WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.399 --> 00:00:06.480 This is Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, the audio broadcast ministry 2 00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:10.160 of Pastor Rick Warren. Today we continue with our series 3 00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:14.119 called Doing Business with God. In this series, Rick helps 4 00:00:14.119 --> 00:00:17.679 you understand why you work, what you should be working for, 5 00:00:17.960 --> 00:00:22.239 and how God can use you in your workplace. Right now, 6 00:00:22.280 --> 00:00:25.199 here's Pastor Rick with part two of a message called 7 00:00:25.320 --> 00:00:26.559 the Purpose of Work. 8 00:00:27.199 --> 00:00:30.760 You know, some people think that the goal of life 9 00:00:30.879 --> 00:00:33.200 is really just to make enough money so you can 10 00:00:33.240 --> 00:00:35.679 do nothing. No, the goal of life is not to 11 00:00:35.759 --> 00:00:39.520 do nothing. In fact, Proverbs twelve twenty seven. Look up 12 00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:42.479 here on the screen. A lazy life is a what 13 00:00:43.799 --> 00:00:46.640 an empty life? You know? I just read a fascinating 14 00:00:46.679 --> 00:00:50.439 study this week on why depression is rising as an 15 00:00:50.479 --> 00:00:54.280 epidemic in our society. More and more depressed people today 16 00:00:54.600 --> 00:00:59.479 than ever before, particularly among teenagers and young adults. Depression 17 00:00:59.520 --> 00:01:03.200 rates are soaring. Why and it said, because we have 18 00:01:03.280 --> 00:01:08.319 more free time than ever before. Now, free time is 19 00:01:08.319 --> 00:01:09.920 a good thing, but you weren't meant to live your 20 00:01:09.959 --> 00:01:12.760 whole life in free time. There's a time to work, 21 00:01:12.840 --> 00:01:17.319 there's a time to play, there's a time to do 22 00:01:17.439 --> 00:01:20.359 something hard, there's a time to rest. The Bible says 23 00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:23.719 there's a time for everything. There are patterns, and there 24 00:01:23.719 --> 00:01:26.959 are rhythms in life. And if your life is all 25 00:01:27.040 --> 00:01:31.079 free time, then your life lacks meaning, your life lacks purpose, 26 00:01:31.560 --> 00:01:34.040 and that lack of meaning and purpose leads to depression. 27 00:01:34.560 --> 00:01:36.280 And so they're saying, a lot of teenagers who have 28 00:01:36.319 --> 00:01:38.079 a lot of free time on their hands, and a 29 00:01:38.079 --> 00:01:40.359 lot of young adults who've gone to school but can't 30 00:01:40.400 --> 00:01:42.159 find a job in this economy, got a lot of 31 00:01:42.159 --> 00:01:48.000 free time in there. They're having epidemic proportion of depression. 32 00:01:48.680 --> 00:01:51.480 Because we weren't made to do nothing. We were made 33 00:01:51.519 --> 00:01:55.959 to make our lives count. People are happiest. You're happiest 34 00:01:56.239 --> 00:01:59.680 when you're using the talents God gave you for something 35 00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:04.200 great than yourself that gives your life meaning. That's what 36 00:02:04.239 --> 00:02:07.560 this series is all about, to help you discover your 37 00:02:07.599 --> 00:02:11.560 own personal talents and use them for the greatest causes 38 00:02:11.599 --> 00:02:13.400 in the world. Now, the greatest cause in the world, 39 00:02:13.439 --> 00:02:16.039 of course, is the Kingdom of God. It is the Church. 40 00:02:16.360 --> 00:02:18.520 God is building a family. The whole reason the world 41 00:02:18.599 --> 00:02:21.199 exists is God is creating a family that one day 42 00:02:21.240 --> 00:02:23.120 is going to live with in forever. When you give 43 00:02:23.159 --> 00:02:25.599 your life to the Kingdom of God, There's nothing more 44 00:02:25.639 --> 00:02:29.039 significant than that, and it gives your life meaning in purpose. 