Pathway to Victory

Speaker 1

Hey podcast listeners, thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's Word through the most effective media available, like this podcast.

To support Pathway to Victory, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes.

Now here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 2

Hi, this is Robert Jeffress and I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day. This Bible teaching program on today's edition.

Speaker 3

Of Pathway to Victory, I want us to do three things.

Speaker 2

First of all, we're going to look at the relationship in the Bible between productivity and prosperity.

Secondly, we're going to define laziness or slothfulness and look at four characteristics of it.

And then finally, we're going to talk about five practical ways to develop an attitude of productivity in your life.

Speaker 1

Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress. Everyone seems to be looking for the next get rich, quick scheme or fast return on investment. But such financial endeavors can only benefit us in the short term.

Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress encourages us to invest in eternity by maximizing the time, talents, resources, and opportunities that God has given to us.

But first, let's take a minute to hear some important ministry updates.

Speaker 3

Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Well, no country in the world is more productive, more hardworking than America. We are blessed with a heritage of men and women who have labored and toiled so that we can enjoy the fruit of their work. But we live in times when many are looking to be comfortable, not productive. And yet, the Bible teaches that hard work delivers personal rewards that we cannot attain any other way. We're going to take a deep dive into this subject today.

Plus, to help you grapple with this important topic, I've also written a book for you. It's called *Choose You, Change Your Life*. I'm prepared to send you a copy today when you become a Pathway Partner or give a one-time generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. In fact, this special offer includes another book. This one is written by David Greene, founder of Hobby Lobby. It's called *The Legacy Life*. It too is yours when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory or when you give your first gift as a Pathway Partner.

These two resources are a gift from Pathway to Victory. But the true reward of your financial support is knowing you are making an eternal impact through your generous gifts. You're proclaiming hope to a world that's desperately searching for truth.

Alright, we'll say more about David's book and other resources later. Right now, let's give our complete attention to the study of God's word. I titled today's message *Choosing Productivity Over Laziness*.

Speaker 2

In our series "Choose Your Attitudes, Change Your Life," we're saying we don't get to choose our circumstances. We don't get to change our circumstances. But we can choose our response, our attitudes to the circumstances of life. One circumstance that we all in this room share together is this: God has given each one of us a limited amount of time, talents, resources, and opportunities. But we choose how we spend those gifts from God.

One choice of an attitude is an attitude of productivity. Now, the best way to understand productivity, that is the attitude of maximizing your God-given gifts, is to look at its opposite: slothfulness and laziness. The book of Proverbs has a wealth, pardon the pun, of information about slothfulness and laziness. Turn over to Proverbs 24:30-34.

"I passed by the field of the sluggard, the lazy person, and by the vineyard of the man lacking sense. And behold, it was completely overgrown with thistles. Its surface was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. And when I saw, I reflected upon it; I looked and I received instruction. And here's the instruction he received: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest. Then your poverty will come as a robber, and your want, that is your need, like an armed man."

How do you recognize a sluggard? Proverbs gives us four definite characteristics of a sluggard.

Number one, the sluggard refuses to begin a job. Proverbs 26:14 says, "Like the door turns on its hinges, so does the sluggard on his bed." He turns back and forth and back and forth; he can never get himself out of bed.

Secondly, the sluggard does not complete his work. Proverbs 12:27 says, "A slothful man does not even roast his prey, but the precious possession of a man is diligence." This guy is lazy; he goes to the effort of killing an animal for his meal that night, but he's too lazy to cook the animal, to cook his meal. And in the event that he does cook the meal, look at this: Proverbs 19:24 says, "The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth." That's lazy.

The third characteristic of the sluggard is that he ignores opportunities. The problem with the sluggard in Proverbs 24 is not that he was sleeping; it's that he was sleeping at the wrong time. He was sleeping when he should have been preparing his vineyard for the harvest, preparing the ground and planting seeds so that when the harvest time came, there was something to harvest. But the sluggard doesn't do that. The sluggard views opportunities as a train: if I miss this train, there'll be another one. If I miss this opportunity, there'll be another opportunity. That's what the sluggard did. He said, "Ah, well, I've got plenty of time to plant seeds and till the land. If I miss the planting time this year, there's always next year." But a wise person, a productive person, understands how rare opportunities are.

