WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.399 --> 00:00:06.599 Hello everybody, and welcome to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. This 2 00:00:06.679 --> 00:00:10.320 is the Bible teaching ministry of Rick Warren. Now today 3 00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:13.800 we're continuing into the new year, and we're digging deeper 4 00:00:13.800 --> 00:00:17.960 into one of life's biggest questions, does my life really matter? 5 00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:22.399 In today's message, Rick's going to continue his powerful series 6 00:00:22.800 --> 00:00:26.000 Live Your Calling? What on Earth Am I here For? 7 00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:29.480 In it, you'll discover how living out God's purpose for 8 00:00:29.600 --> 00:00:34.320 your life brings real meaning, direction, and joy no matter 9 00:00:34.439 --> 00:00:38.000 where you're starting from. So let's join Rick right now 10 00:00:38.039 --> 00:00:42.200 for a special message titled you are Called to bless. 11 00:00:42.600 --> 00:00:43.679 Good morning everybody. 12 00:00:44.600 --> 00:00:46.759 It's good to see if you'll take out your message 13 00:00:46.799 --> 00:00:50.280 notes welcome to Live your Calling? What on Earth am 14 00:00:50.280 --> 00:00:52.359 I here for? And we're looking at the five callings 15 00:00:52.399 --> 00:00:55.119 of your life, the five purposes of your life, the 16 00:00:55.159 --> 00:00:58.719 five reasons God created you, the five assignments that He 17 00:00:58.759 --> 00:01:02.240 has for your life. The word calling has used more 18 00:01:02.240 --> 00:01:05.319 than even the word purpose in the Bible, and we've 19 00:01:05.359 --> 00:01:06.319 looked at these. 20 00:01:06.159 --> 00:01:08.400 First four or three so far. 21 00:01:08.519 --> 00:01:11.000 We looked at God's first calling on your life, is 22 00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:12.079 your call to be loved. 23 00:01:12.959 --> 00:01:14.159 God made you to love you. 24 00:01:14.760 --> 00:01:17.959 The second calling, as you're called to belong, to belong 25 00:01:18.040 --> 00:01:20.400 to his family, the body of Christ, the family of God. 26 00:01:21.120 --> 00:01:23.799 Last week we looked at your third calling. You're called 27 00:01:24.040 --> 00:01:27.079 to become. God wants you to grow up. He wants 28 00:01:27.079 --> 00:01:29.280 you to mature. He wants you to become We want. 29 00:01:29.159 --> 00:01:29.519 You to be. 30 00:01:30.280 --> 00:01:32.000 This week, we're going to look at the fourth calling 31 00:01:32.040 --> 00:01:35.000 on your life, and it is you are called to bless. 32 00:01:35.760 --> 00:01:39.239 You're called to bless other people. Now, how do you 33 00:01:39.280 --> 00:01:39.680 do that? 34 00:01:40.319 --> 00:01:41.280 You bless other. 35 00:01:41.120 --> 00:01:46.719 People when you serve them. It may be physical assistance, 36 00:01:47.159 --> 00:01:51.040 it may be financial assistance. It may be emotional support. 37 00:01:51.599 --> 00:01:55.920 It could be relational support, it could be practical support. 38 00:01:56.319 --> 00:01:58.519 There are a thousand different ways that you can serve 39 00:01:58.560 --> 00:01:59.519 the people around you. 40 00:02:00.280 --> 00:02:01.480 And when you serve. 41 00:02:01.239 --> 00:02:04.480 Others, the Bible says you actually bless them. Now, I 42 00:02:04.519 --> 00:02:06.920 want you to write this down on your outline. The 43 00:02:06.920 --> 00:02:11.319 fourth purpose of my life is God shaped me to 44 00:02:11.400 --> 00:02:15.759 serve him. God shaped me to serve Him. I'm not 45 00:02:15.800 --> 00:02:17.199 going to spend a lot of time on this because 46 00:02:17.199 --> 00:02:20.199 we've covered this many many times at Saddleback. That God 47 00:02:20.240 --> 00:02:24.400 has uniquely shaped you with five elements your spiritual gifts, 48 00:02:24.599 --> 00:02:28.080 your heart, your abilities, your personality, your experiences. We've covered 49 00:02:28.080 --> 00:02:30.680 this many times, that God wired you to be you, 50 00:02:30.840 --> 00:02:34.240 and he shaped you to serve him. Phesians two ten 51 00:02:34.800 --> 00:02:36.879 explains this. By the way, this is our memory verse 52 00:02:36.919 --> 00:02:40.479 this week. So let's read it aloud with great enthusiasm. 