Seven Keys to Godly Work

Now we're going to talk today about the seven keys to godly work , to biblical work , to kingdom work , seven ways that you know that you are working as unto the Lord . Now we know in Colossians , chapter three in the Bible here on Expert Ownership Podcast , we've said it many times Ephesians 6 , colossians 3 , we work as unto the Lord , not as unto man .

But then what are some of the examples in Scripture ? What are they ? And so we're going to go back to the very beginning and we're going to look . Well , I say the very beginning , not creation order .

Of course God's always working , but we're going to go back to the early years in the book of Genesis and we are going to see , in one of the patriarch's lives , seven keys to God-honoring work , to biblical work , to kingdom work . And hopefully that's going to be a blessing to you today , as it was to us as we were reading through this passage of Scripture .

So , if you're driving , don't heed my advice when I tell you , open up your Bible . Okay , you're driving , don't do that . But if you , if you're not man , crack open your Bible . If you got a physical one , or if it's on your phone , you can go to Genesis 30 . This is good .

I love this , and this is why I think it's so important , as faith-filled entrepreneurs , that we're in the word of God every single day , because God wants to speak to you , and he's going to speak to you through what you read .

He's going to speak to you through prayer , and so typically , david and I , we start out in the mornings with prayer and then we let our prayer time move into Bible reading time , because then the Bible reading time is just an extension of prayer .

So if God's your business partner , you need to be listening to him every single day and reading scripture , and I remember reading this back oh shoot , it was probably a decade ago and seeing these seven keys like man , this is how I want to build my business . This is how I want to train my employees . This is the kind of worker I want to be .

So if you're a solopreneur right now , apply these seven keys to the way that you do your work . If you're an entrepreneur , of course , apply them to the way you do your work , but then pay attention to your employees . Are they working this way ?

And if they're not , you need to educate them , and if they're still not willing to work this way , you get rid of them . Okay , so , I know that sounds hardcore , but , man , sometimes you just got to drive people out . That's just the way it goes .

The best thing that could ever happen to somebody who's not working the right way is to get fired , and then they'll end up working the right way . Okay , so in Genesis 30 , we're going to see a story between an employee and his boss . So , whichever role that you find yourself in boss or employee you can put yourself in this story .

So Laban was the boss , jacob was the employee . All right , here's what we're going to see . We're going to see a great picture of the type of work that God blesses . So , in time , jacob had been working for Laban for I think it was a period of about seven , might've been about 10 years and he wanted to go out on his own .

I mean , how many of you have ever had an employee want to go out on their own ? And that's okay , because what we ultimately want to do is we want to train up other entrepreneurs . Right Now we don't want to hire , we want to make sure that not every one of our employees are entrepreneurial right , otherwise we wouldn't have a business .

So if we do hire an entrepreneur , we got to recognize at some point they're going to want to go out on their own . So Laban the boss had to have a hard conversation with Jacob , who was his employee , and now Jacob wants to go out on his own and so he wanted to start his own business .

And David , verse 27 of Genesis 30 , I want you to read how Laban the boss responds . But Laban said to him if I have found favor in your sight , I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you . Isn't that incredible ? Like , just imagine if you were an employee and a boss said that to you .

It's like I know my business is blessed because you're here , like there's nothing better that could be said . And so Laban obviously wanted to keep Jacob . But Jacob wanted to do something on his own . So he's like man , there's really something inside me that wants to do something on my own .

But they actually figured out a workaround to where Jacob could have something on his own , but yet he was still under Laban's umbrella . And this is what I love , because Jacob , in this moment , did not ask him for a handout . Look what Jacob said . Verse 29 to 31, .

David , okay , but Jacob said to him you yourself know how I have served you and how your livestock has fared with me , for you had little before I came and it has increased abundantly and the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned . But now , when shall I provide for my own household also ? So he's talking about , he wants to provide for his own house .

Okay , so they come up with some plan . David . Read 32 to 37 . Okay , let me pass through all your flock today , removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep and every black lamb and the spotted and speckled among the goats , and they shall be my wages . So my honesty will answer for me later , when you come to look into my wages with you .

