♪ theme music ♪ (Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School, an in-depth, interactive study of the Word of God. We're coming to the close of a practical series of studies, <i>Lessons for Life,</i> education from the Word of God, today, <i>Learning to Work.</i> You say, "Does the Bible say anything about work?" Oh, yes, it does; it also gives us an antidote for laziness. You say, "I need that; I'm going to stay with you today." We're glad you joined us, and welcome to the team. A practical series, <i>Lessons for Life.</i> The Bible's a practical book, isn't it? (Team) Yes. (Derek) And we're glad that we can be together. You're watching and saying, "Derek, where are the other seven members
of the team?" And the answer is, we're still in a global health pandemic, and so we have restricted numbers here in the studio, but we're seeing God bless in spite of the limitations. And we're glad that wherever you are - you may also have some restrictions - that we can connect together and learn more about the Word of God. We're also happy to hear from you. Write to us at sshope@hopetv.org. We've discovered many people are finding out about Hope Sabbath School during this pandemic; they're in lockdown, and they're watching and searching for hope and finding Hope Sabbath School. If that's you, we'd love to hear from you; sshope@hopetv.org is our address. Here's a note from Richard in Canada, British Columbia, "My family and I have been watching Hope Sabbath School regularly for over a decade." (Team) Wow! (Derek) They've been watching from the very beginning. "I keep praying that God will continue to work through Hope Channel, its excellent programming, and the people that produce it, to reach more diverse people groups
effectively." You know, that's something
that's really important. The person continues, Richard, "Seeing someone who looks like you serving a loving Savior is a powerful witness." Now, one of the things that people write to us about with Hope Sabbath School team is we kind of look like the world, so just kind of take a look at each other, and you'll notice that we don't all look the same, right? That's every nation, kindred
tongue and people, and next week it may look different, too, right, as we've got a variety of people. Richard says, "That's a powerful witness
and encouragement." And, Richard, you are right. We need to not only
talk about inclusivity - about the family of God being every nation, kindred,
tongue and people - we need to model it, and we thank you for that reminder. Here is a note from Nathaniel in Zimbabwe. Are we getting a lot of emails from Zimbabwe? (Team) Yes. (Derek) I think there must be a million Hope Sabbath School members
just in Zimbabwe. "I've been watching your lessons every day," Nathaniel writes, "and I enjoy them. I'm an Adventist, and I'm learning more about the Bible through these lessons." (Team) Amen. (Derek) "Continue doing this great work
that you're doing, and God's grace will soon fill the whole world, and we know one day we shall be caught up in the clouds of glory with our Savior, the One we've been waiting for. Amen." (Team) Amen. (Derek) Nathaniel, we'd like to meet you in person. We sense that you're a devoted follower of Jesus, and we're longing for that day, too, when Jesus will return in glory. Well, here's another hand-written note. This one's from a donor in California, and the donor writes and says, "I'm 94 years old; I've been watching Hope Channel for many years, but the little gift each month has been interrupted" (by what?) "a house burning, a spouse dying,
and illness. My plans have always been to support your program, and now I'll start again with a small gift, but praying for God's continued blessing. May God bless you and the wonderful Hope
Sabbath School team. Thank you," and a gift of 45 dollars. Praise God, 15 dollars a month. You know, I want to thank each one of you that supports this ministry. It's donor-supported ministry, and whether a person gives 5,000 dollars or 5 dollars, we're all part of the team. Amen? Hopetv.org/donate, if you want to say, "I want to partner," you're thinking about your giving for this year, thank you for thinking about Hope Channel. Well, here's a note from Pennsylvania, "I'm the head elder of a church in Pottsville, Pennsylvania,"
David writes. "I teach a Bible study, and I always watch Hope Sabbath School, and I get insights that help me tremendously. One of my favorite presenters is," and it's someone who's not here today, but you know Tricia Lee. "You can tell she loves God and loves presenting His Word,"
and we'd say? (Team) Amen. (Derek) We believe that. "All of your presenters are good, but I really can relate to Tricia Lee." Well, David, we'll send that note to her. It will encourage her; she's a volunteer just like the team. We're volunteers, but we believe God's given us a mission to share His good news, for a better life for today and for eternity, with the world. I'm sure she will be encouraged
by your note. Here is a last note, from Jamaica. Has anybody...Is that home for you,
Jamaica, Shaina? (Shaina) For my family. (Derek) Ah, home for your family, alright. Well, give Emily a wave, then. Emily from Jamaica, "Hi,
brothers and sisters. Ever since I started watching Hope Sabbath School, I've been growing spiritually." (Team) Amen! (Derek) That's why we do it,
Harold, right? (Harold) Of course! (Derek) It's not just about producing TV. It's about helping people draw closer to God. Emily says, "I'm growing spiritually. Thanks for your help in understanding the Bible study each week. I'm an assistant Sabbath School Director. Sometimes I lead out in the study. Your interactive methods have helped me to be a better teacher!" (Team) Amen. (Derek) That's good. "I look forward to studying with you each week." Well, Emily, thanks for writing to us. And, you know, that really
