Transcript
Speaker: Hey guys, welcome back to the Grove Hill Podcast. Glad to have you joining us. My friends, my steady, true guys here, John Ballard, Kyle Hess joining me today. Steady and true. Steady and true, faithful to the end, no matter what the subject may be. That's right. Right? So I got an interesting one for you today, yeah something that touches all of us, and maybe more than you realize, the subject of work, work from a Christian perspective. And I want to go ahead and just kind of... shoot down an image you have in your head because some of you don't work at a place outside of your home.
Speaker: We're not talking about a job necessarily. We're just talking about work in general and work is something we are all called to do, part of our lives. And so I want to start there with that statement, work in the very beginning was God's idea, what the Bible tells us, right? That's right.
Speaker: Okay, thanks for affirming me. Let's talk about that a little bit. So what does it mean that God's idea was work? What what what was the purpose behind that, you think? He gave us dominion. He gave us dominion to...
Speaker: give some order to his creation and and kind of put things in motion. And that takes work. yeah and in Even before the fall, yeah there was beauty in work. Yeah, Adam was to tend to the garden and tend to the animals. And so there was this aspect of responsibility on his shoulders. And it was tied in with the creation of him.
Speaker: And so it's almost like it was built into man and woman to work. Yeah. Yeah, and the you know this whole concept that many times I've heard pastors, well-meaning guys, I'm sure, teaching, going, well, that's a result of sin, that's a result of the fall. That's not the case. Right. If you read it carefully, the chronological order of the Scriptures telling of the story worked with something that given from the very beginning before Adam and Eve made the mistake. yeah I would say it got harder.
Speaker: because it talks about like the there's going to be weeds in the ground and this toil that comes with the work and so I mean he was probably put in a position of authority over the garden and that was more of like ah like you would see tending to your tomatoes right gentle symptoms changed for sure but then after the fall I mean obviously it bumped up yeah man's labor and then also it talks about how women will be in pain in childbirth and different things like that so yeah So you have creation of Adam and Eve. You have the assignment of purposes for you know, here's your job. Here are the things I want you to do. Then you have the fall of mankind and then you have tax returns.
Speaker: That's right. ah so Oh, I just had to put that in there. Okay. um We often think of work as something we have to do so that we can afford to live life. But the truth is, it's actually more about helping to give us self-worth and self-confidence, kind of, and just because we have something to do with our hands. That's right.
Speaker: And it's ah it's really important that we know that it brings us purpose, but that it doesn't connect us to our identity. um But you would... You know when you've had a long day of work and you've gotten a lot of physical things done and you've gotten your work done, you feel satisfied. m- and there's this There's this place of satisfaction in that because we're designed to get things done. And so um you also feel the other way. If you've been lazy all day, you get to the end of the day, you feel miserable. You're like, I really didn't do what I was supposed to do. um I didn't get it done. And so there's this this feeling of um completion when you're when you're doing your work.
Speaker: Yeah. ah So your workplace, because it is something that has been given as an assignment by God for us to have work to do with our hands and with our minds, your workplace then becomes an altar, a place of worship.
Speaker: Talk about that a little bit. ah How does it change the perspective of a believer who says, you know what, I'm not just going to be a clerk at a store. I am going to represent God by what I do with my mind, my body, and my hands today. I think you said some really cool, Ridley, where you just kind of help shift people's mind maybe for the first time where they're thinking, oh, wait, worship is more than the church. Worship is more than just, oh, this is how I sing songs and read yeah scripture. This is what we do with our lives. This is how we, so to speak, as some of my ah older friends would say, we put our hand to the plow. yes um ah Some of my farmer friends would take appreciation for that, but we're
Speaker: What you do whenever you clock into the nine to five is work the way that you either are honest or you could be dishonest. You have that that option there. You have the ah ability to kind of ah input whether you're going to put in 75% or whether you're going to put in 100%. There's just so many different analogies that are all directing towards work being a form of worship.
