Do you ever think of your job, how you occupy your time and what work you do on a daily basis, do you think of it as a calling… from God?

That's our topic today in these apparently disjointed or unrelated passages. What must a person do to get a calling from God? What's the difference between a calling and a job? What if you DON'T have a calling? How do you find your calling? What difference does it make on a daily basis?

Let's consider work, job, calling today:

1. The Great Divide
2. The Great Provide
3. The Great Decide

Why are we here? What does it mean to have a full and satisfying life – to realize our purpose? How do relationships figure into that big picture …relationship with God? with family? AND What about my daily routine …where we spend the bulk of our time…not in church or on vacation but at work (my occupation or job)? That is really what most directly concerns us today.

What does God intend for our "regular life"? And how will God's purposes and His original design for labor and creativity and what occupies most of our time how will knowing what God originally intended help me today …but especially tomorrow… Monday-Saturday?

Let's look at: #1 Distinct Design #2 East of Eden #3 Preacher's Promise

Today, after all these chapters of poetic speeches, the charges and accusations of Job's little satans and Job's desperate attempts to answer the charges… AND most important, after Job's meeting with God, when Job is interviewed by God and comes away changed: "I've heard of You with the ear but NOW my eye sees You" (42.5) – as if what Job knew as facts, as information is now become sensation, feeling, a sense and experience of God's presence – THEN/today the restoration, the aim or end toward which the whole book is moving.

Let's look at:

1. Concluding Restorations
2. Lingering Questions
3. Ongoing Applications

The Presbyterians have answered the question of human purpose – "Man's chief end (or purpose) is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever" (Westminster Shorter Catechism Q:1) But, what about God's chief end/goal – what is God up to on this often tragic, confusing, wonderful, wounded and wounding world? And what is God's purpose for YOU as you travel through this beautiful but badly battered biosphere. What is God's doing in YOU? Today, the climax of the book. We'll look at it using three phrases you might've heard in our culture: 1) I Want to Speak to the Manager 2) Let's Get Ready to Rumble 3) I Can See Clearly Now

What Elihu says about God's providence or complete control is mainly in keeping with the rest of the Bible but there are some bugs in his presentation. He's kind of a comic figure… he makes us wonder if telling a man in extreme pain and suffering unimaginable loss, we wonder if telling that person that God is in control of everything – including this misery – IS that approach going to help a suffering person? Should YOU, for instance, use this approach in counseling or comforting people in deep agony or pain, "Hey, God's in control!"

Today, the doctrine of providence in the poems of Elihu:

1. Providence
2. Benevolent Providence
3. Benevolent, Mysterious Providence

There are THREE rounds of this – each rival friend speaks and then Job replies THREE times… A LOT of words and at this point, there's an incursion, a hymn about wisdom. Job may be starting to "get it" though he'll waver in the coming section… He's saying, "Only God knows what's happening. I don't and you guys sure don't and I'm not sure we're ever going to find out WHY…we need wisdom!"

Today, we'll look at WISDOM in this wisdom book for adults and see what is the big deal about wisdom? Why should we want it… where do we get it…what do we do with it? Let's look at:

1. The Struggle for Wisdom

2. The Song and Source of Wisdom

3. The Secret, the Seeing, the Service of Wisdom