is exciting to us. Tens of thousands of people are downloading the outline from hopetv.org/hopess. You can get the same outline we're using in our study today, and you can start your own interactive class. And you'll see, as you interact and share together, how the Holy Spirit will bless. That's what we're praying for today as we talk about <i>Learning to Work;</i> it's a lesson for life, but before we do, let's sing our theme song. It's from Proverbs 19 and verse 20, "Listen to counsel, receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days," let's sing together. ♪ music ♪ (Derek) Let's pray; Father in Heaven, this practical series of <i>Lessons for Life</i> has given us a real education. We want to learn today about work. Some of us maybe didn't grow up loving work, but help us to see that work done well brings honor to Your name and blessings to those around us. May Your Holy Spirit guide us in this practical study today. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. (Team) Amen. (Derek) Now, I think there are probably some people who think work is the result of sin, that before sin, no work, just sit around, and I don't know,
do nothing. But actually, if you read the Book, even before sin, work was a part. In God's ideal, even in the Sabbath
command to rest, it says, "Six days, work." So, work is an important part
of our lives. We want to discover in our study today how we can work in a way that honors God. So, let's get started, and, Shaina, if you could begin our study in the book of Genesis, chapter 2, verse 15, we'll discover that even in a perfect world, it was God's ideal that we would be active in work. How does it read in Genesis 2:15? (Shaina) I'll be reading from the King James Version: (Derek) So, if it was perfect, Harold, no weeds, right, no bugs
that eat things... I've been trying to keep a garden this year. There are so many bugs that want to eat my garden. But this is before all of the predators and all of the weeds and thorns and thistles. What work might Adam and his wife possibly have had to do in that perfect setting? (Harold) Well, one thing that I can think of is probably arrange flowers
or plants differently, or maybe play around, because on this earth you can actually shape trees, and maybe there was some shaping involved. I mean, everything was perfect, so probably they could have some, I guess, fun playing with the creation, too, that God has made. (Derek) That's an interesting thought, that work does not have to be distasteful. It can be something positive. But something changed in Genesis, chapter 3, with stepping out of the plan of God, and notice what happened to nature, Genesis 3, verses 17 to 19. And, Kimberly, could you read that for us, please? (Kim) I'll be reading from the English Standard Version: (Derek) So, something changed with their work assignment. Nothing about "sweat of your brow" and "thorns and thistles" in the perfect environment; something has changed. Jason, what does it mean, what did the Lord mean when He said, "The ground is cursed for your sake"? (Jason) So, before sin, before this situation happened, apparently there weren't
thorns and thistles. It wasn't necessarily difficult for things to grow. But, for those of us who have experienced trying to grow things, there are weeds that can be in the ground, there can be substances in the ground that can be harmful, animals, whether it's little worms or bugs that might want to harm the plants, so apparently things within the earth itself became harmful to the plants. And man had to remove them in a process that was a lot more painful. Anyone who has weeded a garden or weeded any kind of plant knows what I'm talking about here. (Derek) So, why do you think God did that? Why did He curse the ground
for their sake? Is He just mean, arbitrary? You say, "No, Derek! We've learned in this series that God is a God of love, and He wants a relationship with us. He wants to be close to us." In some way, the cursing of the ground, Brittany, was for their benefit. Talk to us about that. (Brittany) Yeah, I was just thinking about how, when you work, you learn a lot of lessons, and one that they might have learned is, "I can't do this on my own; I need Your help." And so, there was a way of teaching them dependence on God because they had to depend on the water. They had to depend on the sun. They had to depend on all of these things that they couldn't control in order for their food to grow and for them to have something to eat. And so, it was a lesson on dependence on God. Just like they were depending on Him for their physical needs, they can depend on Him
for their salvation. (Derek) Okay, so that lesson of dependence? Yes, Harold. (Harold) Also, that's an opportunity to learn about the character of God because, actually, nature is like the second book, aside from the Bible. And, if you think about it, when you have to care for something that you have planted, it's like God caring for us. He's trying to weed away sin, like, that's like the worms, the bugs, trying to destroy us. And that's the lesson that they can get. Like, "Wow, I'm caring for this. This is what God is doing in my life right now. The way I'm caring for this plant
or this animal, every day...God thinks about me every day, and He is the One who controls the growing through the Holy Spirit." So, it's like, Wow, there are so many object lessons that we can get in that experience. (Derek) A year ago, or was it just at the beginning of this year, I guess it was the beginning of this year, we got some organic vegetables, and one of them, it was in a box of vegetables that were sent to us during the pandemic when things were closed, and there were these little red peppers;