Speaker: Yeah, it could apply to anything, yeah not just the paycheck job, and but what you do around the house, what you do with your kids, working on the car. um It was pretty funny when i when I came into full-time ministry working for the church, I got a lot of comments like, oh, now you're in ministry. And my brain was like,
Speaker: I've been in ministry since i accepted Jesus as my savior, right right? Every one of my workplaces was a place to bring a light into a dark place. yeah And to be honest, there was probably just as many salvations in that public workforce as there are on this side, you know? And it's like, we all have a ministry where our feet are.
Speaker: Yeah. Colossians 3, 23 and 24 might be a familiar verse for some of you, but I think it's appropriate here. It says, whatever you do, do it from the heart as something that is done for the Lord and not for people.
Speaker: Knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord, you serve the Lord Jesus Christ. I know I've had some secular jobs in between my ministry experiences um where I was hit day by day with the reality is I have a better mission field here at this place than I do anywhere else. Right. A better opportunity to share the gospel and to show the gospel to people by the way I live my life.
Speaker: I would argue, and I think the two of you would agree now that you're in full-time ministry, it's better to to have a secular job as far as leading people to Christ than being a minister. Right. Because you're always around those opportunities, those gospel conversations are there. That's right. And there's it's you're different.
Speaker: um Around the church, church people are church people. Everybody kind of yeah feels the same yeah unless you're vulnerable and actually relate who you really are. right But when you're in the world, it it is different, right? You have those people who are just bragging about having sex before marriage, and then if you're...
Speaker: saving yourself for marriage, you stand out like a sore thumb. The biggest thing is swearing. The workplace is filled with swearing. Oh, yeah. And as a believer, you watch your mouth and you say, hey, why don't you cuss, man? And it's like instant conversations on on your faith. And so you're right. It's like in the public workforce, you have such a such a stronger possibility of leading someone towards Christ because you are a light bulb in a very dark room and it just stands out. Yeah. yeah matthew 5 16 jesus is preaching part of the sermon on the mount he says let your light shine so others may see your good that's right works and let's see your father in heaven and man that's just a a perfect example of it um i have a couple times on secular jobs had the responsibility as a leader to appoint people to do certain things i remember one time As I was working at a place, a particular place, I called out one of the young men and said, I want that guy to to kind of be my lieutenant. And the owner of the place said, why would you choose him? I said, because he's a believer and I know what he's capable of.
Speaker: Now, that was a taking a chance because I didn't know the kid that well. I just knew he was very open about his faith. right So I pulled him aside and I said, I've stuck my neck out for you. It's time for you. Yeah. you know yeah And he did it. he He absolutely showed the very best. And and I don't mean this like he was trying to, but he really put everybody else there older than him to shame because of his work ethic and what he did. So as I watched him day by day, I kept thinking to myself, that kid's work is his worship. you know He is really showing God off in what he's doing there. That's right. It's an opportunity we all have. um
Speaker: A Christian's work ethic, that's a great segue, Christian's work ethic should be different from the world. Oh, yeah. Most definitely. yeah I think, ah and it can get, yeah, it can get a little little dicey. Yes, we don't think you should be working 80 hours a week just because you're a Christian. But I would say in the regulated amount of time that you were given...
Speaker: The second that you're in there and not to say yes, you're doing it everywhere, but you have an opportunity. So seize the opportunity. That's right. Whenever you have the opportunity to go do something well.
Speaker: um In fact, i'll I'll go shout out some of my self-employed friends. That's the biggest kind of um opportunity I would say that most people in a local community have of experiencing something good or bad is whether you have a good response or a bad response from a HVAC company, here a plumbing company. yeah Man, they were kind of shoddy on their work. And you kind of almost, you start to associate, ah they say they're a Christian. That's right.