45 00:02:29.719 --> 00:02:32.240 What does it mean to live a successful life? What 46 00:02:32.240 --> 00:02:34.719 does it mean to have a successful career? Well, it 47 00:02:34.759 --> 00:02:37.960 would be like Paul to say. Paul at the end 48 00:02:37.960 --> 00:02:41.120 of his life could say I've finished the race. I've 49 00:02:41.159 --> 00:02:45.080 fought the good fight. I've run my course. In other words, 50 00:02:45.120 --> 00:02:47.319 I did what God put me on earth to do. 51 00:02:48.439 --> 00:02:51.000 Jesus at the end of his life told the disciples 52 00:02:51.520 --> 00:02:54.319 and told Jesus the Father, I have finished the work 53 00:02:54.360 --> 00:02:56.840 that you gave me to do. Will you be able 54 00:02:56.840 --> 00:02:58.800 to say that at the end of your life? So 55 00:02:58.840 --> 00:03:00.400 I don't even know what is the work God gave 56 00:03:00.439 --> 00:03:04.319 me to do. When Jesus was twelve years old, the 57 00:03:04.479 --> 00:03:07.199 very first recorded words of Jesus were I must be 58 00:03:07.319 --> 00:03:12.039 about my father's business. He already knew what business he 59 00:03:12.159 --> 00:03:14.879 was in at age twelve, and at the end of 60 00:03:14.919 --> 00:03:17.599 his life on the cross, he says, it is finished. 61 00:03:18.240 --> 00:03:21.240 That is the book in those are the bookends of 62 00:03:21.240 --> 00:03:24.599 a life well lived. That's a definition of success. I 63 00:03:24.680 --> 00:03:27.840 must be about my father's business, and I've finished the 64 00:03:27.879 --> 00:03:30.000 work that you gave me to do. It is finished. 65 00:03:31.080 --> 00:03:34.520 What is my business? And how's business. Those are two 66 00:03:34.599 --> 00:03:37.919 fundamental questions you need to be asking about your life. 67 00:03:38.400 --> 00:03:42.400 Meaning matters more than money. And what we want you 68 00:03:42.479 --> 00:03:44.560 to do is we want you to not waste your life, 69 00:03:44.680 --> 00:03:47.120 but make the rest of your life the best of 70 00:03:47.159 --> 00:03:52.960 your life. First purpose, necessity, I work in order to live. 71 00:03:53.479 --> 00:03:58.439 Second purpose, identity, I work in order to express my talents. 72 00:03:58.800 --> 00:04:05.520 Third purpose maturity maturity. I work in order to develop 73 00:04:05.680 --> 00:04:10.120 my character. I work in order to develop my character. 74 00:04:10.439 --> 00:04:14.199 That's maturity. Pastor Buddy Owens is going to come and 75 00:04:14.199 --> 00:04:16.079 teach you on the next couple of points. 76 00:04:17.879 --> 00:04:20.519 So God is far more concerned about who you are 77 00:04:20.600 --> 00:04:24.199 than what you do, and he is much more interested 78 00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:28.279 in your character than he is in your career. God 79 00:04:28.439 --> 00:04:31.519 uses your work and your workplace to develop your character. 80 00:04:31.920 --> 00:04:35.680 Your workplace is a testing ground, it's a life course 81 00:04:35.879 --> 00:04:39.920 in character development. And if you have a boss who 82 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:47.920 drives you nuts, you'll notice I'm not turning around. 83 00:04:49.839 --> 00:04:50.639 But think about this. 84 00:04:51.160 --> 00:04:53.160 God can use a boss that drives you nuts. He 85 00:04:53.199 --> 00:04:57.000 can use a workplace that you're unhappy in. He can 86 00:04:57.120 --> 00:04:59.560 use those things to develop and to grow character. It's 87 00:04:59.600 --> 00:05:02.879 like he's it's like he plants little seeds in your heart. 88 00:05:03.120 --> 00:05:06.759 A seed of love, seeds of joy, seeds of peace, 89 00:05:06.839 --> 00:05:11.519 seeds of patience. And then in the workplace he fertilizes 90 00:05:11.560 --> 00:05:12.160 those seeds. 91 00:05:12.639 --> 00:05:14.399 You know what I'm saying, I want to make a 92 00:05:14.439 --> 00:05:15.079 bumper sticker. 93 00:05:15.079 --> 00:05:19.519 This says, fertilizer happens, and most often in life, the 94 00:05:19.560 --> 00:05:23.959 fertilizing of those seeds of character. Those are the things 95 00:05:23.959 --> 00:05:26.800 that are happening in the workplace. Because God is trying 96 00:05:26.839 --> 00:05:29.160 to make something out of you. It's so much more 97 00:05:29.199 --> 00:05:31.720 than just what you do. It's who you are, and 98 00:05:31.759 --> 00:05:35.120 it's who you become. And when you're in the workplace 99 00:05:35.120 --> 00:05:37.439 and you're asking how come this is going on, and 100 00:05:37.480 --> 00:05:39.319 why is this such a tough place, and why are 101 00:05:39.360 --> 00:05:41.879 these people picking on me? And why isn't my life 102 00:05:41.879 --> 00:05:44.160 happier in the workplace, you're really just asking the same 103 00:05:44.279 --> 00:05:46.560 question that Solomon asked in the Bible. 