they were round. And I thought, "I'll try one of those." And inside there were little seeds. And I thought, "I wonder if I could plant the seeds." I'm not an experienced gardner. And I planted the seeds; I probably planted half a dozen, and they grew into little plants. And I thought, "That's amazing! I wonder if I can grow some peppers?" But, you know, I learned a lesson, and I want to hear some lessons from you, my plant started to grow, and it started even to get nice green peppers that would later turn red, but then a dreaded hornworm came. It's a long green worm with little horns on it. And it can strip that pepper plant in probably a matter of days. And I was shocked when I saw it, and I thought of a lesson, Harold. I thought of a lesson; I thought, "If I don't deal with this problem, it's going to get worse." Can you share...Was that true, by the way? (Team) Yes. (Derek) It was true, right? Can you think of a lesson you've learned from nature? You know, God apparently allowed us to have a harder time with nature to realize that sin damages everything, right? It doesn't just cause death
to human beings. The wages of sin is death, but it damages everything. But there were lessons that could be learned. Anyone want to share a lesson you learned from working with plants, gardening, working in nature, that was a valuable lesson
for you? Brittany. (Brittany) Along the same lines
of what you were talking about, my brother and I had a lawn mowing and gardening kind of business, a landscaping business, and we
would often weed large, huge landscape flowerbeds. And there would just be tons of weeds. And something that I learned
is that it's best to pull out the weeds when they're tiny instead of waiting until they're huge because they get deeper roots, and they get a lot harder to pull out. Sometimes you have to get a shovel when they're tall, but when they're little, you can just pull them out
with two fingers. And so, the same with sin. When we first start having, maybe, negative thoughts that are leading us down a path, if we surrender those to God, you know, we're first starting to maybe act on something
that's not appropriate, if we say, "God, help me in this,"
when it's small, it's easier to take care of than when we just let sin grow in our lives and have this strong foothold. God can still take care of it; He can still give us victory, but it's a lot harder. (Derek) Now, sometimes we plant things, and they don't grow well. I had a little melon, and it started to rot on the end. What lesson could I learn from that? "Never plant melons again," no. Shaina? (Shaina) It could have been
the environment. Like, was the melon in the right environment that would foster its growth
to the right size? (Derek) So, what would you tell me to do? (Shaina) Reconsider the area that you planted in. And, yeah, even the different, what do you call it, like your nitrogen levels in your soil, those things are important when you're planting as well, too. (Derek) So, there are lessons about God's care for us by the way we care for the melon. And don't give up just because one melon doesn't make it, right? There are more melons that can come. That's a simple lesson, isn't it? But I think actually staying close to nature is a good thing. Did any of you grow up where, as part of your education, you were involved in working with nature? Jason. (Jason) Yes, the high school that I went to was a work-study program. So, in the mornings we would work, and in this case it was weeding organic carrots, so I really got my hands into the soil and had to experience some of the toil referenced in Genesis. And then in the afternoon we would have classes. And so, I got to have a mixture of intellectual academic study and also physical study with my hands. (Derek) How did that work out for you? You didn't decide to become a professional gardener, did you? (Jason) No, I didn't, so that's the thing. I'm not someone who necessarily loves
to work with his hands. I prefer the intellectual stuff,
but it was good because it kind of helped me be more well-rounded and appreciate physical things, even if it's not natural to me, what I would enjoy. (Derek) One of the things when we're talking about <i>Learning to Work</i> is not only that work is part of God's plan, even from the beginning, but that God actually wants to bless the work of our hands. Let's look at a couple of passages that reinforce that; Deuteronomy, chapter 16 and verse 15. Deuteronomy 16 and verse 15, Brittany, how does that read in your Bible? (Brittany) I'll be reading from the New King James Version, Deuteronomy 16, verse 15: (Derek) God wants to bless the work of our hands - work. What is necessary in order for that blessing to come? (Shaina) You have to work. (Derek) You have to work. God's like, "I'm ready to bless the work of your hands." We're going to talk about laziness a little later, but God cannot bless the work of your hands if you're not doing anything, right? So, what does it mean in practical terms for God to bless the work of your hands? What do you think? What do you think it meant back in the day when Moses was speaking, Brittany? (Brittany) That the people had a job to do, that they had to plant, they had to harvest, they had to tend the animals, and God was going to bring about fruit from that. He was going to provide for them, but they also needed to depend on Him, and they had to work. They needed to unite with Him in work. And He was going to help them have everything they needed. (Derek) Shaina, did you want to add to that? (Shaina) Yeah, I'm thinking