Every one of you that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs that is found with me shall be counted as stolen . Laban said , and every lamb that was black , and put them in the charge of his sons . And he set a distance of three days' journey between himself and Jacob , and Jacob pastured the rest of Laban's flock .

So now Jacob has his own business , but he's doing it under the umbrella of Laban . So now you have two entrepreneurs still yoked together , but they both have their own thing , and yet Jacob is still under Laban . Now here's the thing . Here's what I love . Jacob asked for the runt of the litter . He literally basically made Laban a no-brainer offer .

Jacob basically said hey , any speckled or spotted sheep or goat , let me have those and I'll count those as my wage . And Laban's like oh heck , yeah , that's like somebody coming to you and saying , hey , every dollar that you have that's ripped or crumpled up or anything like that , give me that , I'll take that for my wages .

Well , it's like if you're an employee and you see that your business owner , that there's an area of the business where it's like look , we don't have time for this type of a client or this type of service or this type of a product , we just have time for it .

And you want to start a side hustle , you're like hey , you know what On the side , hey , I'll work for you , but on the side I find this , and when I'm doing a lot of coaching different contractors where they're like I can't take anything less than side .

You can get a little scrape on it , but you'll kick them up into a nice little business that could become a division of your company . I pitched this idea two years ago to one of my guys and now that secondary company is almost as big as his first one . It's growing as big . It's the same trajectory as his first one .

That's what Jacob did with Laban at the same trajectory as his first one . And that's what Jacob did with Laban . So where did Jacob get this idea ? Because in Laban's mind this was like the runt of the litter . These were sheep and goats that nobody wanted in their flock , right . And so Laban's like oh , this is a no-brainer , I'm going to get it .

And we know from the story that Laban was a crook . He wasn't a good guy , he wasn't a good boss , he was a little bit of a deceiver . Jacob had struggled with that a little bit as well in his life . So that's why God brought a deceiving boss to Jacob to drive out the deceiver inside of Jacob .

So if you've got employees or you've got clients or whatever who are not doing you right , you need to make sure that you go to God and be like God . Is there a way that I haven't done someone right ? So just always pay attention to that . So how did Jacob have this idea ?

Well , he was spending time with God and we're not going to go over to that passage and God downloaded a vision to him about how he could create a flock out of the speckled , spotted sheep . God gave him a download . It was actually an ingenious download . It had something to do with peeling bark back off of sticks and having them drink in certain places .

Next thing , you know , jacob's flock of spotted and speckled sheep and goats is larger than Laban's . But how did he get that ? Because he spent time with God . Jacob spent time with God listening to him , and God gave him a download for how he was going to build a big flock , which was a big business .

God wants to give you a download , so you got to listen to him every single day . Now this is a great picture of what God and man can do together when they're working hand in hand , and why you want to be a faith-filled entrepreneur who's listening to your

business partner . This is what David and I did in 2003 with foreclosures . We were literal brand new green agents in 2003 , when real estate had just boomed and all these agents were dealing with these big five , six $700,000 houses . They didn't want to deal with a $25,000 , $50,000 foreclosed house .

And David and I went around to all these agents and said give us those , we'll take those . So that's what we did . That was in 2003 . 2010 , we had 100 offices in 35 different states closing 500 to 600 foreclosures a month , and the average median price was about $125,000 . So you do the math God gave us that idea . He literally gave us that idea .

So listen to the Lord . Now , several years later , after this business deal with Laban and Jacob , laban's attitude changed towards Jacob and he basically ran him off . He was like man , you're too big , this is all mine .

So they end up in a showdown and in this showdown , jacob says something to Laban and this is where we're going to find the seven keys to godly work of what Jacob does David read verse 38 to 42 . This is Jacob responding to Laban You're talking about in verse . Chapter 31 ? No , chapter 30 .