Speaker: Man, they're not doing this well. And it kind of puts a little bit of seed of doubt. But if, man, if they do it really well, imagine how much amplified opportunity that gives to the gospel of christ that's right when they do a good job it's kind of like the thing where you don't have road rage and stick the christian fish yeah right right you see those things about that yeah um a quick story from a personal experience i had a job interview with the sheriff's department in sacramento and i did a test interview with the lieutenant and she said hey you did great but leave all the stuff out about your faith and your family they said they want to know about you
Speaker: And I was like, okay, I kind of understand that. And I'm sitting between the sheriff and the undersheriff and a whole array of leadership sitting across the table from them. And in my brain, I'm going, I know what I'm supposed to do. And I said, Hey, against counsel,
Speaker: I have to tell you this. I said, I'm a follower of Jesus. And I said, the reason I'm telling you that is because if you don't know that, you don't know me. So i said, what you get in return is that I'm going to work for you like I'm working for the Lord and it's going to show in my work ethic. Yeah. Now I have to stand behind that and actually show up for work and do my job, right? And so when we proclaim something, we proclaim Christ, and then we're lazy slugs and don't do anything on our job, or we just push off responsibility on other people. yeah People aren't looking at Kyle.
Speaker: They're looking at Kyle claiming Christ, right? And it looks poorly on who Jesus is. And so scriptures like that that say, hey, do everything, everything. Cleaning toilets, cleaning garbage, whatever, do it for the Lord.
Speaker: yeah Yeah. So it's little things like being on time, helping out people with their responsibilities, being a team player. uh and i know we're talking primarily about people because most people listening this are what we call the secular workplace but this is a great place where i want to shout out you guys my staff is outstanding i love the fact that kyle never looks at me and goes i'm just a student pastor that's not my job description or that john goes hey i've been here eight hours today i need to go home uh i i love that my team works together as a team and so the work ethic the
Speaker: Ethic. Work ethic of you guys is fantastic. And I would say if you could take that into the secular workplace, um learn how to build it up other people, not point yeah stuff to yourself all the time. Not always about you, not always about your comfort and convenience. It's about making the organization better. And in due time, God will reward those things for you because you've made such a great example to the world to watch. I'll tell you this. If you're 16 24, whoo.
Speaker: if you show up to work on time, do your assigned duties and a little more, I will guarantee in six months, you'll be in a place of management in any place that you start. right Because there's a there's a huge disconnect in work ethic right now of younger people, right? Because they think they're owed something. Well, we've all known that you work, right? Scripture says you work. The lazy man doesn't eat. You work. And so,
Speaker: If you want to succeed in your job, all you have to do is the basics really well and then go above and beyond and have good character around your your your fellow coworkers. You're going to do really well.
Speaker: It's the biggest question with some of my young adults. like Whenever we go to talk about real life, yeah it's like, how do I succeed? What do I do? And it is that. It's just show up, be faithful.
Speaker: ah That's the biggest. i would say um kind of gap between success and failure is because they think they have to jump right from one thing to another every three months. Oh, this isn't working. I'm going quit. Yeah. Oh, it's hard. Yeah. It's hard. Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah. So what do you do? How do you advise somebody who is trying to be that Christian in the workplace? Who's doing their part, but is still being overlooked, maybe underappreciated at their workplace. Legitimately. I'm not talking about an 18 year old going, I should be making $52 hour to flip that hamburger. talking about real workers doing the right thing and they're overlooked what what's the best response in those situations? So there's there's good mindset I had is you're never stuck Okay, a lot of people might like say you start out at McDonald's and you're like, oh, you know I've been working really hard at this I'm gonna get that job well if someone is offering you another job at a better pay
Speaker: better ah potential, all that kind of stuff, there are stepping stones. There are stepping stones. So there's this loyalty balance and you have to be appropriate with your job and say, hey I'm looking around. It's likely that I'm going to be going somewhere in a month or so. I want to give you that heads up so you can find somebody else. So there's like a loyalty balance where you talk to people, but then you're also not stuck. And if you're working hard and underappreciated one, Jesus worked real hard and he was underappreciated, went to the cross for it, you know? Um, so there's that, but always just seek the Lord on where he has you, because it may be that McDonald's job that he has you to reach those people in that time. And so you kind of got to go with the Lord's will and then also be financially smart and, uh, you need to be appreciated for who you are as well. Yep. Yeah, don't be surprised when you get overlooked. It's going to happen because you're also going to have people who they don't even intend to. Sometimes it just happens. So be faithful. And then I would say secondly is you know determine, you know once you understand intent of your manager or whoever your boss is, um There's not a wrong thing to go with stepping stones and to understand, okay, have I been faithful? And some people, that's a different answer for every job. So would just say faithfulness is a big deal. Yeah, a good example is we're close with the football team right now. right And Coach Palmer the other day after the game,
Speaker: gave shout out to a player. He said, you know, he goes, you were put on the bench earlier in the year, but you showed up, you worked. And then when we called on you, you came out and proved yourself. And so it's like, just because you're overlooked at some point, or maybe you need refine it in a certain area. You're not owed everything.