104 00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:47.759 Look at the next verse. 105 00:05:48.319 --> 00:05:51.800 In Ecclesiastes, he said, he said, you spend your life 106 00:05:51.879 --> 00:05:55.079 working and laboring, and what do you have to show 107 00:05:55.160 --> 00:05:55.480 for it? 108 00:05:56.199 --> 00:05:59.759 The answer is character. It's character. 109 00:06:00.079 --> 00:06:04.279 As Rick always says, life is preparation for eternity, it's 110 00:06:04.319 --> 00:06:08.439 preparation for heaven, and God is developing your character here 111 00:06:08.480 --> 00:06:10.680 on earth because it's the only thing you're going to 112 00:06:10.720 --> 00:06:12.519 take to heaven with you. You're not going to take 113 00:06:12.519 --> 00:06:15.000 your career with you to heaven. Some of you are 114 00:06:15.079 --> 00:06:17.560 very happy to hear that news, but you are. 115 00:06:17.439 --> 00:06:19.160 Going to take your character. 116 00:06:19.279 --> 00:06:22.720 And while you are here on earth, God is developing 117 00:06:23.160 --> 00:06:27.120 your character, and he's testing you. He's testing your faithfulness. 118 00:06:27.399 --> 00:06:29.759 Will you be faithful to do the right thing even 119 00:06:29.800 --> 00:06:32.680 when you don't feel like doing the right thing. He's 120 00:06:32.759 --> 00:06:36.800 watching so that he can determine and decide what kind 121 00:06:36.839 --> 00:06:39.560 of job is he going to give you in eternity. 122 00:06:39.959 --> 00:06:42.079 Look at what Jesus says in Luke chapter sixteen. 123 00:06:43.040 --> 00:06:45.560 He says, whoever can be trusted with very little can 124 00:06:45.600 --> 00:06:49.319 be trusted with much. If you have not been trustworthy 125 00:06:49.399 --> 00:06:52.759 in handling worldly wealth, then who will trust you with 126 00:06:52.879 --> 00:06:56.920 true riches? And if you've not been trustworthy with someone 127 00:06:56.920 --> 00:07:00.800 else's property, then who will give you their own or 128 00:07:00.800 --> 00:07:03.360 your own? There's a great example of this in the 129 00:07:03.360 --> 00:07:06.240 Old Testament. At the end of Genesis, about the last 130 00:07:06.319 --> 00:07:09.839 ten or so chapters, you read about a man named Joseph, 131 00:07:10.519 --> 00:07:14.160 and God had given Joseph a vision, a dream of 132 00:07:14.199 --> 00:07:19.079 being a great leader. But for forty years he spent 133 00:07:19.120 --> 00:07:21.879 his life as a slave. Much of that time he 134 00:07:21.959 --> 00:07:26.240 actually spent working in prison. That was the testing ground, 135 00:07:26.279 --> 00:07:32.079 the proving ground, the developing ground, the fertilizing of Joseph's character. 136 00:07:32.439 --> 00:07:33.800 That when the day came. 137 00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:36.439 And the time was just right, that God pulled him 138 00:07:36.439 --> 00:07:39.120 out of that setting and placed him where God had 139 00:07:39.160 --> 00:07:43.839 always intended Joseph to be. During that entire time, God 140 00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:46.480 was growing Joseph's character. In fact, look at what the 141 00:07:46.480 --> 00:07:49.519 Bible says in Psalm one O five, verse nineteen. It says, 142 00:07:49.600 --> 00:07:53.720 until the time came to fulfill his word, the Lord 143 00:07:54.079 --> 00:07:58.759 tested Joseph's character. So while you're working on the job, 144 00:08:00.160 --> 00:08:04.079 working on you, and the most important thing that you're 145 00:08:04.079 --> 00:08:07.759 going to bring home from your job is not your paycheck. 