us
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away from God's purpose for his gifts.
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Yeah, they turn blessings into burdens.
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Useful tools become idols. It's about recognizing God's
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gifts are meant to honor Him. Not just feed our own desires or
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make us look good, this framework really gives us clear
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signposts for living wisely. It's clear that our personal
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conduct, how we use things ourselves, is central.
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But you mentioned something earlier about distribution
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joined with love. How does that fit in Ah?
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Yes, that's a critical point. Stewardship isn't just about me
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and my consumption. It extends outwards.
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Definitely, God approves no other distribution of good
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things than one joined with love.
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So how we share what we have, how we use our resources to
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benefit others, that has to be driven by genuine love.
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Right. It's not just about avoiding
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excess for my own sake, but about how my resources can be a
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blessing to those around me, reflecting God's own generosity.
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So stewardship includes helping neighbors, supporting the
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community. Using what we have to show love
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in practical ways, it broadens the whole concept.
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It means asking how can what I've been given be used to
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express God's love? And there was another warning,
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too, about delights that cloud the mind.
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Yes, the sources say God condemned with his own lips all
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the lights that draw man's spirit away from chastity,
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impurity or befog his mind. A strong warning.
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It is. It means our choices about
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earthly pleasures. They should lead us into moral
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compromise or or dull our spiritual clarity.
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So if some form of entertainment, even if it seems
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harmless, consistently leads your thoughts astray.
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Or dulls your spiritual senses. It falls under this
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condemnation. It's not about arbitrary rules
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then. No, it's about recognizing the
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real spiritual impact of our choices.
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How they affect our relationship with God and our ability to live
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purely. So this whole idea of
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stewardship, accountability, distribution joined with love.
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It really fosters a deep contentment, doesn't it?
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And resilience. How so?
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Well, it pushes you towards relying more on God than on your
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stuff when you truly grasp that everything is a trust from Him
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and you're accountable. It encourages careful management
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and generosity. Right.
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It moves you away from a self-serving mentality towards
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thinking about how your choices reflects God's character and
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benefit others. It helped you appreciate what
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you have. While holding it lightly,
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knowing its ultimate source and purpose.
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It's a total shift from just acquiring things to responsibly
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deploying them for God's glory and neighbor's good. 4 The
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Lord's calling. The foundation for purposeful
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living. That leads us nicely into what I
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think is one of the most foundational ideas for living a
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purposeful life, especially in Reformed thought.
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The Lord's calling. Absolutely crucial.
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Our sources state it so clearly. The Lord bids each one of us in
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all life's actions to look to His calling.
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And calling here isn't some fuzzy, vague feeling.
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No, it's defined pretty concretely as the particular way
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of life, or like a century post that God assigns to each person.
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A century post. I like that image.
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Standing guard in your assigned place, not wandering off.
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Exactly. And this concept, this calling
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it, stops us from just drifting aimlessly through life or acting
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thoughtlessly. It gives a divine framework for
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our daily lives. Lives provides direction,
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meaning. The sources point out that God
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knows us right. He knows how restless human
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nature is. How fickle we can be, wanting to
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do a million things at once, often without a clear goal.
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Prone to ambition that makes us overstep our bounds, causing
21:50
chaos. So to prevent life from getting
21:54
completely turned topsy turvy by our own, you know, foolishness
21:58
and rashness. He appoints duties, specific
22:01
duties for each person in their specific way of life, and he
22:05
calls these callings. It's actually a really merciful
22:08
structure. It stops people from constantly
22:10
trying to go beyond their proper limits.
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It means whether you're a Baker, a teacher, a parent, an artist,
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whatever you do. Your work, your place in life,
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When you see it through this lens, it's divinely appointed.
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That gives us stability, A clarity that just human
22:24
reasoning can't provide on its own.
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And this concept of calling, it's described as in everything,
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the beginning and foundation of, well, doing.
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The starting point for doing good.
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Yeah, without orienting ourselves by Our Calling, the
22:36
sources say we just can't stay on the straight path in our
22:39
duties. And this reveals something
22:41
really profound about how God judges things, doesn't it,
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compared to how we might judge them.
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Oh, absolutely. All our actions, they're judged
22:50
in God's sight based on Our Calling.
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And that judgment can be very different from how human reason
22:55
or philosophy sees things. Give us an example well.
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The sources mention this even acts that seem noble to us, like
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maybe a private citizen trying to take down a tyrant.
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That could seem heroic from a human standpoint, right?
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But it's condemned by the heavenly judge if it's outside
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that person's appointed calling. You mean like David and Saul?
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Exactly like David and Saul. David had multiple chances to
23:17
kill King Saul, who's actively trying to kill him.
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From a human view, it might have seemed justified self-defense,
23:23
even righteous. But David refused.
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Why? Because Saul was God's anointed
23:28
king. It wasn't David's calling his
23:30
place to raise his hand against him.
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Even though Saul was behaving badly.
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Even then, it shows that God values obedience to His
23:38
appointed structure, His order, even more than what might look
23:42
like a brave or good deed to us if that deed is done outside our
23:46
proper role. So anything not directed by Our
23:49
Calling, even if it looks great to us.
