From His Heart

Dr. Jeff Schreve: Now listen, when you think about your job, do you like your job? Are you excited to go to work? Lots of people, their attitude toward their job is it's tolerable. For some people, it's terrible. God wants to turn your job into a joy. You say, "Is that even possible?"

Larry Nobles: Well, the answer is yes, it is a definite possibility. The Bible has some very clear and helpful teaching about how to completely change that attitude toward your work. This is From His Heart with Pastor Jeff Schreve, and thank you for being with us today for a message that will be an encouragement to you as he shares how a Christian can thrive in their job and bring God all the glory, even when it's not all that you might have hoped it would be.

This lesson is just one of eight in this practical series that we've been airing for the last couple of weeks called Setting the House in Order, a study of the book of Titus. And you can revisit any of the messages you may have missed when you go to fromhisheart.org and click the listen link. Now though, open your Bible to the second chapter of the book of Titus. Here's Pastor Jeff to tell you the best way to turn your job into a joy.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: Now listen, when you think about your job, do you like your job? Are you excited to go to work? Now some of us have jobs and they're just jobs that you're doing. It's a stopgap. It's just that I needed a job. It's not going to be your life career. But still, whether you're doing something that you're going to be doing for the next six months or whether you're doing something that you're going to be doing for the next 35 years, God wants that job to be a joy when you understand it from His perspective.

And what is His perspective? It's seeing your job as a ministry and shining for Jesus Christ. In Titus chapter two, he is giving instructions for the older women to teach the younger women, for the older men and how they're supposed to be, and just examples of godliness. And then God wants discipleship to take place in His church, so older folks teach younger folks and more mature Christians teach younger Christians how to walk with God and how they're to be and the example they're supposed to be.

And then he starts and he talks to the bond slaves, to the doulos in the congregation, to the lowest slave. He says in verse nine, "Urge bond slaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect." Now that is New American Standard.

This is what it reads like in God's Word version: "Tell slaves who are believers to place themselves under their master's authority in everything they do. Tell them to please their masters, not to argue with them or steal from them. Instead, tell slaves to show their masters how good and completely loyal they can be. Then they will show the beauty of the teachings about God our Savior in everything they do."

Now in the first-century world that was controlled by Rome, there were millions and millions and millions of slaves. Some have estimated that as much as one-fifth of the whole population in the Roman Empire were slaves. And so Rome was built upon slavery. It's interesting that the Bible never attacks slavery head-on. It's obviously ungodly for one person to own another person.

But one of the reasons why New Testament writers didn't go after slavery is because you would have had this huge problem and there would have been millions and millions and millions of people who would get killed if you tried to uproot slavery right like that. And so the Bible writers and God, by the wisdom of His spirit, he didn't do that. He was going to destroy slavery and the concept of slavery, but it was going to be more covert than overt because an overt action would have been an act of war against Rome and many, many people would have been killed.

But here it is, God is giving instructions to the slaves and how they are to be on the job. Now they didn't have a choice about their job and some slaves had a pretty good job. Not all of them. Don't think every slave was out in the fields just sweating and toiling. A lot of them were educated. A lot of them, their job was to teach the kids and to train up the kids. Some of them were stewards and they managed the master's possessions and so they had big-time jobs.

So some of them were lowly jobs and some were more high-level jobs, but when you're a slave, you don't have a choice. And so God is saying, listen, this is what slaves are supposed to do in the first century. This is how they're supposed to be on the job, this is how they're supposed to be with their master so that they can make an impact for the kingdom of God where they work.

Now if that's true for slaves in the first century, it's definitely true of us in the 21st century. And God is saying this to employees with regard to their employers, with regard to their bosses, with regard to their work. When you see your job as a ministry and you see it's an opportunity to shine for Jesus Christ to be a witness, then all of a sudden the marketplace becomes your mission field. And then it changes everything with what God wants to do in your life and through your life and even in that place, no matter how bad that place might be.