146 00:08:08.439 --> 00:08:12.199 The most important thing you bring home is you. It's 147 00:08:12.360 --> 00:08:14.920 who you are becoming. And if you're in one of 148 00:08:14.920 --> 00:08:18.600 those positions right now, maybe you're looking at a job change, 149 00:08:18.639 --> 00:08:22.120 a career change, Maybe you're in something that's been either 150 00:08:22.199 --> 00:08:24.160 forced on you, or you're just trying to decide is 151 00:08:24.519 --> 00:08:27.600 it time for me to move on? The most important 152 00:08:27.720 --> 00:08:30.519 question for you to be asking is not what will 153 00:08:30.560 --> 00:08:30.959 I make? 154 00:08:31.839 --> 00:08:35.320 But what will I become? Now? 155 00:08:35.679 --> 00:08:38.720 Right now. I am in my third career, my third 156 00:08:38.759 --> 00:08:43.440 working career. My first career was in politics, no kidding, 157 00:08:43.519 --> 00:08:45.559 right out of college. My first job, I was the 158 00:08:45.559 --> 00:08:49.159 administrative assistant to the Lieutenant Governor of California. And then 159 00:08:49.200 --> 00:08:52.679 I spent twenty years in the music business. And at 160 00:08:52.679 --> 00:08:55.279 the end of that twenty years, God opened a door 161 00:08:55.320 --> 00:08:58.360 for me and booted me right out into a hallway. 162 00:08:59.240 --> 00:09:03.440 I left that and there I was waiting to see 163 00:09:03.720 --> 00:09:06.519 what next door, what the next opportunity was going to 164 00:09:06.559 --> 00:09:09.080 be that would open up for me. I wasn't at 165 00:09:09.080 --> 00:09:12.000 saddleback at that time. I was a member of another church. 166 00:09:12.039 --> 00:09:14.639 I was a businessman. I wasn't a pastor. But there 167 00:09:14.679 --> 00:09:16.600 was an old guy in our congregation who knew what 168 00:09:16.639 --> 00:09:19.200 was going on with me. He said, you know, buddy, 169 00:09:19.919 --> 00:09:23.639 when God closes one door, he opens another. But it's 170 00:09:23.720 --> 00:09:31.639 hell in the hallway. I've been in the hallway, and 171 00:09:31.759 --> 00:09:34.039 any of you who are in the hallway, let me 172 00:09:34.080 --> 00:09:36.639 tell you what I learned in that hallway. I looked 173 00:09:36.639 --> 00:09:39.519 at the hallway as an opportunity to see if God 174 00:09:39.600 --> 00:09:44.039 might want to completely reinvent me, to not necessarily just 175 00:09:44.080 --> 00:09:47.159 find another job in the same career, but to say, Lord, 176 00:09:47.240 --> 00:09:49.559 is there's something entirely different you want to do with 177 00:09:49.720 --> 00:09:52.600 my life that never could have been done in that 178 00:09:52.799 --> 00:09:56.120 old career, in the same career. See, the Bible says 179 00:09:56.159 --> 00:09:57.799 that when you commit your way to the Lord, he 180 00:09:57.919 --> 00:10:01.720 directs your steps. And I committed my way to the Lord. 181 00:10:02.679 --> 00:10:06.399 So I believed that God was directing my steps, that 182 00:10:06.440 --> 00:10:09.120 he had something in mind for me. I wasn't sure 183 00:10:09.120 --> 00:10:12.480 what it was at that time. But just a couple 184 00:10:12.559 --> 00:10:15.399 months after winding up in that hallway, still wondering where 185 00:10:15.440 --> 00:10:17.120 I was going to go, what I was going to 186 00:10:17.159 --> 00:10:20.440 do with my life, I got a phone call from 187 00:10:20.480 --> 00:10:23.120 a friend of mine. Is this guy sitting back here, 188 00:10:23.320 --> 00:10:26.799 Pastor Rick. I wasn't a member of this church. He 189 00:10:26.919 --> 00:10:29.120 was my friend long before he was my pastor. He 190 00:10:29.159 --> 00:10:31.759 was my friend before he was my boss. But he 191 00:10:31.799 --> 00:10:33.320 called me up to see how I was doing, and 192 00:10:33.320 --> 00:10:35.480 he invited me to come and have lunch with him. 193 00:10:36.039 --> 00:10:38.480 So I had lunch with him and I never left, 194 00:10:40.679 --> 00:10:52.720 which all of which should be a lesson to you. 195 00:10:53.360 --> 00:10:55.799 Don't invite me over to eat because I will not leave. 196 00:10:55.960 --> 00:11:01.759 I'm like a stray cat. But the decision on what 197 00:11:01.919 --> 00:11:06.679 door to walk through has eternal implications. You have to 198 00:11:06.759 --> 00:11:09.360 ask yourself, not what will I do, but what will 199 00:11:09.399 --> 00:11:12.559 I become? What is it in my character that God 200 00:11:12.600 --> 00:11:16.120 wants to develop and put to use for his purposes. 