Okay , he set the sticks that he had peeled in front of the flocks and troughs Wait a second . Do I have the wrong one ? You have the wrong one , okay , so this is chapter 31 then . Yeah , that's what I thought . David , right , jason's wrong . Yeah , all right , hold on , let me turn there . Okay , so Genesis 31 . Yep , yep , go ahead .

Okay , jacob says this to Laban hand . You required it . Whether stolen by day or stolen by night , there I was . By day , the heat consumed me and the cold , by night and my sleep fled from my eyes . These twenty years I have been in your house , I served you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flock .

You have changed my wages ten times . If the God of my father , the God of passage , we're going to pull these seven keys . So let's look at key number one . If you want godly work , the type of work you need to do and the type of work that you want your employees to do Key number one Jacob cared about his work . You got to care about your work .

This is in verse 38 . For 20 years I have been with you caring for your flocks . So Jacob was essentially saying to Laban I cared for your flocks just like they were my own . Okay , you got to treat your customers and your clients like you would your own family , which means that you would never take advantage of them .

And you want employees that are going to treat your business the way that you treat your business , as if it was theirs . Okay , so , number one , the very first thing , is he actually cared about the work that he did . He actually cared about the work that he did . Key number two he did a good job .

It says in all that time , your sheep and goats never miscarried . You know what that means . Jacob actually did a good job . He was so good at his job that for sheeps and goats there was no mistakes made and he never cut corners . This is so good for Jacob . He actually did a good job .

If somebody's not doing a good job , bring them in your office and figure out why . If you're not doing a good job , you need to figure out if you're in the right line of work . Obviously , I'm talking to faith-filled entrepreneurs . So doing a good job is not a problem for you . You're going to do a good job because you're going to take pride in your work .

Jacob took pride in his work . He did a good job . Why ? Because he cared about his work . So that's key number two he did a good job . Key number three he didn't take advantage of his position . This one's an important one , the very end of verse 38, . In all those years I never used a single ram of yours for food .

Just think about that as a as a farmer here . Jacob was tending flocks for Laban and he had his sheep and goats and he had his cattle and all that kind of stuff , and Laban was three days away . Jacob could have easily killed one of Laban's cattle for the food for him and his employees , but he didn't do that .

He only killed his own sheep and goats and cattle to provide for his people . But Jacob could have easily killed some of Laban's and then just said , hey , it just got killed by a wild beast . You know what I'm saying . But Jacob never did that . So , even though he was in the livestock business , he paid for his own food .

You know , as business owners , we know more about the thing that we sell our product or service than our customers do . We know more about it . So we don't ever take advantage of that situation . We don't take advantage of our position . It's like an IT guy they know more about cybersecurity than you do and they can easily oversell you . Yeah , or a mechanic .

Yeah , or a mechanic . Yeah , you know what . I would replace this too . I'd replace that . I'd replace that when in reality they don't need it . But the person who's driving the car is like , oh well , okay , you know more than I do . So you upsell him . Jacob didn't do that , never did that . He never took advantage of his position . That's key number three .

Key number four he took personal responsibility for any losses . In verse 39 , it says if any of your flock were attacked and killed by wild animals , I took the loss myself . You know what that means . That means he replaced one of Laban's sheep with one of his own sheep .

If one of Laban's sheep got attacked by a wolf and killed and Jacob essentially said that's on me , I let the wolf do it . I shouldn't have . I should have caught that . We should have made sure to protect him better . So I'm going to make , I'm going to replace that myself .

You know it's like the server at the restaurant If they made a mistake on the order , then they pay for that order , of which I would always say if you own a restaurant , don't ever make your servers do that . I would always say if you own a restaurant , don't ever make your servers do that . Your servers don't make enough money .

Jacob didn't shift the blame on his helpers or ask the boss to take the hit . David and I , being bosses , we know what this feels like . Somebody makes a big mistake and they don't own up to it . Then they ask us to take hey , can you guys just cover this for me ? I don't really have anything .

It's like I was going to cover that for you anyway , but what I want you to do is come in and say , hey , that's my mistake , I'll cover it myself . And the minute you say that , guess what I got you ? You don't have to cover it , but be willing to take the hit yourself .