So let's look tonight at those two verses and just kind of pick them apart. And we want to see three key desires that God has for you, that God has for me, that God has for us as it relates to our work. Number one, God wants you to submit to your boss, to your employer. Tell slaves who are believers to place themselves under their master's authority in everything they do. To be subject to them in everything.

You say, "All right, I got a problem right off the bat. Timeout. Jeff, you don't know my boss, but he's a real jerk. She's a real jerk. To put myself under that person, to submit to that person? That would be terrible. I don't like that person, I don't respect that person." Doesn't matter. You are to submit to that person because God has put that person over you.

Now I've had situations. I had a career of about 12 years after college in the business world, and I had some good bosses and some not-so-good bosses. And so what do you do? Do you evaluate your boss and say, "Well, I'm going to submit to my boss if he or she is worthy of me getting underneath them"? No. Regardless of who your boss is, you submit to them.

Now here's a great passage in Genesis chapter 16. Genesis chapter 16 is the story of Abraham and Hagar and Sarah. Now Hagar was the Egyptian handmaiden and she was there serving Sarah, Abraham's wife. And Abraham and Sarah couldn't have children and God promised them a son, but they weren't getting a son. And so Sarah says to Abraham, "You know, maybe this getting a son thing that God promised us, maybe that's going to come through somebody in our house. Maybe that's going to come through you having sexual relations with Hagar, the maid, and then she's my maid and so if she gets pregnant and she has a child, a son, that'll be like my son kind of."

And so she talks Abraham into it and he says, "Okay." And so then the scripture says he calls up Hagar and she gets pregnant. And as she is in that nine-month period, Sarah doesn't like it. Sarah starts to treat her harshly. Sarah's so jealous and so bitter over the fact that she can't have any children and Hagar's just like that. And so she's very harsh and very cruel and she drives her away.

And so Hagar goes out into the desert and she's there thinking she's going to die and she's with child. And the Lord tells her, "Go back and submit yourself to Sarah, your mistress or your master." And you know, you think, "Well, Lord, she's not very nice. I don't want to do that and submit myself to Sarah because she's so awful to me." But that was God's command to Hagar. This is what I want you to do. You go ahead and just put yourself under there.

So it doesn't have anything to do with what that person is like. It just has to do with the fact that God is telling you, submit yourself in everything to your boss, to your master. And the scripture says in First Peter chapter two and verse 13, "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution." For the Lord's sake is really critical because why are you doing that? Are you doing it for the other person? No. You're doing it because the Lord told you to do it and you're doing it because you understand that as I serve the Lord, I have to serve through people that the Lord has put over me. So you do it for the Lord's sake, on account of Him. It changes everything when you understand that.

Larry Nobles: We'll continue to explore this truth with Pastor Jeff and he returns in just a moment. But first, all this month, Pastor Jeff is seeking to help all of us be all-in for the Lord and to live a life with a soul on fire for Him. Would you describe yourself that way, on fire for the Lord? If you want to experience the blessings of fellowship and joy as we've discussed today and holiness in increasing measure, especially in the hectic lives we often have, then we'd love to get into your hands the five-message series, Soul on Fire: God's Plan for Revival.

It's our gift to say thank you for helping us with your support this month. You can get this series on DVD, CD, a USB flash drive, or a direct MP3 download when you make your gift today by calling 866-40-BIBLE or go online to fromhisheart.org. Know that Pastor Jeff receives no income from this ministry. He is the pastor of a thriving and growing church in Texarkana, Texas. From His Heart is the international nonprofit outreach that proclaims the gospel around the world on radio, television, and online.

So thank you for what you can do to help this outreach encourage souls to be on fire for the Lord and experience real revival in their hearts. Again, the number 866-40-BIBLE or go to fromhisheart.org. Now back to conclude today's lesson, Turning Your Job into a Joy.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: How is a Christian supposed to live in an ungodly world? We are supposed to submit to the government that's put over us, unless that government asks us to do something that violates God's word. And then when you get in that situation, then you say with the apostles, "Whether it's right in the sight of God to obey you, the Sanhedrin, or to obey God, you be the judge, for we cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard."