Speaker: Work hard, be consistent, and the opportunity will come. Yeah. And when we talk about a good work ethic, one of the things we're talking about is not just doing the bare minimum to get right. It's not just meeting the bare necessities of what the job description describes. It's actually saying, you know what, I'm willing to go the extra mile because I recognize that what I do isn't actually even for the attention of the boss. It's for the glory of God. That's right.
Speaker: And that that should change your attitude. And it's it's a mindset, right? Kelly and I were eating at Chili's the other day. Yeah. And I'm looking at this little art thing they have as you walk in the door and it's covered in dust. And I'm like, nobody has that assigned job. Everybody sees it, but nobody's doing it. If you're the guy that goes and cleans that thing before your shift or after your shift, again, they're going to look at you as management material because you're going above and beyond what you normally do. And so ah it benefits you because the Bible tells us to.
Speaker: But then it benefits you in in the workplace to do well at what you do. Yep. I'm shocked i didn't know there were still Chili's around here. Oh, yeah. I'd get that burger and fries. Three for ten. that's right yeah This is not a Chili's promo. All right. Number four. Don't let your work become your identity.
Speaker: That's a problem for men, real problem for men. How do we start every conversation? What do you do for a living? That's right. yes Within the first 30 seconds of any conversation. work going? yeah you know Those kinds of things. thats It really is the stuff that we do to kind of to get people's attention and establish our worth with a bunch of other guys. so How do you battle that? How do you fight that?
Speaker: I think it's ah you can't let it be the hierarchy of, oh oh, that's what he does. Oh, my fish is this big. Let me figure out me figure out something in my job that's going to put me up to the next level. I think what you have to do is know where God has called you and know where your feet is planted, which you said, Kyle. It is being satisfied with where your feet are planted. And sometimes I remember as I left college, I was cleaning toilets, and I thought,
Speaker: Really? I left to go to college and i haven't gotten a job, a ministry job. I hadn't gotten whatever I thought and I'm cleaning toilets. And I kind of had to come to, thank goodness there was a lot of, you know, a lot of thinking going on while I was doing those things. And I just kind kind of came to the conclusion God, thank you for allowing me to be here. I've got breath in my lungs, and I've got a paycheck, and I've got all these things. So be satisfied with where you're at. Not in the sense that you will stay there, but ah you're faithful where you're at. And knowing that God's not going to probably keep you there for 50 years. yeah So just be faithful where you're at, and be consistent in it. So it is definitely difficult sometimes, though, to kind of fight through those yeah sometimes monotonous days. Yeah.
Speaker: I never had an issue with that until ah ministry, like full-time ministry. Even as a deputy, which a lot of times like firefighters, so cops, all those things, they find their identity in their work and they just bury themselves in it. I never had that. Once I took the badge off, it was just like that that part of it just got set aside. But when I came into ministry,
Speaker: my identity is christ and then i had to separate what my i had to separate that with my work for the church and so um yes i do everything for the lord while i'm here but i also have a family and there's endless amounts of ministry to be done yes here at the church right i could i could fill my schedule 24 7 with ministry here at the church but that's not right to who god called me to be as ah a dad and a father and so I have to set that aside and tend to my home as well. I think men find their value. And even in the eyes of their wife, they'll say, I'm going to do all this to provide these great things. Yes. Well, your kids need your time more than they need your money. And so um cut some of that out, reel back and be the father you need to be at home instead of finding your identity and your work. I want to finish that that thought I was talking about.
