It’s Not a Job, It’s a Life

Steeped in the Word

September 01, 2025 – 09/01/2025

9 – Fruit Bearing (+) Judgment (-)

1 – Unity

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. Colossians 3:23-24 NLT

It’s Not a Job, It’s a Life\n

\u201cWithout hard work, nothing grows but weeds\u201d is an old but good saying. I have a crazy hard work ethic. When I hire people, I say, \u201cIf I have to motivate you, I won\u2019t.\u201d I won\u2019t micromanage anybody. I cast the vision, say where I want us to get to, state the core values, and say what we make a big deal out of. Then I say – this is the finish line, now, sic\u2019em!\u00a0 I totally expect godly people to be extremely hard workers. \u202fMy parents taught me that I had to work hard. A lot of people are just offended if they have to work hard; you have to get over that if you are a grown-up.\n

\u00a0Starting work early is important. If you don\u2019t work in your teens, it\u2019s harder to build a strong work ethic in your 20s and 30s. You need to experience dealing with a boss who is a knucklehead, and people who are no fun to work with. You get up when you don\u2019t want to, and do things you don\u2019t want to do, so you can have things that you want. Learn what motivates you and avoid what doesn\u2019t. That is just wisdom. This is something incredibly important that we need to teach. \u00a0\n

\u00a0The Lord God blesses pursuit and blesses hard work.\u00a0 It takes hard work to be a blessing.\u00a0\n

\u00a0I think the biggest deficit in the body of Christ, and the reason we live in a post-Christian culture in the United States, is that the world works harder than the church does. There’s a huge deficit of leadership in the body of King Jesus. We need people who have a vision and know how to carry out the vision and get kingdom stuff done.\n

Jesus worked hard. We find in John 5, He said, \u201cMy Father is always working, and so am I.\u201d To have the mind of Christ, we must believe that, \u201cIt\u2019s not a job I have, it\u2019s a life I live.\u201d Work to grow a good Kingdom harvest.","hover":"\nWhich Wolf Do You Feed?\n

Jesus-driven thinking helps and heals. This is what the Bible has to say on the subject: For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. \u2013 Romans 8:6\n

The Cherokee nation knew it, too. Check out this spot-on tribal tale:\n

An old Cherokee chief was teaching his grandson about life. He told the boy, \u201cA terrible fight is going on inside me. It is a fight between two wolves. One wolf is evil. He is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and self-doubt.\"\n

The old man continued: \u201cThe other wolf is good. He is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.\u201d He then told the boy, \u201cThis same fight is going on inside you and inside every other person, too.\u201d\n

The grandson thought about it for a minute, then asked his grandfather, \u201cWhich wolf will win?\u201d The wise old chief replied, \u201cThe one you feed.\u201d\n

What wolf have you been feeding? Just know the wolf of evil thoughts will eventually devour you, and likely others as well. Thoughts become actions, and there is always collateral damage.\n

That\u2019s not you! You can control your thought life and ensure the evil wolf starves to death."}},"slug":"et_pb_blurb"}">It’s Not a Job, It’s a Life

“Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds” is an old but good saying. I have a crazy hard work ethic. When I hire people, I say, “If I have to motivate you, I won’t.” I won’t micromanage anybody. I cast the vision, say where I want us to get to, state the core values, and say what we make a big deal out of. Then I say – this is the finish line, now, sic’em! I totally expect godly people to be extremely hard workers.  My parents taught me that I had to work hard. A lot of people are just offended if they have to work hard; you have to get over that if you are a grown-up.

Starting work early is important. If you don’t work in your teens, it’s harder to build a strong work ethic in your 20s and 30s. You need to experience dealing with a boss who is a knucklehead, and people who are no fun to work with. You get up when you don’t want to, and do things you don’t want to do, so you can have things that you want. Learn what motivates you and avoid what doesn’t. That is just wisdom. This is something incredibly important that we need to teach.

The Lord God blesses pursuit and blesses hard work. It takes hard work to be a blessing.

I think the biggest deficit in the body of Christ, and the reason we live in a post-Christian culture in the United States, is that the world works harder than the church does. There’s a huge deficit of leadership in the body of King Jesus. We need people who have a vision and know how to carry out the vision and get kingdom stuff done.

Jesus worked hard. We find in John 5, He said, “My Father is always working, and so am I.” To have the mind of Christ, we must believe that, “It’s not a job I have, it’s a life I live.” Work to grow a good Kingdom harvest.

Grounded in FaithDeclare!

My life is a gift from God, so I live a life that will produce Kingdom good. No matter what my job is, I do what I do for Jesus with excellence, a pure heart, and hard work.

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Pray a-Latte

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. James 5:16 NLT

Monthly Prayer PointsLabor Day Weekend – Appreciation for all workers, rest, relaxation, and safety for all

OpenDoor Women’s Conference – More Jesus, Joy, and Jubilee for their Journey

Grandparents Day – 9/7SOKE – OpenDoor School Term begins

Pray for Israel – Rosh Hashanah (New Year) is 9/23

SPARK Worldwide Mission Trip to Africa

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