53 00:02:40.599 --> 00:02:45.120 All right, let's say it. Ephesians two ten. We are 54 00:02:45.280 --> 00:02:50.560 God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, 55 00:02:51.000 --> 00:02:53.719 which God prepared in advance for. 56 00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:54.360 Us to do. 57 00:02:54.960 --> 00:02:57.840 Ephesians to ten. I want you to work on that 58 00:02:57.879 --> 00:02:58.400 this week. 59 00:02:58.800 --> 00:02:59.360 It says we. 60 00:02:59.319 --> 00:03:01.520 Are God's work We talked about this a couple of 61 00:03:01.560 --> 00:03:05.000 weeks ago. You are God's masterpiece. You are God's work 62 00:03:05.039 --> 00:03:07.479 of art. You are unique. There's nobody like you in 63 00:03:07.479 --> 00:03:10.719 the world, and you are created in Christ Jesus to 64 00:03:10.879 --> 00:03:14.400 do good works. That good works is called your service. 65 00:03:14.639 --> 00:03:18.680 It's called your ministry. It's called your blessing. It's the 66 00:03:18.680 --> 00:03:21.240 way you help other people. You weren't made to just 67 00:03:21.319 --> 00:03:24.520 take up space, breathe, live a self centered. 68 00:03:24.159 --> 00:03:24.840 Life and die. 69 00:03:25.879 --> 00:03:28.520 God put you here to make a contribution with your life, 70 00:03:28.800 --> 00:03:33.000 and that is called your ministry, another word for blessing, 71 00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:35.879 another word for services ministry. The word servant and the 72 00:03:35.919 --> 00:03:38.680 word minister are the same word. In the Bible and 73 00:03:38.719 --> 00:03:41.240 the word service and ministry are the same words. The 74 00:03:41.280 --> 00:03:45.080 fact is we're all ministers. Now, we're not all pastors. 75 00:03:45.080 --> 00:03:48.319 I'm a pastor. My job is to administer the ministers. 76 00:03:49.319 --> 00:03:51.400 So if somebody ever asked you how many ministers does 77 00:03:51.439 --> 00:03:56.039 our church have, you say thirty thousand, because everybody is 78 00:03:56.080 --> 00:03:57.919 a minister. So I want you to write this down. 79 00:03:58.240 --> 00:04:04.080 My life calling is to be a bi vocational minister 80 00:04:04.319 --> 00:04:06.800 of Jesus. I'm gonna have to explain this to you. 81 00:04:07.159 --> 00:04:11.840 My life calling is to be a bi vocational minister 82 00:04:12.719 --> 00:04:15.639 of Jesus. Now, what does bivocational mean. Well, it's like 83 00:04:15.680 --> 00:04:17.839 the word bifocal. You know, when you get glasses that 84 00:04:17.879 --> 00:04:20.959 are bifocals. It means you can see two things at 85 00:04:20.959 --> 00:04:23.319 the same time. You can see far away and you 86 00:04:23.319 --> 00:04:25.680 can see up close. You can see both with clarity. 87 00:04:26.360 --> 00:04:29.680 And when you are a bi vocational minister of Jesus, 88 00:04:29.879 --> 00:04:32.040 it means that no matter what you do in life, 89 00:04:32.199 --> 00:04:34.839 you do it for two reasons, not one. You are 90 00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:37.839 a bi vocational minister. So whether you're a truck driver 91 00:04:38.040 --> 00:04:41.319 or an attorney, or a janitor or a hospice worker 92 00:04:41.600 --> 00:04:44.519 or a homemaker or a teacher, or a deal maker, 93 00:04:44.639 --> 00:04:48.759 or a stockbroker, or an accountant or a farmer. It 94 00:04:48.800 --> 00:04:51.399 doesn't matter what you are. If you're a Christian, you 95 00:04:51.480 --> 00:04:55.199 were to do it for two reasons, to help others 96 00:04:55.879 --> 00:04:59.240 and to honor God. To help others and to honor God. 97 00:04:59.439 --> 00:05:03.040 To help and honor God. Everything I do in life. 98 00:05:03.079 --> 00:05:06.600 If I'm a follower of Jesus is bivocational. I have 99 00:05:06.639 --> 00:05:09.040 a job, but in that job, I do it to 100 00:05:09.079 --> 00:05:11.560 help others and to honor God. To help others and 101 00:05:11.600 --> 00:05:16.000 honor go on. I am a bivocational minister of Jesus Christ. 