Speaker: I cleaned toilets. I did it to the best of my ability. I use the gifts. I think about it like a point guard analogy. There are people in a a basketball team setting. They have different gifts. Not everyone's six foot six. right So going to use the six foot six guy in the way that he is best used and probably near the goal.
Speaker: Whenever I got a little bit further in my career, I was doing electrical plumbing. We've all done different things. I think about ah a stay-at-home mom. We all have unique giftings, and we need to use those to the best of our ability because ah from my wife to our two kids, she is the best mom that those two kids could ever have. And so she does that and has confidence in it to what God has called her to, Colossians 3.23, that she's doing those with no regard to what the world, because there's plenty of influence that says, no, you need to be this and a little bit better. No, God's called you to be this and be faithful to it, to use the gifts that you've got. Yeah, that's so good, John, because...
Speaker: you as your dad you as a dad and yeah and becca as a mom yeah are the best people to disciple your kids that's why god put you in that place yeah it's not ridley it's not me it's you and becca right and for my kids kelly and i are the best options to disciple our kids and so god gave you that position in your home and so don't sell it out to your job right yeah and so doing everything as if you're doing it for the lord also means being a husband and and a father exactly or or a mother and ah a wife yeah and so the work aspect is really important but we also have to be mindful of that home aspect and when we get lost in our identity at work
Speaker: Yep. We're losing our heart. we're touching on something that's really important. We talked about this beginning. So i want to come back it because I think it it is. It's really extremely important here that we we we clarify that work is work wherever it is done, even if it's not done for a paycheck. So a wife who chooses to stay home and leave with the kids, she's working as hard as anybody. Oh, yeah. Yeah. It's not based on your income. In fact, when I talk to the young adults about jobs and career choices and their future, I always tell them, find something you love doing. You will have to work the rest of your life. It's a joy to be able to go do those things. For a woman to leave the home and have to go work in a place that she doesn't enjoy, that she doesn't get fulfillment from. It's actually a bigger punishment than having to live without a paycheck. yeah And it can cause controversy and strife in the home. So as ah as a couple, i would always encourage them, what what is the best thing for your family as a whole? That's the best place to start in this conversation. because
Speaker: you can You may make six figures, but if it's causing division at home, if your kids are being raised by the public schools because you don't have time to be at home and take care of them, if you're putting them off on babysitters all the time, if you and your husband never have to get to see each other, there's all kinds of factors that have to be considered. And so you need to ask yourself, as a husband and a wife, a mother and a father, How do we honor God best with the choices we're making? And if it means living in a 1,200-square-foot house and only working one job between the two of you, thats right that's the best route you ought to take. That's right. And a note on that, the promotion and the raise aren't always the right choice. That's right. yeah um You have to look at what your family structure is. You shouldn't be accepting something at work without...
Speaker: talking to your wife or your husband about it. You should come home and say, hey, is this best fit for our family? Is this best for my relationship with the Lord? um All those things need to be considered yeah before promoting and raising. I would also argue that success at work should never require you to sacrifice your relationship with God, your spouse, or your children. That's right. just It's not worth In the long run, it's not worth it I want to say something too, in reference to what you just mentioned and the fact that the, the work, the job, it should never take priority over the relationship with God, with your spouse, with your kids. Um, I know this is not a plug for Grove Hill staff time, but this guy right here, uh, has come alongside me and and taught me in the middle of ministry.
Speaker: Hey, If you need to take a break, you need to take a break. And sometimes, sorry, dude, you don't get a a choice. Go be with your wife. yeah yes Because there are times where even and to your point earlier, Kyle, it becomes so much of a, this is my faith, but this is also my work. And there's so many things that are...