of Jacob, when he... (Derek) It was coming through my mind
the same story! Tell us the story. (Shaina) When he had to work for his wife, and his father-in-law gave him like a certain set of...he gave them the spotted animals, I believe,
to take care of. And Jacob was like, "Okay." He worked, and God multiplied his animals to be more fit and more in number than his father-in-law's animals. So, it's like God was like, "You do 50, and I'll match it and multiply it for you." (Derek) That's interesting; we both thought about that same story because it was not so much
just good return, but saying, "God, I want to honor You." And God says, "I'll bless the work of your hands." And that was a witness to his Uncle Laban, who was a little bit unscrupulous or unfair maybe, but there's an example. Can you think of any other stories in the Bible where God actually blessed the work of someone's hands? Yes, Harold. (Harold) Well, I think of Joseph, the son of Jacob, that he ended up as a slave, but yet, because of his good work ethics and remaining faithful to God,
he was promoted. First in Potiphar's house, and then eventually over time he became the second in command over all Egypt. And it was because of his faithfulness to God and his good work ethics. (Derek) And, I guess we learned from that story you might go to prison in between, right? Because the enemy was not happy with that witness. (Team) Yes. (Derek) But, you're right, it says there in the book of Genesis that God blessed Potiphar's house on account of Joseph, right? (Shaina) And then the nation, too. (Derek) And then the whole nation. In fact, the surrounding nations were blessed, too, that God blessed the work of his hands. Have you seen, in your lifetime, someone who honored God, they were a great example to you in many areas of life, but you saw God bless the work of their hands? And you said, "You know, that's a witness," just like it was in some of these Bible stories. Jason. (Jason) So, my grandpa's a farmer, and he has both crops, and he also had cows at one point. And it was just amazing for me to watch his faithful work ethic. You know, he'd be up at 4 a.m., 5 a.m. He'd be out there taking care of the cows. He'd be out there planting, and, you know, doing all the farming processes. And so, for me, it was just fascinating because he was faithful in the work that God gave him, and He was also faithful in his spiritual life, too, because then he would come in, and we grandkids would be there, and he would have worship with us in the morning. We'd have breakfast, and then he would go right back out and continue working. (Derek) Beautiful. I'm thinking of a businessman who is a good friend
of Hope Sabbath School and of Hope Channel who started a car dealership
as a young man. And he said, "I'm not going to be open on Sabbath." And people said, "You're crazy! Saturday is the big day." But he determined that he would honor God and treat his clients with care and respect in a way that honored God, and his dealership grew to be one of the most successful of that particular brand in the whole country! Because he determined he would honor God, God blessed the work of his hands. What could that look like for you in what you're doing today? What could it look like? What could it look like caring
for students who have speech-language issues? (Brittany) Right now, since we're
doing things virtually, I'm doing a lot more of interaction with the parents in order to help the children. And so, I'm connecting with the children and doing therapy with them, but I'm also connecting with the parents, and I'm also connecting with the team, the special ed team and the teachers. And so, it's a lot of intentional contact, whether it's email, a phone call, a Zoom meeting, where I'm just really investing in those children and trying to provide multiple resources for them to keep growing, even when they can't be in the school builidng. So, it's just depending on God for wisdom because each child is so special and unique and has different challenges
that they face. (Derek) So, would it be an appropriate prayer, whether I'm writing an exam, to say, "Lord, bless the work of my hands," right, and my head because I've got to write down or keyboard in, right, if I'm doing a research project, going on an interaction with a client, "God, bless the work of my hands"? Whatever I'm doing, is that a prayer that I could pray? (Team) Yes! (Derek) And, like Shaina said earlier, He can only bless the work of your hands if you work, right? We'll get to the lazy part a little later, but He wants us to be active
and to do work. I want to look at one other area in terms of <i>Learning to Work</i> as the lesson for life, and that is, God not only wants to bless us like He did, more spotted goats and spotted sheep, freckled sheep or whatever they were, but He is honored when we do our work with excellence. Before we think of someone that reminds us of that, let's go to the Scripture and look in the book of Exodus. There's a story of an artisan, a craftsman, Jason, if you could read from Exodus 35, verses 30 to 35. Let's learn about this excellence in work that honored God. (Jason) I've got the New
King James Version here, Exodus, chapter 35, verses 30 through 35: (Derek) Now, this is not just for a craft show or a market. What's the context of this craftsmanship? (Team) The sanctuary. (Derek) The sanctuary, right, so the pieces of furniture and the curtains, all of the weaving, this is all what these individuals
are working on. What impresses you as you read about this special gift that's given to these workmen?