102 00:05:16.680 --> 00:05:20.639 Look up here on the screen Glossom three seventeen. Whatever 103 00:05:20.680 --> 00:05:24.000 you do, whatever you do, whether in word or deed, 104 00:05:24.759 --> 00:05:27.879 do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, 105 00:05:28.079 --> 00:05:32.639 giving thanks to God the Father through Him. So it says, 106 00:05:32.639 --> 00:05:37.079 whatever you do, it can be a ministry. It can 107 00:05:37.120 --> 00:05:40.639 be a blessing. If you honor God and you help others. 108 00:05:40.680 --> 00:05:42.319 In whatever you do, you do it in the name 109 00:05:42.360 --> 00:05:45.160 of the Lord Jesus. I can take out the garbage 110 00:05:45.199 --> 00:05:49.079 as a ministry, I can change a dirty diaper as 111 00:05:49.079 --> 00:05:53.519 a ministry. I can clean the living room. I can 112 00:05:53.600 --> 00:05:57.160 make a deal. I can help somebody across the street. 113 00:05:57.519 --> 00:06:00.560 Everything in your life can become a ministry if you 114 00:06:00.639 --> 00:06:04.000 do it to help others and honor God. And he says, 115 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:09.040 whatever you do, it becomes part of your ministry if 116 00:06:09.040 --> 00:06:11.680 you have the right motivation. And I want you to 117 00:06:11.680 --> 00:06:19.399 write this down. Menial tasks become meaningful tasks when I. 118 00:06:19.399 --> 00:06:21.360 Do that, do it out of love for God. 119 00:06:22.439 --> 00:06:29.079 Menial tasks become meaningful tasks if I do it out 120 00:06:29.079 --> 00:06:34.079 of my love for Jesus for God. So everything in 121 00:06:34.120 --> 00:06:39.240 your life becomes significant. Really, Let's say you're at a 122 00:06:39.279 --> 00:06:41.439 meeting in your office at where you work, and all 123 00:06:41.480 --> 00:06:43.439 of a sudden, the meeting's over and everybody gets up 124 00:06:43.480 --> 00:06:47.199 to walk out, and they've left coffee cups and trash 125 00:06:47.240 --> 00:06:49.120 and all kinds of thing, and you just decide, I'm going 126 00:06:49.199 --> 00:06:49.879 to clean that up. 127 00:06:50.920 --> 00:06:51.319 Everybody. 128 00:06:51.319 --> 00:06:53.199 It's not my job, but I'm going to clean that 129 00:06:53.319 --> 00:06:55.560 up to help people and honor God. And so while 130 00:06:55.560 --> 00:06:57.800 they're all gone, you clean off the table and you 131 00:06:57.839 --> 00:06:59.759 put it all in the trash. When they just walked 132 00:06:59.800 --> 00:07:03.360 out expecting somebody else to do it, you have just 133 00:07:03.399 --> 00:07:07.839 done a ministry and God will notice and God will reward. 134 00:07:07.519 --> 00:07:08.120 You for it. 135 00:07:08.839 --> 00:07:11.879 Now, the fact is the calling to salvation and the 136 00:07:11.920 --> 00:07:15.199 calling to service are the same. So when you became 137 00:07:15.240 --> 00:07:18.360 a believer, when you stepped across the line, you weren't 138 00:07:18.399 --> 00:07:20.560 just called to be saved. You were called to serve. 139 00:07:20.639 --> 00:07:24.879 You're saved to serve, to make a difference with your life. 140 00:07:24.879 --> 00:07:28.160 And as I said, every member is a minister, and 141 00:07:28.319 --> 00:07:33.279 everybody has a ministry. Galatians one, chapter, chapter one, verse 142 00:07:33.319 --> 00:07:38.560 fifteen says, this God, in his grace chose me even 143 00:07:38.639 --> 00:07:43.680 before I was born and called me to serve him. 144 00:07:43.759 --> 00:07:46.279 Circle that last phrase, call me to serve him. This 145 00:07:46.360 --> 00:07:48.480 is the fourth purpose of your life. This is the 146 00:07:48.480 --> 00:07:51.240 fourth calling on your life. You are called to serve. 147 00:07:51.720 --> 00:07:55.639 Your shape to serve. You're made for ministry. You're called 148 00:07:55.800 --> 00:08:00.480 to bless What happens if I begin to use my 149 00:08:00.600 --> 00:08:03.839 life in this fourth calling, When I begin to stop 150 00:08:03.879 --> 00:08:06.399 thinking about me all the time and begin to start 151 00:08:06.439 --> 00:08:08.639 thinking about other people in my life and begin to 152 00:08:08.800 --> 00:08:10.839 think about not how can I be served, but how 153 00:08:10.839 --> 00:08:15.040 can I serve others? Well, it brings four amazing benefits. 