Speaker: attached and tied together. But man, if I'm, if I'm not doing those things well in my personal, my relationship with God and my wife, my kids, I can't do it well here. Yeah. And that goes for so many other areas. And just because you can go into an area doesn't mean you should. And you look at Paul on his missionary journey and the Holy Spirit. I mean, there was prime places for him to go and bring the gospel to and the Holy Spirit's like, no, we're going to pass that. Right. So just because the opportunity is there doesn't mean we take it. Right. Right.
Speaker: All right, let me throw ah one more at you. um God calls us to work, but he also calls us to rest. And there has to be a balance. the The word we hear all the time is Sabbath. And sometimes I think we get that confused with the day of the week, which is not necessarily that. I think...
Speaker: one ah One of the remarkable things, if you go back and read the story of creation, is that God created Adam. And if you read carefully, the first thing he says is, we're going to rest. And Adam probably looked at him and said, we haven't done anything yet. What are we resting from? you know yeah But what God was really saying is, your first priority is to be with me.
Speaker: Your first priority is to... to Remove all the distractions and just be okay with me. And then you'll find even greater fulfillment in what you're about to do. That's right. um so we got it we've got it so confused in our world because as guys, we've got to meet that deadline. We've to get that promotion. We've got to get that raise. We've got to you know make our businesses grow, those kinds of things. There's nothing wrong with ambition. But when ambition becomes more important than rest then we've we've got things all messed up. right
Speaker: I've been struggling with trying to find Sabbath for couple years now. And I'll do good, and then I just fall back out out of it. um One of our elders told me, I said, he goes, you have to you know take a whole day and just set it aside. And I was like, I don't have time to do that. right And he's like, you can't afford not to do that. And as soon as I did it was like the priority during the week changed I was able to get more done during the week I was able to get more done on my times here at the office and set aside an actual a day to figure things out you know just resting at home and ah It's worth it. It's worth it.
Speaker: I should take my own advice it's worth it I'm still trying to take that advice weekly. um One of the things that I heard the other day, and I just kind of wrestled with in my mind, is create a pattern of rest before you ever think that you need it. Yeah, absolutely. It is creating it, because most of the times we'll drive, drive, drive, and then before you know it, oh, I wish I would have taken some rest. So creating yeah the patterns and rhythms that are there before we ever think we are getting to This is a very much uphill battle, especially for men in our culture. Because what do we honor in our culture? The guy who put in a 140-hour work week. The guy who sacrificed everything to be at the top. as we We brag about it. We do. We do. And we put those guys up on a pedestal. And there' again, nothing wrong with a good work ethic. um my My family on my mother's side, most of them were farmers. So they were sun up to sun down kind of people. But you wouldn't caught them doing anything in the field on a Sunday. Because they took that Sabbath seriously. Uh, I would suggest, I might even say I would argue this point to, uh, Kyle's not wrong that it's good to have a day, but because of the way some people have work schedules, you can't take a whole day. That doesn't mean you can't take time. That's right. If you have, if you have a seven day work week, yeah,
Speaker: Find an evening and say, this is our evening. This is the time. And for for some people, Sabbath literally means we're going to just lay on the couch and rest. Yeah. That's what we did yesterday trying to recover from last week. um For other people, it means I'm going to sit in a boat and fish for a little while. It's a way just to connect with God. Yeah. What you don't want to do is fill your Sabbath up with other things that aren't work but tend to be just as that's right grueling and just as time-consuming. It's like going on vacation. oh we're going to get some rest. Right. And we're going to wherever amusement park. yeah and you come back and you're like...
Speaker: I'm going go to work tomorrow. yeah And we're more exhausted. Lisa and are at that stage where we plan vacations. We plan two days at the end of the vacation to recover from the vacation before we go back to work. Very wise. Work doesn't necessarily drain me out too much. It's like the demand, right? Yes. So like in ministry, there's a demand and there's constant communication. Right. And so when I say Sabbath, literally it means stepping away from my phone.
Speaker: And so I can't be pulled from, right? Yeah. And so I could be still doing even work around the house, like playing with my kids or whatever. It's not like I just sit there and do nothing for a day.