Yes, Brittany. (Brittany) I'm just reminded, many times we think about, you know, God gives gifts to the pastor or to someone who's involved in some sort of evangelistic outreach, but here we have people who are artisans, people who are maybe painters or sewers, or, you know, tapestry makers, and it doesn't matter what line of work we have. God can fill us with His Spirit, and we can work for Him in any line of work. It's not the title that you have, but it's your willingness to be filled with His Spirit. (Derek) Can you think of other Bible characters besides Bezalel and his friend? What was his friend's name again? Not a well-known man, is it Aholiab? Yeah, I've never heard of him before except just reading him now, but when he worked, the excellence of his work honored God, didn't it? Can you think of any other characters in the Bible where the work that they did, and it may not be carving, but it may be whatever God called them to do, they did it with an excellence
that honored God? Some names that come to mind
in their story. (Shaina) I'm thinking of David, when he was a shepherd, like, that was such a huge testimony. He was just a little shepherd boy, and then he goes out onto a battlefield. I'm sure he was well-rounded in his craft as a shepherd, and that built his faith so that he could go out on a battlefield with two large armies and stand up against a giant. (Derek) Right, I mean, the excellence in his work came from that sling, right, and the sling was a shepherd's tool, right? (Team) Yes. (Derek) In fact, he said he had used it
on several occasions, right? (Shaina) Yeah, with a lion... (Derek) With a bear and a lion, right? And so, now he has this huge target, Goliath, right? But he had learned excellence in his work, and that work honored God. It's interesting, we talked about God-centered learning in a previous study, but while he was watching the sheep, what was he doing? (Team Member) He was practicing. (Derek) Well, I'm sure he was
practicing with his sling, but he was also writing Scripture songs, right, like Psalm 23, which says...? (Team) "The Lord is my Shepherd." (Derek) It doesn't get better
than when the <i>Lord</i> is your Shepherd, right? "He leads me...," right, green pastures, still waters, restores my soul. That's a beautiful example of one who even in what some might consider a humble work assignment - because the shepherds were kind of looked down on, right - a humble work assignment, he honored God in that. Beautiful, thank you. Yes? (Harold) I think of Daniel
and his friends, and what makes it more interesting is that they are foreigners and they're captives under this king, and yet their duty is to first serve God and yet serve faithfully, of course, the king as long as the king does not interfere with their beliefs. And yet, they were promoted to be great advisers. When Nebuchadnezzar even saw that the three friends were not going to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar's statue, he was, like, "Wow!" Their testimony was very powerful, that, in the end, it did have an impact for him to believe in God. (Derek) And yet, as you said, and I think this is really important, you know, you can go to your employer, and you can say, "I don't work on Sabbath," and, "I'm not going to steal things from your store,"
or whatever, but to also do good work, right? That in itself is a witness, and you're saying Daniel - and probably Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego as well - but Daniel, remarkably, that when the kingdom that he's serving in falls, what's the rest of the story? The next person says, "Can you stay on?" (Team) Yeah. (Derek) There's something about the excellence of his work that really honors God. That's a great illustration. Anybody else that you can think of, that the excellence of their work...? I'm thinking of some ladies, where the excellence of their work
honored God. And one may be an unexpected one. Yes? (Brittany) Along the line of the ladies, Dorcas. You know, she was a follower of Jesus, and she was making clothing, it seems, for people that were in need. And she was looking out for others. And Jesus praised her for that, or maybe not Jesus specifically but Paul and Peter and everyone... (Derek) Peter. (Brittany) Yeah, and she was
raised from the dead. But even when she died, people were bringing the things that she had made and saying, "Look what she did for me,"
"Look what she did for me." And so, the little that she did made a huge impact in people's lives. (Derek) I'm thinking bad workmanship would be the widow's weeping and saying, "She made this, and it fell apart." But they're actually coming and saying, "She made this for us, and we love her because she served us." What about Hannah? Keep your one, Shaina, there, but what about Hannah? What was the excellence in her work that honored God? Jason? (Jason) By being a mother and by raising her son to be prepared to serve God in the temple. (Derek) And what kind of environment was it in the temple in those days? Shaina? (Shaina) It was lewd. The priest's sons would go out
and do lewd acts. (Derek) They were sleeping with women at the door of the temple
and getting drunk. And so, it was not a good environment. And do you remember some things that Hannah did that showed her commitment to excellence in the work God had given her? Yes. (Brittany) Well, first of all, she raised him; she must have instilled in him a desire to know and love God because when he went there he was faithful to God, even in the midst of that surrounding. But every year she would bring him a garment that she had made specifically for him that would
