Ep 81 | Is Working Hard Godly?

We have 19 episodes before we go into the triple digits , triple digits , where ? We'll have to change this next segment .

Fun fact , one of my first jerseys , my first jersey , was Colt McCoy , from the Texas UT , even though he couldn't have the last name on the back , and my second jersey was number 81 , terrell Owens , which is a huge deal because he played for an enemy team and then he scored a touchdown . And what did he do , Jake , after he scored that touchdown ?

He put a stain on the star my friend .

But who is the safety for the Dallas Cowboys that knocked him off of it ?

You know we're going places on this conversation . Yeah , yeah , TO didn't do any of those things , but everyone hated him , Everyone did not like him and they're like he has such character problems . I'm like , listen , he's just a really big personality , but he's actually not like a bad person , however you want to phrase that .

work ? So , jake , this is a question for you that I think many of us , like we just finished our Google series . This isn't one of the most Googled questions , but , as a believer , like I know the question we asked a lot . It was like we answered it last week . What's my purpose ? What am I supposed to be doing ?

So what does the Bible say about just work and , honestly , hard work ?

In fact , even in the book of Genesis , one of Adam's jobs , even before the fall of man , before sin entered the world , was he was to work the garden . So this was before sin came . So work is not a result of the fall . Work is a gift , not a result of the fall . Work is a gift Like we get to exist as God's people and work .

But all throughout the Old Testament , all throughout the New Testament , even Jesus himself , he worked , he rested , but he also worked . But one of the most famous verses is Colossians , chapter three , verses 23, . That says whatever you do , do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men . So I mean immediately .

Paul is saying that whatever we do , we do it to the best of our ability and we do it for God . We , we , we focus in on being able to , to um , able to serve him with excellence and serve him with joy . But even Psalm , chapter 19 , verse 17 says May the favor of the Lord , our God , rest on us , establish the work of our hands for us .

Yes , establish the work of our hands . So every day we wake up we're working on something , whether it be our vocation , whether it be taking care of our home , whether it be serving the local church . The point of it is is there's a purpose for work , and it's that we work hard , we work diligently .

We do all of this for God , um , and work is something that you and I do , um , because God , god has called us to uh , take care of ourselves and take care of the people around us . Um , I'll just give you another verse Proverbs , chapter 12 , um um , verse um 11, .

Those who work their land will have abundant food , but those who chase fantasies have no sense . Um , in other words , um , work is for everyone . It's something God has called us all to participate in , and we are missing out on an abundant blessing and a really powerful way to shape our lives . Work is special and work is not something we should avoid .

They were people who worked so hard , but we know' time and the Pharisees they were people who worked so hard , but we know the stories of the Pharisees . Most of them didn't have faith and they were the reason that Jesus was crucified and even after he rose from the dead , they were denying Him and arresting the disciples and all this stuff .

And they had all the work

aspect of it , but they had no faith . So what are we talking about when we say work ? I've had many jobs , jake , I know you've had many jobs . Is that what he's talking about ? Work and just going to work every single day and all that stuff ? Well , really no .

Yes , we should be hardworking , we should have jobs , we should have all this stuff , but we have to do work for the Lord . We have to , and what I mean by that . What James is talking about here is people should know we have faith in Jesus Christ by our works , not our occupation . But let me real quick . Let me go to John 13 , verse 16 .

Sorry , I got a tiny Bible . Truly , truly , I say to you , a servant is not greater than his master , nor is a messenger he's talking about . Like People will know you by how you love one another , how you're kind to one another , how you so .

Jake , he just shared a little testimony to me and I'd actually like you to share it for the podcast of just you at a gas station . To me , this is the definition of work , yeah .

So I'm kind of in this phase where I'm getting workouts in in the morning and I just finished a workout and I go into a gas station and there's a gentleman that is there who does not work for the gas station , but he knows the clerk and I'm just listening to him . He's having a bad day , clerk , and I'm just listening to him .

He's having a bad day , he's having some kind of struggle , some type of situation that he's frustrated in . And he is speaking to this clerk who he has some friendship with . And the Lord just laid it very heavily on my heart hey , pray for this guy , just pray for him . You know , don't ?

I didn't have to go tell him the gospel , I didn't have to try to convince him to make a decision , and you know I'm standing there sweaty , gross , but the Lord said pray for this guy .

So I walk up to the register and I stand next to him and I said hey , um , I know you don't know me , but would it be okay if I prayed for you and he said , please , and uh , me and the clerk and this man just had a 32nd time of prayer and um , and you know , I pay for my , my items or my gas , and um , and I'm walking out the door and this

clerk is saying , if you don't know that God's here for you through that , then like , I'll just say what she said . You're an idiot , like , and so they must've been really good friends that she was able to say that . And I walked out of that going . I lost nothing from that .