A fourth characteristic of the sluggard is that he craves riches. Now, he doesn't like work, but he likes the rewards of work. He short-circuits the work process by looking for a get-rich-quick scheme. Lazy people are always looking for a get-rich-quick scheme. By the way, Proverbs has something to say about that. Proverbs 28:20 states, "He who makes haste to be rich will not go unpunished."

Do you know people like this? They're always looking for the big deal, always talking about their next big deal. The key word is they talk about it, but they never do anything. Proverbs 14:23 says, "In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty." Or Proverbs 28:19: "He who tills his land will have plenty of food, but he who follows empty pursuits will have poverty in plenty."

May I share with you something I've observed as a pastor for 40 years now? Laziness is never compartmentalized. I've never found someone who is lazy in his work but also diligent in his relationship with God. It never happens. If a person is lazy, that laziness infects every area of his life. Look at his home and the way he keeps his home; you see it. Look at his work; you see it. Look at his finances; they're in a mess. Look at his relationship with God; very little effort. He usually has become a victim, a slave to sin in his life. Laziness is never compartmentalized.

One of the great historical examples of the result of slothfulness is found in the life of the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Coleridge was an English poet, but he had all kinds of dreams of creating a utopian society in America. He often felt he was charged with plagiarism and became an addict to opium. William Barclay summarizes the slothfulness of Coleridge's life. He writes, "Samuel Coleridge is a supreme tragedy of indiscipline. Never did so great a mind produce so little."

He left Cambridge University to join the army, left the army because he could not rub down a horse, returned to Oxford, and left without a degree. He began a paper called "The Watchman," which lived for 10 issues and then died. It has been said of Coleridge that he lost himself to visions of work to be done that remained to be done. Coleridge had every gift but one: the gift of sustained and concentrated effort. Again, slothfulness is an attitude that is indifferent toward the talent, the time, the resources, and the opportunities God has entrusted to us. Slothfulness leads to a life of dissatisfaction and poverty in this life and the loss of rewards in the next life, according to Matthew chapter 25.

Maybe you're like the writer of Proverbs who walked through and saw that house in disrepair and said, "I don't want to be like that guy who would allow that to happen to his house. I want to be productive. I want to be different."

How do you develop this attitude of productivity? Let me share with you five quick suggestions, all rooted in Scripture, to develop productivity in your life.

Number one: Clearly define your purpose in life. Now, we're going to talk about this more next time when we talk about choosing purpose over aimlessness in life. But let me just give you a preview. Having a clearly defined purpose, a purpose statement, is like a beacon in the darkness that gives you direction about which way to go in your life. A purpose statement also gives you the motivation to want to be productive. If you don't know what you're doing or what your purpose is in life, why should you get up early, work hard, or manage your money? Purpose gives you the motivation to live a productive life.

In Ephesians 5:15-17, Paul says, "Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." As one paraphrase says, "Firmly grasp what you know God's purpose for your life is."

Secondly, to be productive, spend your time effectively. Truly productive people don't measure time in decades, years, or even months; they measure time in terms of hours and even minutes. Valuing time is a biblical concept. In Psalm 90:12, Moses wrote, "Lord, teach us to number our days, that we may present to thee a heart of wisdom." One paraphrase says, "Lord, let us know how short our time on Earth is and help us to spend our days as we should."

James 4:14 states, "You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor," literally, that word means a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Knowing how brief our existence is here on Earth should cause us to manage time like a valuable commodity and make the most of our time.