fit him that year. And I'm sure, as she was making it, she was praying over it and just, you know, asking the Lord to protect her son. (Derek) "Oh, Lord, cover my son," not just physically, right? So, there are lots of different ways that our work can honor God. Shaina? (Shaina) I'm thinking of another mother, Mary, who her work in raising Jesus in the right way was instrumental in His role as the Messiah. I mean, you could say that either way He would have turned out to be the way He was, but I'm sure that her role as being an excellent mother to Him was instrumental in fulfilling
God's mission. (Derek) Absolutely, God uses
people, doesn't He? In my favorite book on the life of Jesus, <i>The Desire of Ages,</i> it says that He could call only God His teacher, but God used Mary. He was home-schooled, you know? Because the rabbis wanted to indoctrinate Him in their traditions, but God used a godly mother. And her work was excellent, right? That's why she will be called
"blessed," right? We recognize the great work that she has done. Well, let's talk about why excellence in our work is important. Rather than just saying, "Well, I'll just do average work," Harold, "just do average work," what did Jesus say in Matthew 7 and verse 12 in the Sermon on the Mount? Some people have called it
the Golden Rule. You know, there are other rules that other teachers had. I think Confucius said, "Don't do to others what you'd not want them to do to you." That was a rule, and that's a good rule. You know, if you don't like people to hit you, don't hit them. But this rule of Jesus I think could guide us even in our work. (Harold) Yes, and I'll be reading from the New King James Version; it reads: (Derek) So, if you're going to buy a used car, you would hope that the mechanic had fixed it well, right? You say, "Derek, I'm not a mechanic." Well, maybe I do something else, right? Tell me something that you do, you know? I bake bread, not very well, but I'll try, but I want to do it the very best I can because I would want a person to do the same for me. So, I want my excellence to bless them, following the Golden Rule. In fact, doesn't Paul say that everything we do... Where is that found, you remember? (Team) First Corinthians. (Derek) First Corinthians, Kimberly, could you read that for us? Chapter 10, I think, verse 31, that everything we do should, in some way, bring glory to God. What does Paul say to the Corinthians? (Kim) Sure, I'll be reading from the English Standard Version: (Derek) So, I'm sweeping, cleaning up, helping someone with a task, a part-time job, doing it all to the glory of God. That excellence in our work honors Him. Have you seen someone that has inspired you like that? Harold? (Harold) Actually, I was going to say that when we don't work to do things excellently, it's a reflection of our character, which also falls upon God because God does everything perfectly, does everything excellently. So, we, being children of God, being daughters and sons of the King, we should also do the same. (Derek) And we shouldn't be overly hard on ourselves, because we are imperfect, but to do the best we can. Have you met someone like that? You go, whatever she does, or whatever he does, maybe it was a grandparent or maybe a friend, just, really, they put their heart into it and do the very best they can. Brittany? (Brittany) I'm just thinking more of my upbringing. My mom really taught my brother and me to do everything to our best ability, and even at a young age we had this job chart in our kitchen, and it had little hands that were Velcroed with each of our names on it. And it had different chores, like cleaning the bathroom or washing the dishes or vacuuming or ironing or doing laundry, different things that were chores at the home, and each one of us had a job. My brother and I, and my mom, she gave herself hands, too. And she took it from the Bible verse, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all of your might." And so, what I loved about... I didn't always enjoy the chores that I had to do, but my mom did them with us because she also gave herself chores. So, it wasn't like, "You need to go and do your job, and leave me alone." She was, like, "I'm going to do a job," and she would demonstrate how to do that with excellence. And then my brother and I would try, and then she would help us
if we needed it. And it just taught us responsibility. It taught us joy in a job well done. And it brought us back to the Bible because whatever we do, we want to do it to God's glory and with all of our might. (Derek) That's powerful; I would love to see those little felt hands up there, you know, but what a lesson that she was leading by example. Anybody else have someone that you got to meet growing up, or that you know right now, that just was an example of wanting to do things with excellence to honor God? Yes, Harold. (Harold) I had a high school teacher, and the funny thing is that the high school teacher taught me so much, to include, like, how to write essays, how to do public speaking better (I still struggle with it), and he was to me almost like a father because my father passed away
when I was young. But, everything that he did, he always came in with a suit to the school, always. It doesn't matter if it was hot or cold. Everything that he required had to be excellent, but he would help you if you failed. And he would always be very early in school, like, he was the first one when we would walk in, and always willing to help. I'm like, wow, actually, I do eventually want to follow his example, because he was so inspirational. He's been able to bring up the reputation