154 00:08:15.360 --> 00:08:17.199 The first thing that happens you write write this down, 155 00:08:17.480 --> 00:08:23.240 is that serving others unselfishly will create joy in my life. 156 00:08:24.040 --> 00:08:30.600 It creates enormous, massive amounts of joy in my life. 157 00:08:30.639 --> 00:08:33.600 Most people are looking for happiness in all the wrong places. 158 00:08:34.159 --> 00:08:38.639 You don't find happiness and pleasure, power, possessions, position, prestige, 159 00:08:40.360 --> 00:08:42.320 you know, all of these different things that we typically 160 00:08:42.440 --> 00:08:50.279 look for popularity. Success doesn't bring satisfaction. Sex doesn't bring satisfaction. 161 00:08:50.879 --> 00:08:55.919 Salary doesn't bring satisfaction, status doesn't bring satisfaction. 162 00:08:56.000 --> 00:08:57.120 Those are all temporary. 163 00:08:57.440 --> 00:09:03.320 For permanent, ongoing joy, it comes not through sex, status, salary. 164 00:09:04.159 --> 00:09:08.480 It comes to service by giving my life away. God 165 00:09:08.519 --> 00:09:11.000 wired us that when you give your life away, that's 166 00:09:11.039 --> 00:09:13.840 when the joy flows into your heart. Why because he 167 00:09:13.879 --> 00:09:17.120 wants you to be like him. Most people don't know 168 00:09:17.159 --> 00:09:19.000 the two secrets of joy, but I'm gonna give them 169 00:09:19.039 --> 00:09:20.159 to you right now here. 170 00:09:20.159 --> 00:09:21.080 They are one number one. 171 00:09:21.679 --> 00:09:25.039 The first secret of joy is get the focus off myself. 172 00:09:26.159 --> 00:09:28.960 The more you focus on you, the more miserable you're 173 00:09:29.000 --> 00:09:31.840 gonna be. It is not by accident that the word 174 00:09:31.919 --> 00:09:36.799 miser and miserable come from the same root word. You've 175 00:09:36.799 --> 00:09:39.879 got to shift your focus from inward focus it's all 176 00:09:39.879 --> 00:09:41.679 about me, to outward focus. 177 00:09:41.679 --> 00:09:43.679 It's all about God and serving others. 178 00:09:43.799 --> 00:09:46.200 And when you do that, that is a counterculture move 179 00:09:46.279 --> 00:09:48.399 because everything in our society says. 180 00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:49.039 It's all about you. 181 00:09:50.440 --> 00:09:53.440 Every advertisement says it's all about you. We do it 182 00:09:53.480 --> 00:09:55.480 all for you, have it your way, you're number one, 183 00:09:55.559 --> 00:09:59.519 you're the best. But when you begin to give your 184 00:09:59.519 --> 00:10:02.080 life away, the more you give your life away, telp 185 00:10:02.159 --> 00:10:06.200 others guess what, the more joy flows into your life. 186 00:10:06.759 --> 00:10:10.159 Good example of this is the apostle Paul Philippians, Chapter two, 187 00:10:10.200 --> 00:10:14.440 verse seventeen. He says, my life is being poured out 188 00:10:15.399 --> 00:10:19.120 as a part of the sacrifice and service. There's those words, 189 00:10:19.320 --> 00:10:22.440 as a part of the sacrifice and service I offer 190 00:10:22.559 --> 00:10:27.000 to God for your faith. Yet he says, in spite 191 00:10:27.000 --> 00:10:30.200 of this sacrifice and service, I am filled with joy, 192 00:10:31.240 --> 00:10:35.039 and I share that joy with all of you. It 193 00:10:35.120 --> 00:10:37.720 is a fact of life that the most helpful people 194 00:10:37.919 --> 00:10:40.960 are the most happy people in life. If you want 195 00:10:40.960 --> 00:10:43.480 to be happy, you got to be helpful. The more 196 00:10:43.559 --> 00:10:46.840 helpful you are, the more happy you are, the more 197 00:10:46.879 --> 00:10:48.639 self centered you are, the more. 198 00:10:48.559 --> 00:10:51.039 Unhappy you're going to be in life. It's just the 199 00:10:51.080 --> 00:10:52.480 way the universe works. 