When they told the disciples, "You can't speak anymore in the name of Jesus," they said, "Oh, timeout. We can't obey that. We have to obey Him. He is greater than you." But if the one over you isn't asking you to do anything that violates scripture, you obey that one. That is God's way.

Now some people have kind of a heart that is stubborn, a heart that doesn't like to yield, a heart that is just a little bit rebellious. And they don't think anything about it. It's a big deal to have a heart like that. The Bible says in First Samuel chapter 15, "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry." Rebellion's a big deal. It's like witchcraft. And when you're stubborn, it's akin to idolatry. You don't want to be like that. Humble yourself before your boss and submit yourself to them and just say, "Yes, boss, whatever you want."

Second command from the Lord and second directive is God wants you to strive to please your boss or your employer. Now the scripture says in Colossians chapter three, "Whatever you do, do your work heartily as for the Lord rather than for men. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve." Do it for the Lord rather than for men because your boss really might be Mr. So-and-so, Ms. So-and-so, but it's really the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the one you serve.

And God says, "Serve Me on that job, whatever it is." Now some people have jobs that are just not fun jobs. I've had summer jobs before where it was just awful. So listen, I understand on jobs, a lot of times that's why they call it work. A lot of times it is work. But in that, you've got to remember it's the Lord Christ whom we serve. And so I have to strive to please the Lord. The Bible talks about Ephesians chapter five, trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

Now since at my job I serve the Lord Christ, but He looks like my boss, I have to learn, "Okay, what can I do that will please you?" And you find whatever your boss wants you to do that's pleasing to him and that makes a huge difference because then you can work for that guy and for that lady perhaps, and in a way that's effective, in a way that is pleasing. Find out what your boss wants and please him and strive to please him.

Now there's some things that the scripture says that your boss doesn't want. Tell them to please their masters, not to argue with them. Don't argue with your boss. It's not a good idea to do that. No boss likes to be argued with. That word "pleasing" means well-pleasing, fully agreeable when it talks about to please them. And when we're well-pleasing, we're in agreement with our boss and we're not arguing with our boss.

The word "argue" literally means to have a debate with your boss. You know, when your boss asks you to do something, he's not interested in every time they ask you to do something that there's a debate about whether you should do it or not. And when it came to slaves, oftentimes the slave would know more about whatever the boss wanted them to do, whether it had to do with something out in the field or whether it had to do with a piece of equipment or something like that. The slave worked with that and so he would maybe know more than the owner did. But He said, "Don't argue with them."

Now Philippians chapter two, verse 14 says, "Do all things without complaining or arguing." How many things? All things without complaining. That's my favorite Greek word, "gongysmos." Do all things without grumbling, complaining, and arguing. Do your work heartily as unto the Lord rather than as unto men. It's the Lord Christ whom you serve.

Hey, you want to please your boss, don't argue with them. You want to please your boss, don't steal from them. That kind of goes without saying, right? No boss likes to be stolen from, but we forget that a lot of times. We kind of cut corners and we sometimes get the idea that, well, pens, paper, expense reports, all that stuff, those are opportunities to make a little bit extra to take some home to do. Don't do that.

You know, it's easy to think, "Well, I'm entitled to this." Don't cheat your employer. Don't charge them for time that you didn't work. You need to be honest and need to have integrity and remember it's the Lord Christ whom you serve. And your boss may not see, but the Lord sees. He sees everything that I do, everything that you do. He knows when we're working and doing our work heartily as unto the Lord and He knows when we're just mailing it in and we're just spending our time goofing off. God says, "Don't do that." That doesn't please your employer, that doesn't please Me. That's not a good testimony.