of the school. He was [featured] on TV because of his good work ethics and working with the students. (Derek) Beautiful. (Harold) Even the worst students
respected him. Everybody passed his exams, even the state exams, and people were like, "What are you doing?" Like, "How do you do it?" That was so inspirational. (Derek) Is he still living? (Harold) Yes, he is still living. (Derek) Wouldn't it be wonderful
if he could watch this program?! You should send him a link to share what a witness that excellence in work was. Now, when does it become unhealthy? Striving for excellence, is there a place where you go, "Wait, this is not healthy"? I remember even Jesus telling His disciples, "Come apart and rest awhile," because they were working so much they didn't even have time to eat. When does that striving for excellence become unhealthy, do you think? Kim? (Kim) I can think of two, Pastor. So, one is if it affects your health. So, the example you gave, the disciples aren't eating. They're not nourishing their bodies, so that would affect their health... (Derek) Your life becomes imbalanced,
out of balance? (Kim) Yes, and two is, you have to look at yourself, and if you're striving too hard in your work because you want to reach a certain rank or maybe make a lot of money, then that kind of shows that you may be proud,
and you're not humble. (Derek) So, the motive. (Kim) Yes, the motive. (Derek) Again, then, if the excellence is to honor God rather than to do better than you, right, that's a totally different way
of approaching things. Well, we've got a few minutes left
in our study. You say, "Derek, you mentioned about the antidote to laziness," because one thing that Shaina told us earlier is God can't bless the work of your hands if you don't do any work, right? Work is part of God's plan, even in a perfect world, and now in a damaged world; it's part of God's plan. He wants us to do it with all of our might and to bless the work of our hands. Well, let's talk about the antidote for laziness, shall we? Proverbs 21 and verse 25 and Proverbs 6, verses 6 through 11, Solomon has two words of counsel regarding an antidote, want to learn how to work. Jason, do you have Proverbs 21, verse 25? (Jason) The New King James Version here, Proverbs, chapter 21, verse 25: (Derek) "The desire of the lazy man
kills him, for his hands refuse to labor." (Harold) Well, if you don't work,
you don't eat. (Derek) Fortunately, Solomon gives us a little help as to how to get out of that rut. Maybe someone's watching and saying, "Wow, that industrious attitude of wanting to honor God and be a blessing to others, I didn't grow up with that. I don't have that; help me." Well, let's take a look in Proverbs, chapter 6, verses 6 through 11, Brittany? It's another lesson, actually from nature. (Brittany) I'll be reading from the New King James Version, Proverbs 6, verses 6 through 11: (Derek) So, we're going to learn from the ants, right? Has anyone ever had an ant colony build an ant hill in your yard? No? I've been in parts of the world where they get really high, but I've seen them. What happens if you knock it down? (Shaina) It's interesting inside;
it's a matrix. (Derek) What do you see, Shaina, if you knock it down? (Shaina) I've actually seen a video of someone pouring, like, liquid nitrogen or something inside, and it forms like... It's like a complex apartment. There are different levels and different layers. (Derek) Like an apartment complex. (Shaina) Or, apartment complex, yeah. And so, they live there, they eat there; it's pretty amazing to see, actually. (Derek) And what happens if you knock it down, does anybody know? (Harold) I guess they build it again? (Derek) They don't give up, do they? They go build it somewhere else, you hope somewhere that's not in the middle of your lawn, right? They build it in the woods
or somewhere like that. There's this level of persistence. What else can you learn
from ants, Brittany? (Brittany) Well, it's said that they
don't have a captain, so they don't need someone to look over them and tell them, "You need to do your job";
they just do it without even anyone watching. And another thing is, they are working together. I've often seen ants in a trail, and they're all helping carry something. Maybe it's a big leaf or flowers or whatever it is, and they're not holding it by themselves. Many times they're kind of like a trail
holding it together, and so we need to work together as well. (Derek) All right. Anyone else? A lesson from ants besides the fact that they bite. Yeah, they store, according
to the Scripture, they plan ahead? Jason? (Jason) So, they build things that, going back to what Brittany said about bringing it together, they build things that help each other
that allow them as a community, as a colony as [I should] say, to be able to live together. So, what they do isn't
just for themselves; it's also for their "fellow mates,"
if you will. (Derek) So, a friend comes to you and says...By the way, there is a text that says, I think it's 2 Thessalonians 3:10, "If you don't work, you can't eat," right? That ought to motivate some people, but there will still be someone standing out at the corner with a cardboard sign, right? Do some of the people with the cardboard signs
have genuine needs? (Team) Yes. (Derek) So, how do you figure out which ones have genuine needs because not all of them do, do they? How do you find out the genuine ones? (Harold) You have to talk, spend time. (Derek) You'd have to stop
and talk to them? (Harold) Yes, build relationship. (Derek) Okay, I heard of someone
who did that and gave them two dollars,
and they kicked the car because they said, "You're only giving me two dollars?!"