I gained by just seeing that , like , even in these little spurts of time where we're standing in a store , we can be present in the moment and we can be God's hands and feet .

Like , I don't know anything about this man , I probably will never meet him ever again , but God told me to do something and truthfully , going back to Colossians 3 , it really wasn't me doing it , it was God doing it . I was just a vessel to talk and y'all . It didn't kill me to pray for the guy , but again , work is a gift .

How cool is it that we get to be a part of what God is telling other people , just like God is using other people to tell things to us . It's working for the Lord .

And to me that's that story , and there's a hundred other stories like it , and I think we get confused with work . It's like , well , I go to work every day , I'm a hard worker , I provide for my family , all that stuff . That's how people know that I'm Jesus' disciple .

And , yes , going to work and having integrity at work does show that you are Christ's disciple . But what are you doing at work ? Do you see it as your mission field , or are you just going to work to collect a paycheck and get ready to go home ?

I work in a church and there's some weeks where it's like go home or go to work so I can go home and do this , this , this and this . I'm so busy outside of work that I'm really not present in my job . And that's what James , that's what Jesus , that's what Proverbs , that's what it's talking about Like . That's even what Genesis is like .

God made this model so that we can work alongside Him , but we have to be present , we have to be ready , and the answer of what it is to work is we have to be praying for people , we have to be loving on people , we have to be kind and helpful , even when we have to go out of our way to be kind and helpful .

These are the words that God is talking about , so I'm a millennial .

But I personally believe in , and I think it's just cause I was a children's minister , youth minister , I worked with college . I've worked with senior adults . I've just learned there's people that work hard , there's people that don't work hard .

Worked with senior adults , I've just learned there's people that work hard , there's people that don't work hard and , um , and it kind of just is .

I mean , I you can't really summarize it just by one generation or anything like that , but I would like to just say this and maybe it's just getting something on my chest that I've always struggled with is , you know , I am passionate about my job .

I'm passionate about my , my vocation , like , like I am not , I am more of a child of God than I am a pastor . Okay , like I , I need to always remind myself , like I'm not what I do at my job . I'm sorry , a bird just flew in the window . Oh , it's okay , I was just . It was either a bird or Ryan , and either way would have made sense to me .

I hope you're listening right , um , but like in other words , I'm passionate about my job . Okay , but can I tell you there are times when there are things about it that I'm not passionate about .

I'm not passionate about moving chairs , and I can if I logged him out of chairs and tables I've set up , um , but I'm also not going to complain Cause I know people probably there are those out there that have to work harder . But can I just release folks from this concept ? Like

there is a place to not be passionate about what you do for a living , like it's okay to not be passionate , it's okay to not like your job , um , but like you still have to go to work , you still have to , you still have to get up and provide . Like , so clearly , we work for the Lord , but the Bible also says we work for our families .

First Timothy , chapter five , verse eight , says anyone who does not provide for their relatives , and especially for their own household , has denied the faith . It is worse than an unbeliever , has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever , and that's a heavy , heavy word .

And basically what that verse is telling us is like , let's say , I lost my job today , I'm not able to be a pastor , there are people at my home depending on me and I'm probably going to go find a job I'm not passionate about to provide food for my family while I try to find a job I am passionate about .

And what a blessing is it when it can be both , like when you can do what you're passionate about , that you you feel fulfilled in , while simultaneously providing for your family and I know that there are folks out there that are getting up and going to a job that kicks them in the teeth every single day .

But can I , can I encourage you with this brother or sister ? You are still such a blessing that you are being responsible for your family and you're being responsible . Um , according to the scriptures , and and going back to Colossians , chapter three , even if you're at a job you hate , like , let's say , you just do not like your boss kind of like Maverick .

Brett and Ryan , feel like you just don't like your boss , you don't respect your boss , you don't respect the company you work for , like there is still space that you can enter into that vocation and do this for the glory of God , and I want to encourage you . If you're able to find something you are passionate about , praise be to God .

But I think sometimes as Christians , we try to paint these perfect pictures . I know people that have worked at a job for 40 years that they didn't particularly like , but God blessed them with the ability to provide for their family , and that is amazing . That is amazing . God is with us in all of these phases and this is where I can go on a tangent .

But I I struggle with young men that don't understand the value of hard work . So , before we kind of jump into that , so I can cool down what are some jobs you've done that you just hated and I can . I can tell you . I can tell you several , except for the current job I have . I can't tell you all if I like it or don't .

I worked for free and I didn't care that I worked for free . I knew this church , I knew God was calling me to this church and I knew this church really wanted me to help and they were discouraged at the fact that they couldn't pay me .

But I mean , I still had bills to pay and you know , I was dating this girl named Mallory at the time who I wanted to marry , and she , she wanted to go on dates .