201 00:11:16.879 --> 00:11:19.200 And the goal of all of this is one day 202 00:11:19.240 --> 00:11:22.559 to hear the words that Jesus said in Matthew twenty five, 203 00:11:22.840 --> 00:11:25.440 to hear him say these words to you, Well done, 204 00:11:26.200 --> 00:11:29.279 good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a 205 00:11:29.320 --> 00:11:33.240 few things. I will put you in charge of many things. 206 00:11:34.039 --> 00:11:36.879 Now let's talk about the fourth purpose of work. The 207 00:11:36.919 --> 00:11:42.600 fourth purpose of work is credibility. It's credibility. It's to 208 00:11:42.720 --> 00:11:46.559 witness to others. It's so that your words have meaning 209 00:11:46.639 --> 00:11:50.360 to them. It's there something backing up your words. There's 210 00:11:50.440 --> 00:11:52.240 on me to tell you a story. There's a man 211 00:11:52.279 --> 00:11:55.960 in our church, a man named Jean, successful, wealthy businessman, 212 00:11:56.519 --> 00:11:59.279 and a number of years ago he hired a carpenter 213 00:11:59.320 --> 00:12:00.720 to do some work on his house. It was a 214 00:12:00.799 --> 00:12:03.679 lengthy job, but Jean was impressed by the work that 215 00:12:03.720 --> 00:12:06.200 this man was doing. He showed up on time, he 216 00:12:06.240 --> 00:12:09.639 did excellent work. He cared about all the details. And finally, 217 00:12:09.679 --> 00:12:12.440 one day Jean started talking to this man about his 218 00:12:12.480 --> 00:12:13.120 work ethic. 219 00:12:13.639 --> 00:12:15.320 Why he did things the way he did him and. 220 00:12:15.240 --> 00:12:17.600 The guy said, well, it's because I'm a Christian and 221 00:12:17.679 --> 00:12:20.200 I do these things because it's an act of to 222 00:12:20.279 --> 00:12:21.279 demonstrate my faith. 223 00:12:22.440 --> 00:12:24.039 Jean said, I want to know more about the things 224 00:12:24.080 --> 00:12:24.519 you believe. 225 00:12:25.399 --> 00:12:29.159 So eventually the carpenter invited Jean to a small group. 226 00:12:30.240 --> 00:12:32.399 And Jean gave his life to Jesus Christ. 227 00:12:33.000 --> 00:12:35.480 You see, there's something about the quality of what you 228 00:12:35.600 --> 00:12:38.960 do that can speak so much louder than your words. 229 00:12:39.159 --> 00:12:41.559 There's something about the quality of your work that can 230 00:12:41.600 --> 00:12:45.559 actually open up doors of opportunity for you to tell 231 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:48.639 your story, for you to share your faith. The combination 232 00:12:49.200 --> 00:12:52.799 of good work and good witness, it's your work that 233 00:12:52.919 --> 00:12:57.879 demonstrates what you believe, far more sometimes than what you 234 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:01.000 actually have to say. It can be a very powerful 235 00:13:01.000 --> 00:13:01.879 testimony for you. 236 00:13:02.279 --> 00:13:03.679 How you do the things you. 237 00:13:03.679 --> 00:13:07.360 Do, especially when you're under pressure, especially when people are 238 00:13:07.399 --> 00:13:10.559 making unreasonable demands on you. How do you respond to 239 00:13:10.600 --> 00:13:14.039 those things. Let's look at a couple of verses in scripture. First, 240 00:13:14.080 --> 00:13:17.399 Thessalonians chapter four says this, take care of your own 241 00:13:17.440 --> 00:13:20.919 business and do your own work. If you do, then 242 00:13:21.000 --> 00:13:24.480 people who are not believers will respect you. That's what 243 00:13:24.600 --> 00:13:28.440 happened to Gene. Look at Tewod Corinthians, chapter six, verse four. 244 00:13:28.960 --> 00:13:33.639 Our work as God's servants gets validated or not in 245 00:13:33.679 --> 00:13:37.720 the details. People are watching us as we stay at 246 00:13:37.759 --> 00:13:44.360 our post, alertly, unswervingly in hard times, tough times, and 247 00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:48.360 bad times. So God expects us to use our work 248 00:13:48.639 --> 00:13:50.879 to validate our message. And you may be in a 249 00:13:50.879 --> 00:13:54.559 workplace where you can't share your faith openly with people, 250 00:13:55.399 --> 00:13:58.720 at least not in your words, but you can in the. 251 00:13:58.679 --> 00:14:00.279 Way that you do your work. 252 00:14:01.799 --> 00:14:05.120 As people see who you are, they see your character 253 00:14:05.559 --> 00:14:08.919 reflected in