Charles Schwab was an American industrialist who was the president of Bethlehem Steel in the early 1900s. One day, he called a well-known consultant, a man named Ivy Lee, and asked him to come to his office. He said, "Mr. Lee, I need to be more productive with my time. If you'll help me learn how to become more productive, I'll pay you whatever fee you demand." Ivy Lee said, "Okay, here's my advice. Tonight, before you go to bed, take out a sheet of paper and write down the five things you need to accomplish tomorrow. Then prioritize those things: Number 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. When you get to work tomorrow morning, start working on number one. Take as long as you need to complete that. Once you complete it, cross it off and go to number two, then to number three, and so on. Even if you don't make it all the way through your list, at least you will have spent your time working on the most important things. The next day, pick up with whatever you left off with and make that number one and do the same thing and see what happens."

Charles Schwab took that challenge. After a couple of weeks, he sent Ivy Lee a check for $25,000—a lot of money in the early 1900s. It had not only revolutionized his life, but he shared it with his workers. Within five years, Bethlehem Steel became the largest producer of steel in the world. Now, that's something every one of us can do. It doesn't even cost you $25,000. Just tonight, before you go to bed, make that list of the five most important things. Prioritize it. That's your to-do list for the next day. Start with number one until you finish it, then move on to number two, three, four, and five. That's what it means to make good use of your time.

Third, how do you build productivity into your life? Manage your financial resources according to God's plan. In the Bible, there is a correlation between laziness and financial bondage. But there's also a link between a lack of productivity and financial bondage. Here's why: people who are constantly enslaved by money worries—wondering how they're going to pay the rent that week, wondering how they're going to fend off a bill collector—do not have the freedom to pursue their God-given purpose in life. That's why God's plan for every Christian is not necessarily to be wealthy; that's not his plan, but his plan is for us to be financially free.

In fact, you may remember in my message or series "The Solomon Secrets," we talked about Solomon's ABCs to be financially free. When you follow God's principles about spending, debt, giving, and saving, you'll be free to pursue your God-given purpose in life. That's why Paul said, "Owe no man anything except a debt of love." In other words, don't be a slave to anything so that you can be free to serve God. If you don't have financial freedom, you will not have that freedom; you'll be resigned to live a life, as Thoreau said, of quiet desperation.

Our friend John Morgan, for more than 50 years pastor of the Sagemont Baptist Church in Houston, has written and spoken a lot about the subject of biblical principles for finance. He gives us seven warning signs, seven symptoms of being in financial bondage:

1. When you charge daily expenditures because of a lack of funds.

2. When you put off paying a bill due this month until next month.

3. When you borrow to pay fixed expenses such as taxes or insurance.

4. When you have creditors calling or writing about past due bills.

5. When you take money from savings to pay your current bills.

6. When you have less than three months' expenses in an available account for emergencies.

7. When you find returning your tithe to God difficult.

Number four: How do you develop a productive life? Discipline yourself for a productive life. Again, we have to be honest: most of us have a little bit of laziness inside of us. If given our way, we'll take the easy way instead of the hard way. So we need to discipline ourselves.

First Corinthians 9:27 states, "I, Paul, buffet my body and make it my slave." By the way, that's not "buffet my body." He said, "I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly after I've preached to others, I myself might be disqualified." Maybe you have trouble with this whole area of self-discipline in your life. How do you do that? How do you develop discipline to have a productive life?

I came across the most interesting article years ago by John MacArthur that really didn't have a lot to do with the Bible, but it was a great application of 1 Corinthians 9:27 about how to get out of a rut of slothfulness. If you're a lazy, unproductive person, where do you start? Listen to these tips, six of them, very quickly:

1. Start small. Start with your room. Clean it, then keep it clean. When something is out of place, train yourself to put it where it belongs. Then extend that discipline and neatness to the rest of your home.

2. Be on time. Now, that may not sound very spiritual, but it's important. If you're supposed to be somewhere at a specific time, be there on time. Develop the ability to manage your activities and demands so that you can arrive on time.

3. Do the hardest job first. Doing that will prevent the hardest jobs from being left undone.

4. Organize your life. Use a calendar and make a daily list of things you need to accomplish. This is so key; if you don't control your time, everything and everyone else will.