200 00:10:53.279 --> 00:10:56.440 So joy floods into my soul when I begin to 201 00:10:56.480 --> 00:10:59.879 give it away. God wired the universe that the more 202 00:11:00.120 --> 00:11:04.320 unselfish you are, the more joy flows into your life. 203 00:11:04.519 --> 00:11:07.159 The Bible says this in Philippians four. Always be full 204 00:11:07.200 --> 00:11:12.519 of joy in the Lord. Say it again, Rejoice. Let 205 00:11:12.559 --> 00:11:18.039 everyone see that you are unselfish and considerate in all 206 00:11:18.080 --> 00:11:20.480 you do. Now notice how he pairs joy with being 207 00:11:20.519 --> 00:11:24.799 unselfish and considerate. If you are inconsiderate and you are selfish, 208 00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:27.360 you're not going to be joyful. But if you are 209 00:11:27.480 --> 00:11:30.360 unselfish and you are considerate, you're going to be joyful. 210 00:11:31.600 --> 00:11:33.159 I'll be real blunt with you. Look at this verse 211 00:11:33.240 --> 00:11:36.360 up on the screen. Philippians one four says, forget about 212 00:11:36.399 --> 00:11:40.480 yourself long enough to lend a helping hand. That should 213 00:11:40.519 --> 00:11:44.080 have been our memory versus week. It's shorter, forget about 214 00:11:44.080 --> 00:11:47.399 yourself long enough to lend a helping hand. If you 215 00:11:47.639 --> 00:11:50.159 lack joy in your life, you're not happy right now. 216 00:11:50.279 --> 00:11:53.759 Let me tell you start serving. Start finding a place 217 00:11:53.879 --> 00:11:56.519 where you can volunteer to give part of your time 218 00:11:56.559 --> 00:11:59.159 away and you get nothing in return, You're not paid 219 00:11:59.159 --> 00:12:02.840 for it. You're just giving your life away. If there's 220 00:12:03.000 --> 00:12:05.799 nothing in your life that you are doing, say on 221 00:12:05.840 --> 00:12:09.039 a weekly basis, on which you're just doing it for 222 00:12:09.120 --> 00:12:11.440 others benefit, not for your own. If there's nothing in 223 00:12:11.480 --> 00:12:13.759 your life like that, you're living a pretty selfish life. 224 00:12:16.279 --> 00:12:18.320 And God didn't put you on this planet just to 225 00:12:18.360 --> 00:12:21.360 live for you. You got to give back, you got 226 00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:24.639 to make a contribution, you got to be unselfish. That's 227 00:12:24.679 --> 00:12:27.559 where the joy comes from. Number two. The other way 228 00:12:27.639 --> 00:12:31.639 joy comes is when I use my gifts to help others. 229 00:12:33.480 --> 00:12:37.159 Joy comes from getting the focus off myself. And joy 230 00:12:37.200 --> 00:12:40.559 comes from using my gifts to help others. And when 231 00:12:40.600 --> 00:12:43.000 you use the gifts that God gave you to help 232 00:12:43.039 --> 00:12:47.559 other people, it feels good. I was reading an article 233 00:12:47.600 --> 00:12:50.519 this week about the Oscar contenders for the Academy Awards 234 00:12:50.519 --> 00:12:54.120 this year. One of the actors said, I was created, 235 00:12:54.200 --> 00:12:55.919 I was made for this role. 236 00:12:57.080 --> 00:12:58.080 And you know that feeling. 237 00:12:58.240 --> 00:13:00.559 That's how you feel when you know I'm on what 238 00:13:00.639 --> 00:13:03.960 God made me to do, what God wired me to do. 239 00:13:05.279 --> 00:13:08.159 One Peter four to ten says this God has given 240 00:13:08.240 --> 00:13:12.919 each of you some special abilities. Be sure to use 241 00:13:12.960 --> 00:13:17.840 them to make a ton of money. Oh sorry, I 242 00:13:17.919 --> 00:13:25.320 misread that. That's in the reviled substandard perversion translation. God 243 00:13:25.360 --> 00:13:28.320 has given each of you some special abilities, be sure 244 00:13:28.360 --> 00:13:33.039 to use them. To read it with me, help each other, Okay, 245 00:13:33.320 --> 00:13:37.679 passing on to others. God's many kinds of blessing. We're 246 00:13:37.679 --> 00:13:41.279 blessed to be a blessing. God blesses you so you 247 00:13:41.279 --> 00:13:44.799 can bless other people. We're blessed to be a blessing. 248 00:13:45.279 --> 00:13:47.840 And how do we bless others? We bless others by 249 00:13:47.919 --> 00:13:51.919 using our skills, by using our time, our talents, whatever 250 00:13:51.960 --> 00:13:54.000 we've got. When we use it to help other people 251 00:13:54.000 --> 00:14:01.080 in service, you bless other people. Number two. Surviving others unselfishly. 