your work, then they'll start asking you who 254 00:14:08.960 --> 00:14:09.320 are you? 255 00:14:10.240 --> 00:14:13.679 What makes you the way you are? Look at what 256 00:14:13.759 --> 00:14:15.120 Jesus said in Matthew chapter five. 257 00:14:15.840 --> 00:14:18.639 He said, your light must shine before people so they'll 258 00:14:18.679 --> 00:14:21.039 see the good things you do. So you shine your 259 00:14:21.480 --> 00:14:24.240 light by the things you do. He says, they'll see 260 00:14:24.240 --> 00:14:26.960 the good things you do, and they'll praise your Father 261 00:14:27.039 --> 00:14:30.440 in heaven. And you may work in a place that 262 00:14:31.159 --> 00:14:33.879 is just the darkest place you can imagine. There may 263 00:14:33.879 --> 00:14:37.799 be people in your workplace who cuss enough to embarrass 264 00:14:37.840 --> 00:14:42.320 a sailor. You think God is surprised by that. You're going, man, 265 00:14:42.360 --> 00:14:44.840 how can I be a witness in a place like this, well, 266 00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:50.120 that's why you're there. The light always shines brightest in 267 00:14:50.200 --> 00:14:54.559 the darkest room. And if God has called you any 268 00:14:54.600 --> 00:14:58.519 place into the workplace, he doesn't call all believers to 269 00:14:58.600 --> 00:15:02.919 become full time pastors. That's what happened to me, probably 270 00:15:02.919 --> 00:15:05.360 won't happen to you. He may have something entirely different 271 00:15:05.360 --> 00:15:08.679 for you. But it's because God wants to scatter us, 272 00:15:09.519 --> 00:15:13.320 to place us throughout the darkness, throughout the world around us, 273 00:15:13.600 --> 00:15:15.919 to shine a light so that when people see that 274 00:15:16.039 --> 00:15:17.919 light and they see the good things we do, they 275 00:15:17.919 --> 00:15:20.159 see the good work that we do, then they want 276 00:15:20.159 --> 00:15:24.759 to know about our faith. Your workplace is the best 277 00:15:24.799 --> 00:15:27.960 place for you to share the good news about Jesus. 278 00:15:28.679 --> 00:15:30.759 So maybe a question we need to ask ourselves is 279 00:15:30.759 --> 00:15:33.000 when was the last time somebody at work asked me 280 00:15:33.120 --> 00:15:37.519 about my faith? And why did they ask me? Do 281 00:15:37.559 --> 00:15:40.759 they have reason by watching me? Do they have reason 282 00:15:40.840 --> 00:15:43.559 to even imagine that I must be some kind of 283 00:15:43.919 --> 00:15:46.240 person of faith? How would they know that if I 284 00:15:46.279 --> 00:15:50.360 never showed it to them. You are the only Bible 285 00:15:51.320 --> 00:15:52.919 that a lot of people are ever going to read. 286 00:15:53.519 --> 00:15:55.960 In a very real sense, you are a living Bible, 287 00:15:56.519 --> 00:15:59.159 and people will see your life. They'll see the life 288 00:15:59.159 --> 00:16:01.960 of Christ in you. They'll see the character of Christ 289 00:16:02.039 --> 00:16:05.080 developing through all the fertilizing at work, and they'll say, man, 290 00:16:05.120 --> 00:16:07.039 I don't know how you can be so patient and 291 00:16:07.080 --> 00:16:09.919 so hopeful and so forgiving. And that's when you have 292 00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:14.200 the opportunity to share your faith because you're representing Jesus 293 00:16:14.279 --> 00:16:16.919 in the workplace. Look at what the Bible says in 294 00:16:16.960 --> 00:16:20.679 Colossians chapter three. It says, whatever you do or say, 295 00:16:21.759 --> 00:16:26.639 let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus. Now, 296 00:16:26.679 --> 00:16:28.840 Pastor Rick is going to come and tell us a fifth. 297 00:16:28.600 --> 00:16:29.240 Purpose of work. 298 00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:36.399 Let's review the purposes. I work number one to meet 299 00:16:36.399 --> 00:16:40.279 my needs. That's necessity. I work number two to express 300 00:16:40.360 --> 00:16:45.440 my talent. That's an identity. I work to develop my character. 301 00:16:45.639 --> 00:16:49.759 That's maturity. Number four. I work to witness to others. 