And what's your job all about? It's about ministry. It's about being a witness. So God wants you to strive to please your boss or employer. And number three, God wants you to show the impact that Christ has made in your life. He says instead, "Tell slaves to show their masters how good and completely loyal they can be. Then they will show the beauty of the teachings about God our Savior in everything they do."

You remember this, you represent Jesus on the job. So even when the job is hard and even when you don't want to do it and even when you want to grumble and gripe and even when you want to get together with the other employees and let's have a lunch and we'll talk bad about the boss, you represent Jesus. And they're watching you to see how you respond. And when things go bad and when it gets rough and when you get squeezed, what comes out?

My pastor used to say this. He said, "You know, your life is really like a tube of toothpaste and when the pressure comes, whatever comes out is what's inside." And if what's inside is the joy of the Lord, then even in the pressure, that comes out. But what's inside, if it's just the rottenness of self, then that will come out. The pressure is going to show it. The pressure doesn't cause the rottenness, it reveals the rottenness if it's there and it reveals the sweetness if it's there.

And so he says, "Hey, let them see. Show to them that you really belong to Jesus, that you're living every day knowing that that's my ministry." And nobody does it perfectly. I had lots of days where I didn't do so well on the job where I grumbled and I griped and I didn't like it and I was sick of sweating in my suit. But hey, you know what? A righteous man falls seven times and rises again.

God wants to use you in your job. You represent Jesus on the job and you can cause people at work to want to follow Jesus. They see something in you that's different and you have an opportunity to impact people for Christ. When I left to go into the ministry, one of the girls that was there that worked with us, she told me as I was, we were having the going away party for me, she said, "Jeff, I want to thank you." And I said, "Thank me for what?" And she said, "I didn't think it was possible." I said, "You didn't think what was possible?" She said, "I didn't think it was possible for somebody to really live for Christ and be successful in this job." And she said, "You showed me that it's possible."

Man, what a compliment! And I definitely wasn't perfect and I messed up a lot, but she saw something in there. Another guy at the office, he wasn't a believer. He and I spent a lot of time together. He started going to Second Baptist in Houston and the Lord got a hold of his life and he met the girl that he ended up marrying and now he's in Florida serving the Lord. But God changed his life and I know that God was gracious to use me in that situation to have influence and impact and God wants to use you that way too.

Hey, how do you turn your job into a joy? You see it as a ministry. You find the fun and snap, it's a game and you see that God wants to use you and God will bless you as you trust Him and as you walk with Him. Hey, your job is your daily opportunity to shine for Jesus.

Larry Nobles: Well, are you shining for Jesus in your job? We trust that today's message from Pastor Jeff Schreve called Turning Your Job into a Joy has been an encouragement for you to do just that. Not only do these truths we've heard from scripture today have the ability to change our attitudes, but they can have significant eternal impact on others with whom we work.

Maybe you have friends or family who are believers but they grumble about their work or their employment situation all the time and you're concerned about them. They need to hear this message of hope in the workplace. Now today's message was edited significantly for time, but you can get the entire unedited lesson online at fromhisheart.org. It's one of eight in Pastor Jeff's series Setting the House in Order: A Study of the Book of Titus. Go to fromhisheart.org for details and ask for the message or series by name. You can also just click the listen link for direct access to the series.

Today's message, Turning Your Job into a Joy, from the series Setting the House in Order. Well, that's all the time we have for today's edition of From His Heart. I'm Larry Nobles inviting you to be right back here tomorrow for the next lesson in the Setting the House in Order series. It'll remind us that grace is critical to the Christian life. You can't get along without it. Here's just a glimpse of what's to come then.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: And when you live under the power of your own strength, life is so hard and it's so tiresome and it's so wearying and you think, "What is the use? Nothing ever seems to work right." Grace is critical to the Christian life. You can't get along without grace and grace is here to instruct us as the scripture said, instructing us to do certain things. So I want us to look and see the three lessons that grace has for us.

Larry Nobles: Join us on Wednesday for Are You Following the Instruction of Grace when we'll open up God's word and share real truth, real love, and real hope from His heart.