23:51
Will be rejected before God's throne.
23:54
That's the sobering reality, The most impressive human
23:57
achievement. If it's outside the bounds of
23:59
your God-given role, it just doesn't count in the final
24:02
analysis. Wow, that's a powerful
24:04
distinction. God judges actions not just by
24:07
how they look, but by whether they align with our specific
24:09
calling. OK, So what are the practical
24:12
results when someone actually lives guided by this idea of
24:16
calling? Well, first life becomes best
24:18
ordered. It brings a kind of harmony to
24:20
everything. How so?
24:21
It stops a person from constantly trying to do more
24:24
than their calling allows because they know it's not
24:26
right, not their place, to go beyond those limits.
24:29
It breeds contentment then, instead of restless ambition.
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Exactly. Someone in a mediate, obscure
24:35
position, A less glamorous job. They can live that private life
24:39
without complaining. They accept the place God has
24:42
given them without constantly resenting it or trying to leave
24:45
their rank inappropriately. That must offer huge relief,
24:49
relief from that constant pressure to be more, do more,
24:52
achieve more than maybe God intends for you right now.
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It allows for real peace in your current situation and this
24:58
knowledge that God is our guide in all our duties.
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It provides, as the source says, no slight relief from cares,
25:05
laborers, troubles and other burdens.
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Makes sense. How does that play out?
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Think about it, a magistrate, A ruler performs their job
25:12
willingly, not driven by ego, but by knowing God assigned them
25:16
this role. For a parent.
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A head of a household embraces their duties, patiently puts up
25:21
with the discomforts, the anxieties.
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Why? Because they're persuaded God
25:25
himself laid this burden, this responsibility on them.
25:29
It brings this deep sense of purpose, contentment.
25:32
Every task, even the small mundane ones, become part of
25:35
something bigger, divinely sanctioned.
25:38
It's. Not just punching a clock, it's
25:39
fulfilling a divine appointment. And there's a really comforting
25:42
thought that comes out of this too, right?
25:44
About seemingly lowly tasks. Oh, this is perhaps one of the
25:48
most encouraging parts. No task will be so sorted and
25:51
base, provided you obey your calling in it, that it will not
25:55
shine and be reckoned very precious in God's sight.
25:58
Let that sink in. No task is to sword at her base
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if you're doing it as part of your calling.
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It shines. It's considered precious by God
26:05
himself. So every honest pass, every
26:08
humble duty, sweeping floors, changing diapers, writing code,
26:12
driving a truck. If it's done in faithful
26:14
obedience to your God assigned role, it has divine approval.
26:18
It has immense worth. It elevates the ordinary, makes
26:21
it extraordinary. It transforms the daily grind
26:24
into something sacred. This might be the most
26:27
liberating insight we've discussed your daily tasks done
26:30
within your calling. They aren't just valuable, they
26:33
are precious in God's sight. Outro.
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OK, so let's try to wrap this up.
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What have we really gained from this deep dive into reformed
26:40
thinking on these matters? Well, we've seen that living
26:43
faithfully in this world means steering clear of those
26:45
extremes, right? The harsh, joyless asceticism on
26:48
one side. And the reckless, uncontrolled
26:51
indulgence on the other. Yeah.
26:53
It calls for a life that's really marked by gratitude,
26:56
seeing God's gifts not just for basic necessity but also for
27:00
delight. From the food we eat to the
27:01
beauty around us. And it means holding these
27:04
earthly things lightly, remembering we're pilgrims,
27:07
travelers heading towards that heavenly city.
27:09
Making sure these blessings help us or at least don't hinder us
27:13
on that journey. And maybe the bedrock of it all
27:15
is adhering to our divine calling, finding purpose,
27:19
finding worth in every single task God has set before us.
27:23
Knowing He's placed us exactly where we are right now for His
27:27
good purpose. And remember, this isn't just
27:29
abstract theology, it gives you real principles for your
27:32
everyday life. How you handle your money, your
27:34
time, your responsibilities. Ask yourself, does my use of
27:38
earthly blessings actually foster gratitude in my heart?
27:42
Does it lead to spiritual clarity?
27:44
To contentment. Or does it pull me away?
27:47
Am I living within the limits God has set?
27:49
Am I finding joy and meaning in my specific calling, whatever
27:52
that might? Be because that perspective,
27:54
seeing life as a pilgrimage and seeing every calling as
27:58
something watched over, hallowed by God's gaze, it changes
28:02
everything. It really does.
28:03
It means the simplest acts, the most hidden things done in
28:07
obedience. Can hold a kind of magnificence
28:10
that totally outshines the most famous human achievements done
28:14
outside of God's direction. So here's a final thought for
28:17
you to consider what might shift and how you perceive your Daylor
28:20
tasks, maybe even the ones you dislike.
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If you started viewing them through this prism of God's
28:25
calling for you, what new satisfaction, what different
28:28
kind of joy might you uncover in the ordinary moments of your
28:31
life?