302 00:16:49.879 --> 00:16:53.440 It's a platform witness to others. That's credibility. Number five. 303 00:16:53.519 --> 00:16:57.159 You've probably never thought of. This one is charity. I 304 00:16:57.279 --> 00:17:00.759 work in order to give the money money away. I 305 00:17:00.840 --> 00:17:04.319 work in order to help others. I work in order 306 00:17:04.960 --> 00:17:08.119 to help other people in need who have a little 307 00:17:08.200 --> 00:17:11.519 less than I do. You maybe have never thought about this, 308 00:17:11.640 --> 00:17:14.799 But you can keep working in order to give more. 309 00:17:15.079 --> 00:17:17.240 One of the popular things to do today is to 310 00:17:17.279 --> 00:17:21.680 retire early, because particularly people are often involved in new 311 00:17:21.720 --> 00:17:25.319 businesses or investments or startups. Often they'll make as much 312 00:17:25.359 --> 00:17:27.720 money in a few years as their parents did in 313 00:17:27.759 --> 00:17:31.440 an entire lifetime. And so we have people cashing out 314 00:17:31.480 --> 00:17:35.160 early at thirty, at forty, at fifty years of age. 315 00:17:35.240 --> 00:17:38.759 They're retiring so that they don't have to work anymore 316 00:17:38.880 --> 00:17:40.960 at all, because they've already made more than they could 317 00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:45.519 possibly spend. What do you do when your own basic 318 00:17:45.599 --> 00:17:49.960 needs are met, Well, go ahead and retire. Then start 319 00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:55.519 working again for a higher purpose, a higher purpose. Keep 320 00:17:55.559 --> 00:17:58.480 on working, but now you're not working for a necessity 321 00:17:58.960 --> 00:18:02.359 or identity, working for charity, and you're working for the 322 00:18:02.440 --> 00:18:07.200 Kingdom of God. You keep ongoing. Actually, I've been doing this. 323 00:18:07.799 --> 00:18:10.200 Most of you know that I wrote purpose Driven Life 324 00:18:10.680 --> 00:18:13.960 that brought an enormous amount of money that scared me 325 00:18:14.000 --> 00:18:18.200 to death, because I'm a pretty simple guy. And I 326 00:18:18.240 --> 00:18:20.079 still live in the same house we've lived in, and 327 00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:23.400 I drive the same car I was driving ten eleven 328 00:18:23.480 --> 00:18:26.200 years ago. And if I've got a pair of jeans 329 00:18:26.200 --> 00:18:28.599 and a good t shirt. I'm pretty happy. I'm a 330 00:18:28.839 --> 00:18:30.880 I'm a pretty simple guy. I don't have I don't 331 00:18:30.880 --> 00:18:36.160 need a lot of bling and and so, uh it'sat 332 00:18:36.200 --> 00:18:44.240 my smile and my wife. Uh but you know, so 333 00:18:44.599 --> 00:18:46.920 you know I didn't need I didn't need to work anymore. 334 00:18:47.079 --> 00:18:48.920 But when you write a book, in the first sentence 335 00:18:48.920 --> 00:18:53.720 of the book is it's not about you, then you 336 00:18:53.799 --> 00:18:55.799 know the money he's not meant for you either. So 337 00:18:55.880 --> 00:18:57.160 we just gave it all away. And that was a 338 00:18:57.200 --> 00:19:00.119 whole lot of fun. But as you know, I I 339 00:19:00.200 --> 00:19:02.640 stopped taking a salary from this church ten years ago, 340 00:19:02.920 --> 00:19:04.920 gave all the money the church that paid me back, 341 00:19:05.279 --> 00:19:10.920 and so I've been your volunteer pastor for ten years. Okay, now, 342 00:19:17.400 --> 00:19:21.279 now you couldn't pay me to do this, But the 343 00:19:21.319 --> 00:19:24.640 fact is you can't fire me either. No, no, Nina, 344 00:19:26.759 --> 00:19:29.839 because you're not paying me, you can't fire me. So 345 00:19:30.839 --> 00:19:34.079 but the point is, I just keep on working. But 346 00:19:34.240 --> 00:19:37.440 now my motivation is not to provide for my family 347 00:19:37.519 --> 00:19:40.440 or provide for my kids. My motivation now is how 348 00:19:40.480 --> 00:19:42.599 much money can I make to give away to other 349 00:19:42.640 --> 00:19:45.440 people and use for the Kingdom of God. See, I've 350 00:19:45.480 --> 00:19:49.480 got a higher motivation now, I've retired from the younger 351 00:19:49.519 --> 00:19:52.960 motivations the easy way. Does this make sense? And so 352 00:19:53.000 --> 00:19:57.200 the higher motivation is I work for charity. I