kicked the car. I guess you have to pray
for wisdom, right? There may be someone genuinely having a hard time, and the Holy Spirit may impress you to help them significantly. And there may be other people
who are lazy. And so, what do you do if you're giving them money, and they're just lazy? What do you call that? (Brittany) You're perpetuating the same... (Derek) Yeah, perpetuating the cycle, and that's really not going to help them. So, I guess we need to be praying in that situation. If they really are lazy, what's the way we can help them. Let's say a friend comes to you and says, "You know, I just don't feel like working; in fact, I don't feel like doing anything." Pray for wisdom here as you answer the question because sometimes we judge people as just being lazy. What would go through your mind if someone said, "I just don't feel like working; I don't feel like doing anything"? Brittany? (Brittany) First, I would want to know how is their health. Are they impacted mentally or physically, that is preventing them from feeling good about themselves or feeling like they have energy because I have a lot of friends
or people that I know that are struggling in that area, and they aren't able to work because of their health. So, if there is a genuine need, try to help them in that area before saying, "Well, you need to go find a job," or something like that. (Derek) Or, "You're a sluggard." (Brittany) Yeah. (Derek) That's with, "Go
to the ant," right? So, I like that nonjudgmental attitude. Let's find out why they don't feel like doing anything. Maybe there's a health issue that we could help them with. Jason, what else might be behind a person, "I just don't feel like getting up in the morning even, let alone going to work"? (Jason) So, some people might be that way because maybe they've worked
themselves too hard. Maybe they're exhausted because, while they've done good work, they've gone too far. And so, when you work yourself too hard, then you might go to the other extreme
where you're like, "I just don't want to work at all; I just need a break." With that person, I'd say let's
try to find some balance here. Let's try to figure out how to have
a schedule so that you can have healthy work but also have healthy breaks as well,
rest as well as work. (Derek) We have an expression in English, we say "burned out." It's like, you know, I guess with a candle, if you keep the candle burning, it will eventually be used up. So, it could be just sheer exhaustion. They've not had balance in that area. What else might cause a person to feel, "I don't even want to get up, let alone go to work"? (Harold) I think sometimes people might be hopeless, especially those people who don't have an understanding of God or like they don't know the meaning of life. And at times they question, like, "Why am I even working? Why even bother to strive, because in the end, everything is meaningless; I have no purpose." (Derek) That sounds like a depressed state, doesn't it? So, you might encourage that person to get some professional help? But what about just the plain
old lazy person? You know, they haven't worked themselves out, and they're not sick, and they're not depressed;
they're just lazy. What would you say, maybe... I hope no one's watching, like that, but let's say someone is. What would you say to him? (Brittany) I think they need a mentor, because many times people in that state,
they haven't been taught to work... (Derek) Like your mom
with the little gloves. (Brittany) They haven't been taught
the value of work and how it brings joy when you have a job well done. So, maybe they need a mentor who will give them something small
that they can do at first, and then give them more responsibility
as they show themselves trustworthy. Because to just throw them into a job
where they're working full time, it might be a little too much
for them at first. (Derek) I'm going to give you a chance
to give a testimony at the end. It doesn't have to be anything profound
like, "I built the pyramids," or, "I developed...," you know, just a time when you did some work, and you really felt blessed. You felt like God blessed the work of your hands. You enjoyed it; you honored God in it. Can you think of a time like that? Shaina? (Shaina) Yes, so in the past two years of my teaching commitment, a significant part of teaching is building a relationship with your students, and I had eighth graders. And my first year was really just a hot mess. (Derek) That's a hard age, isn't it? Would that be like 13 years old? (Shaina) Between 13 and 15, so, you know, they think they're adults, and they're not; they're children. But I struggled through my first year with building relationships because of the variances in background. But over the summer I was, like, okay, I have to do this, and I have to be a better witness to these kids. And during my second year, it was like pouring into the students, and then they ended up pouring into me, like, relationally. And even now that I'm
not teaching anymore, I still have students reaching out to me all the time, like, "Hey, Ms. Greg, we miss you." And so, just like, it's not physical labor but emotionally connecting with them, being intentional about it, because they often express that they can't relate to other teachers as they relate to me. And it could also be the age difference because I'm closer in age with them. But, yeah, I had to be intentional. I had to put in work to build relationship with these children, and it's showing by me also wanting to foster positive relationships with them throughout their lives, as they go into high school and beyond, as well. (Derek) Did you ever have days where you said, "Why am I doing this?!" (Shaina) Oh, absolutely, absolutely. (Derek) So, doing work that honors God is not always easy. But, as you look back, two years, what would you say is the most important lesson you learned about work in that educational setting? (Shaina) Humility is important and trusting that the most difficult kids, like, you just have to continue showing them love, and from our perspective, the love of God, because I worked with a population that is inner city, and so we have a lot of students coming in that are troubled. And so, you show them the love of God, and, you know, for the first three months, they'll just act up, act up, act up. And then you'll gradually see a change, and it's the most amazing and profound thing ever. (Derek) And Shaina's smiling when she says that, even though sometimes it was the hardest thing you ever did. (Shaina) Absolutely. (Derek) You know, when God gives us a work to do, He gives it for our blessing,
really, doesn't He? He wants to bless the work of our hands. He wants the excellence in our work to honor Him. And when we do that, He is there to honor us in ways that we may not expect. Well, if you're lazy today, I hope the lesson has inspired you to say, "God, help me to work so that You could bless the work of my hands." If you're working too hard, slow down and rest. If you're going to work next week, say, "God, fill me with Your Spirit and bless the work of my hands." Let's pray; Father in Heaven, thank You for helping us to understand that even our work is a witness. And may our work, whatever we're doing, bring honor to You and blessing to those around us. I pray this for each one in Jesus' name. Amen. (Team) Amen. (Derek) Well, what we learned today we can put into practice every workday. Take what you've learned, say, "God, let me honor You in the excellence of my work." Go out, be a blessing to those around you. ♪ theme music ♪