I would wake up at 3 o'clock in the morning to go to my job in Sherman , which was a donut shop , one of the worst jobs I ever had , but the benefits were great , and what I mean by that is I didn't get paid well , I didn't get insurance or whatever , but you got free donuts and I ate so many free donuts that I actually got in trouble my first week

there and that is 110% a true story and then I would get off at noon and then from noon I would go work for my wife's dad , my father-in-law , ronnie . I'd work in plumbing and then , once I was done with that , then I would find every odd job I could , whether it be mowing lawns or the church I worked at had a bunch of older members .

I'd be painting their living rooms , I'd be changing light bulbs , anything I could do for a free meal or an extra like 20 bucks . And like that season of my life was absolutely miserable , like it was hard . I mean it was like I came home tired every day and I wouldn't go to bed till like 10 , 11 o'clock because some of those jobs just took forever .

And then I have to wake up again at three o'clock in the morning and I mean that was a long season of my life , absolutely .

So since 2006 , I've received predominantly my compensation from a church and I can tell you some churches I served at that I had to do a lot of things that nobody would want to do and and and , honestly , the places I learned about being a pastor had less to do with sermon prep than learning to be a servant and learning to not run away from the jobs nobody

wants to do . And I still try to do with sermon prep than learning to be a servant and learning to not run away from the jobs nobody wants to do . And I still try to do that the very best I can . But you know , I learned work from my grandfather , bob Ratcliffe , who had such a hard life I mean a hard life of work yourself to the bone .

I learned more from my grandfather on our farm about work and about God through work , just by literally watching him . And um , but I'll tell you , um , if child labor law people were out on our farm my granddad would have gone to jail . I mean , I was doing work that a 10 year old boy probably shouldn't , shouldn't be doing , or whatever .

However you want to define that , um , I you want to define that . I just grew up . That was normal life , but I'm sure there's other parts of the world that would think it was bad . But just just , I mean just the amount of things we were doing and the dangerous work and the selfless work and the just grunt work .

But I would not trade a second of that , a second of that , because I discovered what it's like to not stop working until the work is done but then being satisfied that you worked and learning that you do rest when you , when you get to rest , and and we need to talk about Sabbath , clearly but but for the sake of work , like it's okay to go to bed tired ,

it really really is okay . You know I I worked for .

You know different bosses , you know um , from 16 to 20 , cause I had to have other jobs while I was working in churches and but the point of it is is every single one of those jobs , like I learned , like it doesn't matter if you like your boss , like he's still the boss , like there's an authority there .

So you got to learn to work for your authority , unless somebody asks you to do something immoral or illegal . Like go to work , quit complaining , like there's just a place for that but learning how to do it for the glory of God and be an example .

But you know , I just I think it's so important that we have these type of conversations because we don't want to see a generation rise up that loses the art of work and um , you know , I'm , I'm raising kiddos and um , bob and sissy golf , um , if you ever want a resource about just raising kids , I encourage you to go listen to their podcast Bob and sissy

golf . Um , but um , anyway , I , I just said their names incorrectly

.

I have two kids , you know , uh , that are both under the age of 16 , that have jobs this summer and they're not going to work Monday through Friday , like they're probably not going to put in 40 hours , but they're going to probably put in 20 to 30 hours .

And here's the beauty of that they're going to go do that work , they're going to earn money , they're going to learn how to save money . But then when they are given freedom in the summer , they're going to appreciate that freedom and they're going to be more satisfied in that freedom because they know what it's like to work .

And it's not killing our kids when we give them chores . In fact , we're killing our kids when we don't give them chores . And I have adults that tell me nobody ever taught me how to work , I had to learn on my own . And what a disservice . Not only are we offering to them in the secular world , but in the spiritual world , how can someone learn ?

I mean , we use Jeremiah 29 , 11 all the time , for I know the plans I have for you , says the Lord . There are plans for your good , not for disaster , to give you a future and a hope . Well , how can you have a future if you can't work ? So , like , we have to pass this down to our children and then and then also learn in our lives .

Like it is , it's okay to walk through the struggle of the work . I'm trying to do CrossFit right now . I , my body , is telling me right now , jake , you have no business in this room . Like you , you're a you're . You should not be here . But I'm having to not listen to my body .

I'm having to tell my body no , jake , like , this is where you need to be so that you can be in a position , when you have grandchildren , that you can play with them . Like , and these are those thoughts that run through our mind Work is a gift . It is not a curse . It is a gift given to us by God .

So , if you struggle with work , get to work , that's okay . Or if you're at a job that is kicking in your teeth . Can I just encourage you with this Do it for God and even if it is hard , like there is space that God can bless you and show you the power .

If there are little people in your life or a spouse depending on you and you were getting up and going to work , I can't think of anything more selfless or admirable or worthy of a congratulations , because what a special blessing you are to your family .