work 353 00:19:57.400 --> 00:20:00.240 in order to help other people who haven't been as 354 00:20:00.279 --> 00:20:04.400 blessed yet. Now, the Bible says this in Ephesians four. 355 00:20:05.720 --> 00:20:13.440 We must work. We must work doing something useful with 356 00:20:13.559 --> 00:20:17.960 our own hands, so that we may have something to 357 00:20:18.079 --> 00:20:21.000 share with those in need. This is the higher purpose 358 00:20:21.039 --> 00:20:23.559 of charity, so that we may have something to share 359 00:20:23.599 --> 00:20:25.440 with those in need. I've got a friend of mine 360 00:20:25.440 --> 00:20:28.920 who's a banker, and he's in his nineties, and he 361 00:20:29.000 --> 00:20:33.119 retired as president of his bank years ago, but in 362 00:20:33.160 --> 00:20:37.960 his nineties he's still making deals. I mean, he's still 363 00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:41.480 making deals in his nineties and making everything he touches 364 00:20:41.559 --> 00:20:44.480 turns to gold. And why does he do that? He 365 00:20:44.519 --> 00:20:46.839 doesn't need the money. He has far more money than 366 00:20:46.839 --> 00:20:49.640 could he possibly spend. But he's doing it for two reasons. One, 367 00:20:49.880 --> 00:20:53.119 it expresses his shape who he is. He's wired to 368 00:20:53.160 --> 00:20:55.960 do it, and he's still alive. And second, he is 369 00:20:56.079 --> 00:21:00.519 funding food banks in churches all over America with the 370 00:21:00.559 --> 00:21:04.920 prophet is that a cool vein? That's a higher goal. 371 00:21:05.480 --> 00:21:08.480 So he's still he just changed who he was working for, 372 00:21:08.720 --> 00:21:13.480 change what he was doing. Carnegie had this attitude. Andrew Carnegie, 373 00:21:13.480 --> 00:21:15.799 he used to say, do your living, do your giving 374 00:21:15.880 --> 00:21:18.640 while you're living. Then you'll be knowing where it's going. 375 00:21:20.440 --> 00:21:22.279 Problem is some people when it comes to giving, a 376 00:21:22.279 --> 00:21:28.119 lot of people just stop at nothing. It'll sink in 377 00:21:28.240 --> 00:21:33.640 just to hang on. Actually, they are generous. They're generous 378 00:21:33.680 --> 00:21:38.119 with their criticism. Now, if you want God's blessing on 379 00:21:38.160 --> 00:21:41.680 your business, you got to learn to be generous. If 380 00:21:41.720 --> 00:21:45.160 you want God's blessing on your work, you want God's 381 00:21:45.200 --> 00:21:48.960 blessing on your career, you want God's blessing on your vocation, 382 00:21:49.880 --> 00:21:52.799 you want God's blessing on your job. I'm just going 383 00:21:52.880 --> 00:21:55.960 to tell you from personal experience, learn to be generous. 384 00:21:56.400 --> 00:21:59.480 The more generous you are, the more God pours his 385 00:21:59.599 --> 00:22:03.279 blessing on your business, on your life, on your marriage. Why. 386 00:22:03.440 --> 00:22:06.680 Because God is looking for people to bless and God 387 00:22:06.720 --> 00:22:10.160 wants us to become like him. God is a generous God. 388 00:22:10.920 --> 00:22:13.799 Everything I have in life is due to the generosity 389 00:22:13.839 --> 00:22:16.200 of God. The air I breathe, the sun that warms me, 390 00:22:16.640 --> 00:22:20.160 the plans, everything is a gift of God. God says, 391 00:22:20.160 --> 00:22:22.640 like father, like son, like father, like daughter. He said, 392 00:22:22.680 --> 00:22:25.319 I want my kids to learn to be generous. And 393 00:22:25.400 --> 00:22:28.559 if you learn to be generous, I've played this game 394 00:22:28.599 --> 00:22:31.799 with God for thirty seven years. You cannot outgive him. 395 00:22:31.839 --> 00:22:34.559 The more you give to God, the more blessing he 396 00:22:34.680 --> 00:22:41.960 pours on your life. Deuteronomy eight eighteen says this, let's 397 00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:46.599 go well. Proverbs eleven twenty five says this, A generous 398 00:22:46.599 --> 00:22:53.519 man will prosper. He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. 399 00:22:54.680 --> 00:22:58.119 If you learn this principle of generosity and you start. 400 00:22:58.200 --> 00:23:00.480 I know a lot of businesses they don't only the 401 00:23:00.599 --> 00:23:04.599