252 00:14:01.279 --> 00:14:05.120 Are serving others unselfishly will create not only joy in 253 00:14:05.200 --> 00:14:10.559 my life, it will improve my relationships. And boy do 254 00:14:10.639 --> 00:14:14.399 we need this one. Your relationships will get better the 255 00:14:14.440 --> 00:14:17.840 more you learn how to serve, and that's something you 256 00:14:17.879 --> 00:14:21.279 got to practice at will. It will improve my relationships. 257 00:14:21.440 --> 00:14:26.519 Why because the root of every single relational problem in 258 00:14:26.559 --> 00:14:31.840 your life is self centeredness. Now there are other issues 259 00:14:31.879 --> 00:14:34.600 that come in, but at the root, it's selfishness. I 260 00:14:34.639 --> 00:14:37.120 want what I want when I want it, and what 261 00:14:37.200 --> 00:14:39.080 you want when you want it, and neither of us 262 00:14:39.080 --> 00:14:41.559 are willing to budge and give in and change. And 263 00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:43.279 I want it my way and you want it your way, 264 00:14:43.320 --> 00:14:48.360 and that causes conflict. The verse verse that K and 265 00:14:48.399 --> 00:14:52.200 I memorized when we were actually on our honeymoon was 266 00:14:52.240 --> 00:14:56.919 Proverers thirteen ten. Only by pride cometh contention. In other words, 267 00:14:57.159 --> 00:14:59.679 when you have an ego, you're going to have conflict. 268 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:02.440 Anytime you're having a conflict in your marriage, egos showing 269 00:15:02.519 --> 00:15:06.000 up and you're not being a servant, you're being selfish. 270 00:15:06.320 --> 00:15:09.159 But the more you practice, the more you learn to 271 00:15:09.200 --> 00:15:12.000 get yourself out of yourself, get a bigger perspective, you 272 00:15:12.039 --> 00:15:15.559 begin to serve unselfishly. It's going to change and improve 273 00:15:15.879 --> 00:15:19.440 every single one of your relationships. Because you change, it 274 00:15:19.600 --> 00:15:26.799 changes your relationships. You see, friends, Life is the lifelong task, 275 00:15:27.559 --> 00:15:33.440 the lifelong school of learning how to be unselfish. Unfortunately, 276 00:15:33.600 --> 00:15:36.200 some people never learn it. They go through all of 277 00:15:36.279 --> 00:15:39.879 life living for themselves. The whole task of life. Why 278 00:15:39.879 --> 00:15:43.759 God puts you here is to learn unselfishness. Why because 279 00:15:43.799 --> 00:15:45.799 God is love and God wants you to learn to 280 00:15:45.799 --> 00:15:48.840 be like him. So how do I learn to be unselfish? 281 00:15:49.799 --> 00:15:50.159 Simple? 282 00:15:50.840 --> 00:15:56.039 Copy Jesus, because he lived the most unselfish life ever. 283 00:15:56.759 --> 00:16:01.960 Matthew ten twenty eight says this your attitude. Your attitude 284 00:16:02.279 --> 00:16:05.879 must be like my own, Jesus says, for I did 285 00:16:05.919 --> 00:16:11.960 not come to be served, but to serve. Now when 286 00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:15.399 you take on the attitude of Jesus and you begin 287 00:16:15.440 --> 00:16:17.559 to live your life not for the benefit of yourself, 288 00:16:17.759 --> 00:16:19.519 but you begin to live your life for the benefit 289 00:16:19.559 --> 00:16:21.480 of others, to help others and honor God. 290 00:16:21.559 --> 00:16:22.720 Help others and honor God. 291 00:16:22.960 --> 00:16:26.759 You accept you're a biblecational minister of God. Two incredible 292 00:16:26.759 --> 00:16:30.399 benefits happen. One you become more like Jesus, and two 293 00:16:31.519 --> 00:16:35.080 you're more loved respected, You're more popular. If you want 294 00:16:35.080 --> 00:16:38.039 to have more friends, learn to be a servant. If 295 00:16:38.120 --> 00:16:40.240 you want to learn to be more popular, learn to 296 00:16:40.240 --> 00:16:42.559 be a servant. If you want people to love you 297 00:16:42.960 --> 00:16:45.480 like you, to respect you, learn to be a servant. 298 00:16:46.200 --> 00:16:52.440 Don't try to be interesting. Be interested. Be interested in others. 299 00:16:52.559 --> 00:16:55.200 That's how you make it at a party. Be interested 300 00:16:55.240 --> 00:16:57.320 in others. No think you're the greatest person in the world, 301 00:16:57.360 --> 00:16:58.639 because everybody is. 302 00:16:58.600 --> 00:17:00.080 Interested only in themselves. 