Speaker: I'm doing things still, but I'm disconnecting from the demand that's on me. And it allows me to connect with the Lord, and allows me to reconnect with my family. And so it's beneficial for sure. Yeah. Some people might kind of flip out a little bit when I say this. Part of my Sabbath for me from roughly March to October every year is cutting grass because I am on my lawnmower for three hours with no cell phone. That's right.
Speaker: And I can think about what I want to. I cannot think at all. I can listen to what I want to. It's just me, the lawnmower, and God. Yeah. And um I look forward to that. really Even when it's 98 degrees outside, I'm just, you know. yeah um So, again, it could be anything. But what you have to really be careful about is just this idea that you have to constantly go, go, go, go go or you're not somehow succeeding at life.
Speaker: All Last point. Your work has eternal significance, regardless of what your occupation is. Your work has eternal significance. What that means very simply is God can use ordinary jobs to do extraordinary things for his kingdom. right you know yeah You can be a preschool teacher and change the world by what you do. You can be a stay-at-home mom yeah and change the world by what you do. You can be a custodian. you can be i mean There's all kinds of things that you can throw in there. It's not about what you do. It's for who you do it for. That's right. And if you think about it, there's no excuse.
Speaker: um Most every job you're around other people or communicating with other people or having, if you're a stay at home, whatever, and you can still have communication on phone, right? Say you work from home and you're talking with people, your attitude on the phone matters. Yes. And so there's really no excuse. I'd say there's very minimal jobs where you're just you and you alone and no contact with the outside world. and that In that time, use that time to think about what you're going to do when you get off work to bless people, right? and There's no excuse to have an eternal impact on the kingdom with your work. yeah right, so we're going to kind of wrap this up because it sounds like a party starting downstairs at the office, and my man Jeff is dying over there coughing, so I need to give him break. We got you, Jeff.
Speaker: We love you. We're going to let you off the hook here, bro. Let me just say a couple quick things, and and then we'll pray. you're calling Your career is a calling to steward, not an identity that you should worship. So yeah I believe that true followers of Christ should listen for the calling that God puts on their life, not not the paycheck, not the accolades, not the awards.
Speaker: What is it that God wants you to do that he's calling you to and giving you a passion for? Because God didn't put you at your at your workplace to earn money. He put you there to bring him honor right and glory. And be reminded that wherever your feet take you in your occupation is your mission field. That's that's why God puts you there. He wants you to be used in those particular situations. You're going to have more opportunities to share people share Christ with people than i do on a regular basis. And so just be mindful of those things.
Speaker: You want pray for us? I sure do. Thank you, sir. Father, we thank you for the way you've designed things, and we like to take it and take it out of context sometimes and abuse it. But Lord, there's a structure and an order, and so ah you desire that we work and provide for our family. You desire that we work hard and and succeed, and Lord, we want to take that and honor you with it Help us not to bury ourselves in it to deprive our family of of time. Help us not to seek our positions for money.
Speaker: Help us not to seek it for self-gain, but to use it as a platform for your greatness and your holiness and point people to you, Lord. Father, I pray that each one of us work in a way that causes people to ask, why are they such a good worker? Why are they such a good employee? And then give us the opportunity to share that it's because we're working for you.
Speaker: Lord, I pray that each one listening to this, whether they're at home working with kids or in the workplace, I just ask that you just give us a refreshed energy to use the workplace as ah a ministry and a mission field, and then help us to rest and return.
Speaker: Lord, thank you for this conversation. i pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Thanks again for joining us today. In case you haven't gotten the word, we are now in our new location, 5439 Nashville Highway in Chapel Hill. Our services have moved to 9 and 1045. And if you're in the area, we would love for you to come join the Grove Hill Nation as we worship.
Speaker: We are now a nation. don't know what that means. don't know We just used that term. You come be a Grover. That's we like to refer to ourselves. We would love for you to visit if you're in the area and be a part of our worship experience. We have a great church fellowship, and it's it's a great place to be. Otherwise, come back and join us next week, and be sure to hit that like button and share with your friends and invite them to listen as we talk week by week about what God's doing in our lives. That's right.
Speaker: Bye. Bye.