We talked about the chosen a little bit on this podcast , not a whole lot , but one of my favorite episodes it's the whole episodes is the disciples arguing around a campfire and like the whole point is like tensions are just rising and rising and rising and rising until the point like at the end of the episode they're at a screaming match .

And then Jesus comes back and throughout the episode you actually see it in the background , because I've rewatched it , where you actually see what Jesus is doing . There's a line of people in front just waiting to see Jesus and he's performing miracles , like he's healing them and all that stuff .

And while he's doing that , disciples are around a campfire and Jesus comes back and I mean dude looks just battered , I mean just absolutely beaten , he's dirty , he's so ready for rest .

And as he's walking back , he's like stumbling back because he just worked a full day or whatever , meeting all these people , healing all these people , and the disciples just stopped talking because everything they just talked about does not matter . And then Jesus goes to bed , goes to sleep , and they look at each other and they just they go to bed .

Why do I bring up that story ? Is well , and I'm going to try not to get like I'm passionate about this , but I don't want to feel like a yelly pastor or anything like that . It's more the fact that— .

We hear testimonies about it time and time again . In the abundance is where the sin of sloth and laziness comes from . So why do we see Christians that struggle with that sin ? I mean , we don't talk about it enough , but Christians struggle with that sin . Well , why ?

It's because as Christians , we live abundant life , and when we live abundance in life , when we have an abundant life , it's so easy to be like well , I'm good , I'm great , actually , Like I can just sit here and stay here , and then that's why we wake up one day and we're in the lowest valley ever , where we feel so far away from God .

It's because I don't know about you , but when I was growing up , in youth ministry and then college age , I heard more Bible lessons about rest than I ever heard about work . Yeah , Like I don't know if I ever actually heard a lesson about hard work and my walk was struggling , my walk was struggling because I was just trying to find rest .

And , guys , rest comes from the Lord . I will sit here and tell you my wife will tell you we don't find more rest than when we go to Falls Creek . Everybody's like are you okay , Are you rested up ? No , I found my rest at false creek because I was serving and I was preaching the gospel

and I was having these one-on-one conversations . That's the kind of rest god gives . It's not a vacation in hawaii . God gives spiritual rest , rest that we truly actually need , and I'm getting a little yelly it's okay , but that's what it is . These hard like . Yes , it can be tired , but like jesus wasn't ever off . Jesus didn't have an off day .

He would heal the people . Then he'd minister to disciples , he would love his mother , he would love his family . Let me tell you that jesus lives inside you . You can too .

You can go to work and come home and be a present father and mother like you can do all these things because Christ dwells and lives inside you and wants you to be a part of something great . But it calls us to work .

And I remember looking at these weathered hands and the Lord telling me at 16 , work your hands in this way for me . And that's it's funny because that sounds so good when I'm talking about it right now . But what you have to do to make your hands look like that is not going to sound good all the time . And that's just a .

Just a word I'd like to say , and this has kind of been a I don't know , kind of a . I've probably gone a lot of places , but I try not to complain about and this is just as a pastor , I try not to complain about my job , and you know what ?

Yes , I do get tired and I do have my limits and I have had to tell people hey , I'm not going to work 60 hours this week , I am going to go to my kids' ball games and things like that . But man , like it feels really weird to be a pastor sitting here talking about oh , I've got this hard job .

And somebody I mean tonight , uh , it's a Wednesday night at this recording um , kyle Poss , trevor Francis , they're going to be booking it from Plano to lead a Bible study for men in our church . I'm not booking it from anywhere . I'm going to walk over there to my Bible study . I'm not going to complain about what I do .

These guys are working hours upon hours , upon hours upon hours and then they're getting here on a Wednesday night to serve the kingdom of God and , like you're saying , like they could totally say I need rest , I don't even have time to come , but these are men that are going . No , like this is where I find rest to be in community with other brothers .

It's like serving the Lord is not something that you , you like , have time to do , it's something you make time to do , and I've noticed the people that tend to serve the most have the least amount of time to do it .

And that , to me , is the picture of learning to find that space when we can realize like it's not about just setting our calendar a certain way , it's about our mindset and our mission .

So , uh , if you listen to this , I feel like I was all over the place with my popcorn comments , but , like I just pray that you can understand the value of just serving in his kingdom and working hard and knowing that , like this , there's going to be a day we're all going to stand in glory and we're not .

We're going to be so thankful for the work and the mission that we were a part of . Yeah absolutely .

hang out with me a Maverick and they'll we'll get , we'll find them a job . Yeah , we'll find them a job . We'll find them three actually , but anyways , uh , thank you guys . So much for listening to . Uh went from Terrell Owens to this . We really do . He worked hard . He did work hard . He got to the NFL .

So that's it , um , but thank you guys , so much for listening and we look forward to seeing you guys every Sunday , and just thank you so much for letting us do what we get to do . Anyways , love you guys , take care .