303 00:17:01.039 --> 00:17:04.559 And when finally somebody is interested in them, they think 304 00:17:04.599 --> 00:17:09.799 you're the greatest conversationalist that ever lived. Here's what the 305 00:17:09.799 --> 00:17:13.640 Bible says Romans fourteen eighteen. If you serve Christ in 306 00:17:13.680 --> 00:17:19.279 this way, unselfishly serving, you will please God. Notice and 307 00:17:20.039 --> 00:17:23.559 be respected by people. You want to be respected by people. 308 00:17:23.799 --> 00:17:26.559 Learn to have a servant's heart. Here's the cool part 309 00:17:26.599 --> 00:17:26.960 of all this. 310 00:17:27.799 --> 00:17:28.480 The more I. 311 00:17:28.519 --> 00:17:32.160 Bless other people, the more God blesses me. The more 312 00:17:32.200 --> 00:17:35.599 I serve others, the more God honors me. The more 313 00:17:35.640 --> 00:17:38.880 I bless other people, the more I minister to other people, 314 00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:42.640 the more God ministers to me. Let me show you 315 00:17:42.680 --> 00:17:45.519 some verses up here on the screen Proverbs eleven twenty five. 316 00:17:46.799 --> 00:17:51.079 The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed, and those 317 00:17:51.119 --> 00:17:55.079 who help others are helped. In other words, it's the 318 00:17:55.079 --> 00:17:57.960 principle of sowing and reping. Whatever seed I sew, I'm 319 00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:00.799 going to get back. But I don't get back a seed. 320 00:18:01.000 --> 00:18:02.680 If I plan a seed, I don't get back one seed. 321 00:18:02.720 --> 00:18:05.640 I get a whole tree of seeds. And so, if 322 00:18:05.640 --> 00:18:07.440 you start blessing on other people, you get tons of 323 00:18:07.480 --> 00:18:10.160 blessing back. You start helping other people, you get tons 324 00:18:10.240 --> 00:18:13.480 of help back. You get more than you bargained for. 325 00:18:15.039 --> 00:18:19.240 Blessing others gives me blessing. You know when people tell me, 326 00:18:19.359 --> 00:18:21.960 you know, I'd really like to be involved in service. 327 00:18:22.039 --> 00:18:23.119 But I'm just too busy. 328 00:18:24.279 --> 00:18:26.400 I'm just I don't have any time to really be 329 00:18:26.599 --> 00:18:30.200 involved in volunteering anywhere. I'm just too busy. Then you 330 00:18:30.359 --> 00:18:33.920 just forfeited God's blessing on your business. I really feel 331 00:18:33.960 --> 00:18:36.640 sad for you. You want God's blessing on your business. God 332 00:18:36.680 --> 00:18:40.000 does not bless selfishness. You want God's blessing on your 333 00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:43.039 business and on your work so badly. God's saying, are 334 00:18:43.039 --> 00:18:46.440 you giving anything away? Are you thinking only about yourself? 335 00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:48.640 Is it all about you? Are you think I put 336 00:18:48.640 --> 00:18:51.599 you on earth just to live for you? No, the 337 00:18:51.599 --> 00:18:55.160 more you give your life away, the more God blesses you. 338 00:18:55.200 --> 00:18:56.799 Look at these verses Proverbs. 339 00:18:56.440 --> 00:19:01.240 Seventeen eleven, you do yourself a favor when you're kind. 340 00:19:01.839 --> 00:19:05.279 That interesting. You do yourself a favor when you're kind. 341 00:19:05.960 --> 00:19:09.759 The Bible says in Proverbs twenty two nine, a generous 342 00:19:09.839 --> 00:19:14.680 man will himself be blessed. So if I want God's 343 00:19:14.680 --> 00:19:16.599 blessing on my life, I've got to be a blessing 344 00:19:16.640 --> 00:19:19.400 on other people's life. And if I want better relationships, 345 00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:24.680 I need to start serving. Number Three, Serving others unselfishly 346 00:19:25.079 --> 00:19:30.160 will make my life meaningful. That's the third big surprise 347 00:19:30.200 --> 00:19:32.920 that most people won't know. The Only way you find 348 00:19:32.960 --> 00:19:36.400 meaning in life is to give your life away. God 349 00:19:36.440 --> 00:19:41.000 wired the universe on this principle. Meaning does not come 350 00:19:41.279 --> 00:19:44.759 from money. We think if I just get more money, 351 00:19:44.839 --> 00:19:46.279 then my life will have more meaning. 