5. Accept correction. Correction makes you more disciplined because it shows you what you need to avoid. Don't avoid criticism; accept it gladly.

6. Practice self-denial. Learn to say no to your feelings. Make it a habit to say no to at least one thing you want to do every day—not because that thing is wrong or sinful, but just saying no to one thing you'd like to do. That extra piece of dessert, that extra TV show, whatever it is—just saying no to it will remind your body who's really in charge. That is so important. Practice self-denial.

The final step for developing productivity is to make sure you define productivity correctly. You know, if you ask the average Christian how they would prioritize these issues in their life—your family, your work, your finances, and your relationship with God—most every Christian would say, "Oh, my relationship with God is number one; it's the most important." But you wouldn't know that by looking at the person's calendar or where they spend their efforts or their money most of the time.

Let's admit it: God gets the leftovers of our life—the leftover time, the leftover money, the leftover energy—and rarely is there anything much left over in those areas of our life. What a tragedy it is to develop productivity in your life, being focused on your life purpose, and then realize you had neglected the most important thing in life: your relationship with God.

You know, the Bible says when that midnight cry comes and we're called home to be with the Lord, everything we've done will be left behind, and every material possession will be burned up by fire. That's why, as Jim Elliott said, the most profitable use of our life is to spend it on something that will outlast it. Jesus said it this way in Matthew 16:26: "What does it profit a person if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?" Make sure you define productivity correctly.

Speaker 3

My hope is that today's message has inspired you to count your days and to ask God to help you remain productive for His purposes. I want to close today by asking you a personal question. It's one that keeps me up at night as you reflect on your family and the current state of our nation. What are we actually handing off to the next generation?

That's why I so appreciate David Green's new book, *The Legacy Life*. David didn't just build Hobby Lobby from scratch into a retail giant; he leveraged its success for the gospel, funding ministries across the globe. And now he's pulled back the curtain on how he thinks the biblical framework can turn ordinary lives into generational game changers.

*The Legacy Life* gives you the tools to articulate what matters most and pass it down in ways that stick when you become a Pathway Partner. Today, this book is yours, plus my own book, *Choose Your Change, Change Your Life*, whether you give monthly or make a one-time generous gift.

But here's what really matters: you're joining a mission that's introducing people to Jesus right now. People who will one day thank you personally in eternity because you partnered with Pathway to Victory. Here's David with the next steps.

Speaker 1

You can become a Pathway Partner by going online to ptv.org or by calling 866-999-2965. And when you sign up to become a Pathway Partner or when you give a generous gift, you're invited to request a copy of the book *The Legacy Life*. Plus, you'll also receive the book *Choose Your Change, Change Your Life* by Dr. Robert Jeffress.

Now, when you give $100 or more, you'll also receive the audio and video discs for the teaching series *Choose Your Attitudes, Change Your Life*. Plus, we're going to send you a study guide especially designed for individual or group study. Again, call 866-999-2965 or visit PTV.

You know, a lot of folks prefer to contact us the good old-fashioned way. If that sounds like you, our address is P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. Again, that's P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222.

I'm David J. Mullins. Do you know your purpose? And if so, are you living it out each day? Join us next time for the message titled *Choosing Purposes Over Aimlessness* here on Pathway to Victory.

Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. Alaska's pristine wilderness showcases God's glory like nowhere else on earth, and you're invited to experience it firsthand on the Pathway to Victory Cruise to Alaska.

Speaker 2

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You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway Partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in His Word. To become a Pathway Partner, go to ptv.org/donate or you can follow the link in our show notes.

We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. Oh, and one last thing before we go. Have you reserved your spot yet for the 2026 Pathway to Victory Cruise to Alaska? You've been hearing me and Dr. Jeffress mention it, so what are you waiting for? Just picture yourself on the deck of Holland America's elegant Koningsdam and stepping out on deck to witness nature's grandeur. It's beautiful. These moments in God's creation will deepen your faith in powerful ways. It really will.

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