And here's the key for this , this one in gray areas lean to the other person's benefit . So if you get into a situation where you've got a customer , client , employee or whatever , let's just stick with customers and clients .

And there's a situation to where something happened and they need a refund or whatever , and it's a gray area , it's like I don't know about this . Lean to the other person's benefit and watch how God blesses your business . So lean to their benefit . Jacob did that . That's key number four . Key number five he worked hard and didn't complain .

The rest of verse 40 says I worked for you through the scorching heat of the day and through the cold of sleepless nights . He had to tell Laban this 20 years later because he didn't tell Laban that two years in oh , it's so hot , it's so cold he didn't complain . Listen , drive out the complainer . If you've got an employee that complains , drive them out .

Get them out . Before you get them out , though , you got to train them , get them out , they won't learn . Yep , laban never knew how difficult it was on Jacob , because Jacob locked down his job and didn't shift the headache to Laban .

If you have an employee that shifts their headache to you , where they're constantly coming into you with problems as opposed to trying to figure these things out on their own before they come to you , that's a problem . You got to train . This is where the 3S model comes in .

Anytime someone comes to you one of your employees or if you're going into your boss , it's . What is the situation ? What are the available solutions and what is your suggestion ?

Like , do not come to me with problems that you have not thought through , or don't you go to others with problems , like with your clients or whoever you're serving with problems , unless you've thought through it . What is the situation ? Let's get clarity on that . What are the available solutions . And now , what is your suggestion ? That's exactly right .

So you want to do that . So he worked hard and did not complain . Key number six he never asked for handouts . He said I worked 14 years for your daughters and six more for your flock , which means I didn't ask you for your daughters without giving you something . He earned his keep , didn't ask for handouts .

Well , I probably should be aware of how I say this , but he wasn't into raising support for his money and I'm not saying people who raise support are wrong because that's a legit business model . But he didn't default to that because he didn't want to work Right , it's just too easy . What if I just ask for people to do it for me ?

You know , if you're going to raise support , man , give me something of value in exchange . So he was not into that . He never asked for handouts . And key number seven and this is the most important one , he partnered with God . In verse 42 , he says if the God of my father had not been on my side . Basically , god is the one who built my business .

Like you see today , this is the most important attribute of all . He saw God as his partner in business and God should be your partner in business . Right ? Let me give you these seven keys again . He cared about his work , he did a good job , he didn't take advantage of his position , his high position . He took personal responsibility for any losses .

He worked hard , didn't complain , he never asked for handouts and ultimately , he partnered with God . And what was Jacob's reward for being this type of worker ? David read Genesis 32 , verse 10 . Genesis 32 , verse 10 .

I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant , for with only my staff , I crossed this Jordan and now I have become two camps Right there . It's like I started with nothing . 20 years later , I have the biggest business in the whole land .

That's what happens when you do these seven things . If we will work like Jacob , we'll be blessed like him . We shouldn't want the wealth of Jacob if we're not willing to do the work of Jacob . And that's what we can learn the seven keys to godly work right there . So there we go . That is expert ownership . That was excellent .

Faith-filled entrepreneurs into greater freedom and success . That's right Summary . You care for your work , you work well , you do a good job

. You don't take advantage of your position . You take responsibility for your losses . You work hard without complaint . You don't ask for handouts . You do a good job . You partner with God , trusting that God is going to take care of your work and God is going to take care of you , and the result is that the Lord's hand of blessing will be upon your work .

This will be a good one for you . I'm thinking about this now for you to let your kids listen to you know your older kids the type of work you want them to do . Yeah , this is it . This is what we want . So , hey , christian Healthcare Ministry sponsors us , expertonershipcom slash CHM .

They've been a great partner for us with all of our healthcare needs and they can help you out as well . Many business owners that we coach have partnered up with CHM and it's been just really awesome . But I like that , jason , that was great , right out of the book of Genesis . Okay , guys , we will see you next week . Don't forget .

Rate , review , subscribe , appreciate you guys , bless you .