352 00:19:46.359 --> 00:19:46.960 No, it will not. 353 00:19:47.960 --> 00:19:51.359 Money has many good uses. It can make life easier. 354 00:19:51.519 --> 00:19:54.279 It can give you opportunities, it can open doors, it 355 00:19:54.319 --> 00:19:57.839 could save you time. But money cannot give you meaning. 356 00:19:58.599 --> 00:20:00.759 No amount of money will have give your life. 357 00:20:00.759 --> 00:20:01.039 Meaning. 358 00:20:01.400 --> 00:20:06.759 Meaning comes from ministry, from giving your life away. Jesus 359 00:20:06.799 --> 00:20:10.160 said it like this, Mark eight thirty five. If you 360 00:20:10.200 --> 00:20:13.480 try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. 361 00:20:14.319 --> 00:20:16.279 But if you give up your life for my sake, 362 00:20:16.920 --> 00:20:19.559 for the sake of the good News, you will find 363 00:20:20.119 --> 00:20:23.559 true life. Circle those last two words, true life comes 364 00:20:23.720 --> 00:20:28.119 from giving my life away. Now, knowing this, what should 365 00:20:28.119 --> 00:20:33.000 be my attitude toward service? One Corinthens fifteen fifty eight 366 00:20:33.039 --> 00:20:38.079 says this, always give yourselves fully to the work of 367 00:20:38.119 --> 00:20:41.759 the Lord, because you know that your work in the 368 00:20:41.799 --> 00:20:45.480 Lord is never wasted. Now, notice a couple words in 369 00:20:45.519 --> 00:20:49.079 that verse. It says always give yourself fully. That word 370 00:20:49.160 --> 00:20:53.480 fully parassio In Greek, it literally means not half hearted, 371 00:20:53.720 --> 00:20:54.559 you just totally. 372 00:20:54.720 --> 00:20:57.319 I'm all in, I'm jumping in. I'm going in the 373 00:20:57.519 --> 00:20:57.880 deep in. 374 00:20:58.359 --> 00:21:00.880 Give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because 375 00:21:00.920 --> 00:21:03.680 you know that your work in the Lord is never wasted. 376 00:21:03.880 --> 00:21:05.799 That word wasted is kenos. 377 00:21:05.880 --> 00:21:10.440 It means empty, It means useless, It means without purpose. 378 00:21:11.559 --> 00:21:17.960 Everything you do for Christ has a purpose, and it 379 00:21:17.960 --> 00:21:20.640 may seem insignificant, and maybe nobody else seems to know 380 00:21:20.680 --> 00:21:23.480 about it, but it's important. The Bible says, even if 381 00:21:23.519 --> 00:21:26.279 you give a cup of cold water in God's name, 382 00:21:26.640 --> 00:21:31.160 in Jesus' name, that you get rewarded for that in eternity. 383 00:21:32.119 --> 00:21:34.960 And that brings me to the fourth reason. What will 384 00:21:34.960 --> 00:21:37.759 happen if I use my life to serve and bless others? 385 00:21:37.839 --> 00:21:40.119 If I switch the focus from it's all about me, 386 00:21:40.480 --> 00:21:43.119 to switch the focus on how many people can I serve? 387 00:21:43.359 --> 00:21:47.440 How can I honor God? By helping others? Creates joy 388 00:21:47.440 --> 00:21:51.440 in my life and improves my relationships. It makes my 389 00:21:51.519 --> 00:21:54.319 life meaningful. And the fourth thing is it will leave 390 00:21:54.640 --> 00:21:58.960 a legacy. It will leave a legacy. You will leave 391 00:21:59.079 --> 00:22:04.000 a mark. Actually, you'll leave two legacies, one on earth 392 00:22:04.480 --> 00:22:07.359 and one in eternity. The one on earth isn't gonna 393 00:22:07.440 --> 00:22:11.960 last very long because after about three generations, everybody forgets you. 394 00:22:12.000 --> 00:22:14.799 Given enough time, all your trophies are going to be trashed. 395 00:22:16.359 --> 00:22:18.440 All the things you think are so cool. Right now, 396 00:22:18.799 --> 00:22:20.839 two generations don't be even gonna care. You may get 397 00:22:20.880 --> 00:22:22.920 your name on a building. Nobody's even gonna ask who 398 00:22:23.000 --> 00:22:23.599 was that person? 399 00:22:24.720 --> 00:22:25.039 So what? 400 00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:28.359 But the rewards you get an eternity are going to 401 00:22:28.400 --> 00:22:31.839